christmas2If you are relocating to Bethesda, or are a long time native, here is some fun activities for the whole family! Christmas Fairs are filled with good food, native crafts, and entertainment. Be sure to check them out!

Because Washington is a world capital, Christmas markets here are really international events, attracting members of the city’s diplomatic class and making use of prime embassy space. For example, Finnish Ambassador Ritva Koukku-Ronde is the patron of Saturday’s Finnish Christmas Bazaar in Bethesda, and the Swedish women’s organization SWEA holds its annual market at the Swedish Embassy in Georgetown on Dec. 6.christmas3

Even if you don’t plan on shopping, these events are worth a visit. The bazaars have cafes serving traditional homemade meals such as Norwegian split-pea

soup with cheese and bread, Ukrainian verenyky (pierogies) and Swedish

meatballs and mulled wine. The International French Bazaar has two menus:

One with choucroute and quiche and one with traditional African dishes.

Take a peek at some of these upcoming Christmas markets – It might not be the

Vienna Austria Christmas market in front of the City Hall, but they are lots of

fun! You can surely find something to take home to your luxury home or condo to remember the event!

Finnish Christmas Bazaar

Saturday, Nov. 22 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. River Road Unitarian Church, 6301 River Rd., Bethesda. 410-263-3844.
http://www.finnish-christmas-bazaar.org. Free.

If the ambassador is willing to sponsor a bazaar, you know it’s a good representation of that particular country. This annual bazaar is strong on ceramics and glass and has special areas dedicated to Finnish design and fashion. Snack on open-faced herring sandwiches, pastries and cakes and reindeer jerky, and take home some Ruis rye bread or boxes of ginger snaps.Christmas

International French Christmas Bazaar
Saturday, Dec. 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wesley Theological Seminary, 4500 Massachusetts Ave. NW. 301-320-3955.www.frenchspeakingprotestantchurch.org. Free.
French jewelry, books, DVDs and toys are among the items that will be sold at the Eglise Protestante Francophone’s annual bazaar. The event also features holiday music and food options from throughout the French-speaking world: In addition to choucroute, cheese and pastries, there will be a “buffet Africain” with traditional dishes.

I hope that this list of Christmas markets makes you wonder what life is like in the DC metro area on a full time basis – year round! If you would like more information about homes in DC and relocating here, just give the Lise Howe Group a call. Whether you are looking for a home in Bethesda near the Finnish Christmas Market, a townhouse in Kenwood Forest, or a great condo in Friendship Heights or Chevy Chase, you can start your home search right here.