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BETHLEHEM, Pa. — One of the jolliest men at Christkindlmarkt on Friday was Mark Talijan, otherwise known as St. Nick.
The ArtsQuest festival's official Father Christmas had much to celebrate on the opening day of the German-themed holiday market.
One is his St. Nicholas Haus, located in Christkindlmarkt's new Winter Wonderland.
The St. Nicholas Haus — where families can snap photos with Kris Kringle and partake in festive arts-and-crafts activities — replaces St. Nick’s former corner in the old Kinderplatz, which since has been rebranded as the Handwerk Haus.
"I like it very much. It gives me more room so I can see more families and they can spend more time with me," said Mark Talijan, who has portrayed St. Nick for the past seven years.
"There's a new entrance with easy access, and I have a nice, new, comfy chair."
As in years past, St. Nick will host Saturday breakfasts in the new Winter Wonderland on Nov. 29, Dec. 6 and Dec. 13.
Imported treats, wine from Germany
At this year's Christkindlmarkt, The Winter Wonderland expansion replaces the seasonal ice-skating rink.
It also includes a small stage for entertainment, a Glas Haus (hot glass experience), fire pits, new decorations and the Volks Haus hospitality tent.
Another addition this year, the Warmen Haus, includes a place to buy more food and drinks imported from Germany.
Leo Osanitsch Jr., owner of Karl Ehmer Quality Meats and a longtime vendor at ArtsQuest’s Musikfest, Oktoberfest and Christkindlmarkt, collaborated with the venue to guide the choices on which authentic German snacks and drinks to serve.
Some of the treats include Glühwein, a mulled wine; Manner Wafers; Weiss Lebkuchen cookies; Wicklein Gingerbread; and Ritter chocolate bars.
“We spent hours with Leo,” Emily Kocis, director of IT and juried exhibitors/beverage operations at ArtsQuest, said.
“Picking the best traditional snacks, the ones he knew would resonate with people who love the real German Christmas market experience.”
The "Warmen Haus" was built in Poland and joins several other new vendor houses, plus an ice-carving station, food trucks and rentable igloos.
"We wanted something that matched the look of traditional German Christmas markets — not a tent in a parking lot with pipe and drape."Emily Kocis, ArtsQuest
Kocis said a company in Poland emailed ArtsQuest offering handmade modular sheds inspired by European Christmas markets.
The imported sheds fold down to a foot-and-a-half for storage, making them ideal for year-round reuse.
But more importantly, they instantly elevated the look.
“We wanted something that matched the look of traditional German Christmas markets — not a tent in a parking lot with pipe and drape,” Kocis said.
The winter village also inspired the creation of the new walkway, filled with oversized photo ops — a gold sleigh, a Bethlehem sign and a revamped entrance that actually feels like an arrival.
In the age of social media, visuals matter.
“If we wanted people to walk from A to B, we had to make A to B interesting,” Kocis said.
“The photo stops, the sheds, the Warm Haus—it all makes people want to explore.”
A Year in the Making
Christkindlmarkt has been a holiday staple for decades, but the move from the North Side of Bethlehem to the South Side in 2011 reshaped the festival, bringing both the glassblowing booth and St. Nick’s corner to their homes, or Häuser, in the Winter Wonderland.
“This event is a year’s worth of planning,” Kocis said.
"We’ll start preparing for 2026 as early as January. Once applications go out, everything kicks into high gear.”
The decision to expand Christkindlmarkt outward — replacing the former ice rink area with a new Winter Wonderland — was finalized during the first quarter of the year.
One of the biggest shifts Kocis and the staff have seen is the sheer volume of artisan applications.
This year brought more than 300 entries for the artisan tents — double the usual number.
'Kindness' in Christmas City
For 15 years, Tom Dossy, an artisan with House of Morgan, has been a steady presence at Christkindlmarkt.
He returns each season to the same premiere booth — across from Käthe Wohlfahrt of America.
Käthe Wohlfahrt's section is filled with wooden nutcrackers and cherished themed ornaments imported from Germany.
"The good thing about Christkindlmarkt is you don't find these products in big-box stores anywhere."Tom Dossy, House of Morgan
As for Dossy, he hand-casts each pewter piece (ornaments, pendants, earrings and chains and necklaces) the shop sells by working with different molds and designs.
The ornaments start at $10.
Dossy said he spends six weeks in Bethlehem — after a seven-hour drive from Mt. Airy, North Carolina — and said the show far outshines every other event he attends during the year.
The festive atmosphere of Christmas City, the kindness of visitors and the loyal customers who return yearly make the trip more than worthwhile, he said.
He described the vendors as a true family, a supportive community who welcomes newcomers even as longtime artisans like him anchor the tradition.
And with handcrafted ornaments and other items — shoppers will leave with something unique.
"The good thing about Christkindlmarkt is you don't find these products in big-box stores anywhere," he said.
Something for everyone
Among the hundreds of vendors, showing in heated tents are more than 50 vendors who sell handcrafted Christmas decorations, tree ornaments, paintings, jewelry, pottery, gloves, hats, handmade jewelry, wooden signs, crystals and gems, scarves, purses and baby clothing.
There also are treats for dogs and cats, jars of pickles, jams and jellies, spices, English toffees, chocolates, cheeses and handmade decorated gingerbread cookies.
Simply put: something for everyone on your Christmas list — whether naughty or nice.
"It would be very easy to spend the whole day here."Tom Dossy, an artisan with House of Morgan
"You can come here and spend the day, have a good time with your friends, have something to eat, relax, rest," Dossy said.
"It would be very easy to spend the whole day here."
Christkindlmarkt will run Fridays through Sundays through Nov. 30. It then will open Thursdays-Sundays, Dec. 4 though Dec. 21.
It is the second year that Christkindlmarkt will be open the weekend before Christmas, and because of the way the calendar falls, it will be open a day closer to Christmas than ever before.
Hours are: Free Friday admission from 5 to 8 p.m., then paid admission 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Advance tickets, at $12 per person (free for ages 5 and younger) on Thursdays and Fridays and $14.50 for Saturdays and Sundays, are available on the SteelStacks website.
