Brummies favour city's German Market over Santa
HE’D better watch out, better not cry and better not pout – but Santa Claus could have a new rival in town.
The jolly man in red is said to be losing out in the popularity stakes to the German Market, hailed as the number one place people choose to visit to get in the festive spirit.
Research by The Co-operative Travel says trips to see Santa in Lapland have fallen by over a quarter compared to last year, while visits to festive markets in the UK, including the one in Birmingham city centre, and Germany have rocketed.
And visitors to Birmingham’s German market agreed that they thought Father Christmas was losing his Yuletide sparkle.
Kate Clark, aged 27 and from Redditch, said her two-year-old daughter Isabell would prefer the German Market to a Santa trip. She said: “She’s much happier here, with the lights and rides. She met Santa once and was scared of him!”
Melanie Martin, aged 37, is from Stuttgart in Germany, but has lived in Bearwood for eight years.
She said: “I love the German Market, it eases my homesickness. I took my daughter, Dharma, to see Santa last year and it put me off for life – queueing up in a stuffy shopping centre waiting to see one of ten Santas.
“Dharma likes coming to the market, eating some treats, seeing the lights and going on the carousel.”
Mike Cook, aged 49 and from Walsall, added: “I’m a bit old for Santa and we don’t have young kids, but I could understand that being true.
