Naughty or nice, Christkindlmarket offers sugar and some spice.
For those who have been good this year, a heart-shaped gingerbread — or Lebkuchenherz, in German —awaits at the Sweet Castle. The delicious treat is the inspiration for this year’s collectible mugs ($10), ornament ($39) and pins at the open-air German-style market’s three locations — two in Chicago and one in Aurora.
But if you’ve been bad, then maybe partying with Krampus is more your speed. For the first time, the Timber Haus at Daley Plaza will turn eerie during a ticketed event on Dec. 14, to celebrate the goat-like figure with antlers who punishes bad children ($35 per person plus taxes and fees).
A participant wearing a traditional Krampus costume and a mask performs in Hollabrunn, Austria, on Nov. 26, 2022. (Michael Gruber/AP)
Culture & cheer tours, which sold out last year, take visitors through the market before it opens on select days ($45 per person plus taxes and fees), and are a good way to beat the downtown crowds.
Can’t make it to the city? The Aurora location sells tickets for glass ornament-making workshops (from $42 per person), lantern parades for children ($15 per person) and wine tastings for adults (from $40 per person).
Where to buy this year’s mugs
A 2025 Christkindlmarket mug design on Nov. 19, 2025. (Peter Tsai/Chicago Tribune)
This gingerbread-themed mug design is available during the 2025 holiday season at Christkindlmarket’s three locations, and is specifically for non-alcoholic beverages like hot chocolate or cider. (Peter Tsai/Chicago Tribune)
A vessel for which to sip Gluhwein has been a staple of German American Events’ Christkindlmarket since it premiered in Pioneer Court off the Magnificent Mile in 1996. A variety of colors, designs and shapes have been used to make each year’s design.
People shop and eat at Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza, Chicago, on Nov. 26, 2013. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
Daley Plaza, 50 W. Washington St.
Open Nov. 21-Dec. 24. 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Thanksgiving (Nov. 27) and Christmas Eve (Dec. 24).
Christkindlmarket Wrigleyville
People ice skate at Christkindlmarket at the Park beside Wrigley Field in Chicago on Nov. 28, 2017. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Gallagher Way, 3635 N. Clark St.
Open Nov. 23-Dec. 31. 3-9 p.m., Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Friday-Saturday; 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Sunday; 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Thanksgiving (Nov. 27), 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Dec. 22-23; 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) and New Year’s Eve (Dec. 31); 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Dec. 29-30. Closed Christmas Day (Dec. 25).
People enjoy the opening day of Christkindlmarket at RiverEdge Park in Aurora on Nov. 17, 2023. (H. Rick Bamman/for the Beacon-News)
RiverEdge Park, 360 N. Broadway in Aurora
Open Nov. 17-Dec. 24. 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Thursday; 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday- Saturday; and 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday; 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Thanksgiving (Nov. 23) and Christmas Eve (Dec. 24); 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Dec. 18-20.
Previous designs: 1996-1998
The original Christkindlmarket mug photographed on Nov., 10, 2015. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
Thirty-five wooden booths were built in Germany and shipped to Chicago for the first Christkindlmarket, which lasted 17 days and had 15 vendors. The event moved from Pioneer Court on Michigan Avenue to Daley Plaza in 1997, where its opening coincided with the city’s Christmas tree lighting.
1999
The Christkindlmarket mug from 1999. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
Food options ranged from chocolate-dipped strawberries on skewers to bratwurst, and from cheese pretzels to doughnutlike churros with strawberry, chocolate and Bavarian cream fillings.
2000
The Christkindlmarket mug from 2000. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
Items for sale included handcrafted glass ornaments, cuckoo clocks, nutcrackers, wooden toys, jewelry, sweaters and food.
2001
The Christkindlmarket mug from 2001. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
The market’s footprint expanded beyond Daley Plaza to include the vacant Block 37.
2002
A Christkindlmarket mug from 2002. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
Glass blowers from the Bavarian Forest demonstrated their craft and sold the finished products.
2003
A Christkindlmarket mug from 2003. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
Displays included the Guinness World Records’ largest beeswax candle.
2004
A Christkindlmarket mug from 2004. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
The market opened on Thanksgiving to give shoppers a sneak preview.
2005
A Christkindlmarket mug from 2005.(Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
Christkindlmarket celebrated 10 years in Chicago and offered its first souvenir boot mug.
2006
A Christkindlmarket mug from 2006. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
Tribune restaurant critic Phil Vettel gave “a big yodeling ja” to Helmut’s Original Austrian Strudel and a “hearty ja” to the spiced red wine in a boot.
2007
A Christkindlmarket mug from 2007. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
Mader’s, a famous Milwaukee German restaurant, participated.
2008
A Christkindlmarket mug from 2008. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
The number of vendors reached 50.
2009
A Christkindlmarket mug from 2009. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
Christkindlmarket lasted almost one full month in Daley Plaza.
2010
A Christkindlmarket mug from 2010. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
German food, drink and trinkets still attracted crowds to Daley Plaza 15 years after the event began in Chicago.
2011
A Christkindlmarket mug from 2011. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
In addition to running Christkindlmarket, German American Services expanded to put on an Oktoberfest celebration at Navy Pier.
2012
A Christkindlmarket mug from 2012. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
More than 50 vendors sold items including ornaments, beer steins, wooden toys, jewelry and European chocolates.
2013
A Christkindlmarket mug from 2013. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
The official mug was not a boot and people took to the market’s Facebook page to complain. (The market’s mug has been a boot just nine times.)
2014
A Christkindlmarket mug from 2014. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
A Christkindlmarket mug from 2014. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
A snowman mug was introduced for the market’s Kinder Club. More than half of the 50 vendors traveled from Germany to Chicago to sell their wares.
2015
A Christkindlmarket mug from 2015. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
A Christkindlmarket mug from 2015. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
In its 20th year in Chicago, the market was void of one accessory — the city’s official Christmas tree. After 50 years in Daley Plaza, the tree moved east to Millennium Park.
2016
A Christkindlmarket mug from 2016. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
For the first time, the market expanded to two locations — the Daley Plaza mainstay and a suburban outpost in Naperville.
2017
A Christkindlmarket mug for 2017. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune)
A Christkindlmarket mug for 2017. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune)
The market opened a third location at The Park at Wrigley, just outside Wrigley Field. For the first time in its 22 years, Christkindlmarket offered three mug designs — two of them in “punch kettle” shape.
2018
The Christkindlmarket mugs for 2018. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
The market opened its first location in Wisconsin, just outside the new Fiserv Forum. The gingerbread-inspired mug designs were unique to each location and featured a heart-shaped opening at the top.
2019
A Christkindlmarket mug for 2019. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
A Christkindlmarket mug for 2019. (Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune)
The boot design returned after four years.
2020
Organizers of the popular outdoor holiday market cancelled the event and sold items online as the coronavirus pandemic hampered large-scale events and international travel.
2021
A Christkindlmarket mug for 2021. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
A Christkindlmarket mug for 2021. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
The same flute-shaped design, about as tall as an iPhone, was sold at both the Daley Plaza and Wrigleyville locations to commemorate the market’s 25th anniversary in Chicago. The children’s “Peppermint Penguin” design was dressed up to celebrate the first Christkindlmarket in almost two years.
2022
A Christkindlmarket mug for 2022. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
A Christkindlmarket mug for 2022. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)
The official mug celebrated “Year of Chicago Dance” and the Kinder Club hosted a naming contest for the dancing penguin mug.
2023
A Christkindlmarket mug for 2023. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
A Christkindlmarket mug for 2023. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
A Christkindlmarket mug for 2023. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
The market returned in three locations — Daley Plaza, Wrigleyville and Aurora. For the first time, a fast-entry pass was sold for $25 (and included a souvenir mug).
2024
A 2024 Christkindlmarket mug on Nov. 12, 2024. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
A 2024 Christkindlmarket mug on Nov. 12, 2024. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
Mugs for spiced wine or non-alcoholic beverages were both nutcracker-themed and sold at both the Daley Plaza and Wrigleyville locations. Culture and cheer tours let visitors enter Christkindlmarket before it opened on select days.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/21/christkindlmarket-heart-shaped-mugs-krampus/
