I had built up my expectations of what a Christmas market should be and unfortunately for me, the York Christmas Market did not tick any of the boxes.
When you conjure up images of a Christmas market, you likely envision carol singers, twinkling festive lights and the blare of Christmas tunes.
So picture how let down Yorkshire Live reporter Samantha Teasdale was on her inaugural trip to York, when she found it sorely lacking in the ‘Christmas spirit’ she was expecting.
Samantha said: “Christmas is my favourite season, filled with cheesy Hallmark romances, classic films like Elf and Jack Frost, and of course, the food. That’s why I thought a first-time visit to the York Christmas Markets would be ideal, but sadly, I think I ended up feeling more like the Grinch.”
According to the Visit York website, visitors come to “Enjoy the Christmas cheer on offer at the UK’s most festive cities.”
Samantha found this not quite the case, saying: “Apart from lovely tree lights (half of which were functioning) and wooden stalls selling products, it didn’t feel very Christmassy. I chose a good time to visit, so there weren’t even any massive crowds.”
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To try and lift her spirits, Samantha indulged in the obligatory hot chocolate with Baileys – which was scrumptious – followed by an exceptional apple crumble topped with Biscoff crumbs before strolling down the row of stalls. The market was large as she had imagined, and there was no denying that the entire place was bathed in beautiful Christmas lights.
Samantha found the whole experience sadly lacking. She said: “There was no Christmas background music, just what sounded like regular radio tunes. I stayed quiet and listened carefully to see if maybe I had just missed a Christmas song or one was about to play next, but unfortunately, it wasn’t.
“It was only when I discovered a small market area tucked away in a corner that I heard any Christmas songs all night,” she added.
As Samantha was wrapping up her stroll around the area, savouring a tasty bratwurst, a choir flash mob suddenly appeared. She said: “I halted in delight, hoping they would belt out a Christmas carol, but instead they opted for Country Roads and other songs, leaving me somewhat deflated.”
The disappointed festive fan concluded: “Could it be that Christmas Markets are over-hyped, romanticised by festive films, and my expectations were simply too lofty? Or perhaps I should visit during daylight hours, as I noticed some of the stalls beginning to pack up at 6pm.”
