I recently traveled to Germany and picked up these cool little mugs at local Christmas markets.
German Christmas markets are world famous. You can buy all manner of Christmas goods, but my favorites are definitely the food and drinks.
When it comes to drinks, nothing beats Gluehwein. The literal translation is “glowing wine”, but we generally call it mulled wine.
The German version is a bit different from other types of mulled wines. It contains orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise and, of course, wine. There are also many more exotic variations in recent years, like a mango flavored one.
When you buy a Gluehwein, it comes in a unique mug. Each Christmas market has their own design that is specific to that market and that year. You pay a deposit for the mug and get your money back when you return it. Unless you don’t.
Most people will keep a mug from each market they visit and happily pay the 3 to 5 dollar deposit for such a unique keepsake. The mugs pictured above are the three I picked up when I traveled to Germany recently. They are now my favorite souvenirs from that trip.
Of course, you can also bring your own mug and just have them fill that up. One of these ceramic mugs with handles and lids would work great, since they would keep the wine hot even on the coldest of evenings.
Have you ever been to a Christmas market in Europe? If so, what did you pick up and bring back with you?