For Quebec City merchants, the German Christmas Market is a gift that keeps on giving

Pascal e. has been working toward the annual German Christmas Market in Quebec City since July, spending months crafting 300 original cards to sell at one of the coveted booths in Place D'Youville.

Pascale e., who wanted to use their artist name, decorated the colourful cards with animals of all kinds.

"I went a bit wild, like free interpretation of what an animal can be. They're dressed and they're having fun," they said, with a chuckle.

Last year, Pascale e. sold their products at the month-long market for a few days as part of a discovery booth. But this year, travelling all the way from Sherbrooke, they are happy to have their own cabin until Dec. 23.

Pascale e. is one of 90 plus merchants presenting products at one of the five locations of the 15th edition of the annual German Christmas Market.

Britta Kröger, the president of board of the German Christmas Market, says its organizers discovered Quebec City's appetite for a large-scale event when they held the first edition of the market in a church 15 years ago.

"You could feel people we were longing for that," said Kröger. "I was really surprised that there was no Christmas market in Quebec [City] because it's such a beautiful city … Our winter is long here, so you have to create activities the whole season through."

Transports people to Europe

Since its first edition, the market has evolved, noted Kröger, offering local artisans, merchants, farmers and artists spaces at the traditional wood cabins scattered through the city centre.

"The first impression when you arrive, especially a little bit later in the afternoon and you have all the lights, is this feeling of being transported out of North America," said Kröger.

"It has a very authentic touch to it … Some people from Berlin, they said, 'we had a Christmas market in Berlin, but yours is much prettier,'" she said.

Still, some things need that genuine German touch. Kröger says two members of the market's team travel to Germany to buy traditional products, such as gingerbread, for the market.

Then there are the aromas.

Kröger says attendees can stroll through the five locations free of charge until Dec. 23 and can follow their noses to mulled wine, sausages, fondue, baked goods and churros.

It's a great gig for the vendors, says Kröger, adding that many of them travel from the province's outlying regions to sell their products and engage customers in person, after selling their products online most of the year.

"They're so happy to share it with their buyers. Because if you sell online … you don't see the client. You don't have a conversation, you don't have feedback," said Kröger.

2-year waiting list for a booth

When it first started, the market worked to recruit merchants, Kröger said. Nowadays, it has to turn people down.

"People didn't know the market, didn't know us, so we had to write to people and ask them," said Kröger. "[Now] we have a waiting list."

Sebastien Lemay was one of the vendors on that list for more than two years.

This year, he received the news he would get his own booth at the Place D'Youville location.

He says he is excited to offer a selection of his homemade cheeses, made from the milk of his cows in Victoriaville, Que.

"Everyday I take the milk from my farm, I process and pasteurize the milk … Process to packaging [and] deliver to the centre of Quebec," said Lemay, adding that this Christmas market was a nice change of pace for him.

Alex Surprenant also had to wait to join the market's festivities. His company, based in the Eastern Townships, sells custom hats, upcycling old fur coats for some of the materials. This marks its first year in Quebec City.

"The decoration is amazing. We can feel already the Christmas vibe. People are so happy to walk outside. We'll be back for sure because we have had a great experience so far," said Surprenant.

Festive atmosphere attracts tourists

Kröger says the market celebrated its 15th anniversary on Dec. 15, with DJs playing music at each market location.

At Place D'Youville, a skating rink was set up a few steps from the booths free of charge for those looking to take in the smells wafting from the churro booth and the sounds of the christmas music from nearby speakers.

During the day, it's a spot for an elf called Gentil (nice), who stops to take selfies with skaters around the rink.

Dressed in head-to-toe red, white and green, Gentil says he comes to the rink everyday to relax, after a hard night at the toy factory.

That festive atmosphere is what makes the market so charming, said Kröger. She says it attracts tourists from around the world.

"I went with my husband Friday and we met people sitting together. They were there with their kids and they were from New Hampshire … and then their parents from Washington, D.C. met them in Quebec for the Christmas market," said Kröger.

"Quebec is the destination where people meet because they love it here, the city [and] the Christmas market."