By Chen Pin-hua（陳品樺）
As Christmas is coming, we can see there are a lot of festivity decorations on Taipei streets. This year, there are several special Christmas markets for us to experience the Christmas atmosphere. Of all Christmas markets, Strasbourg Christmas market and the Christmas market opened by China Airlines are the most popular.
Although there are differences between those markets, we can feel a strong mood of joy. Open Dec. 1 through 25, Strasbourg Christmas market, which originates from France, feature most of the vendors selling special delicacies from the European country. In the plaza are two huge Christmas trees, which attract young people to take a photo and post it on their blogs. One of our interviewees, Miss Sui, says, the trees are very beautiful indeed; however, the whole market area is too crowed.
The other interviewee Mr. Quan says, ‘’ if you had never seen people in Taipei, you may come and see it.’’ On the other hand, the one that was opened by China Airlines, Taiwan’s largest airline, gathered food from four countries for people to taste and feel. Delicacies from Germany, Holland, Italy, and Austria were served. The event lasted from Dec. 9 to 11 only. For those who wanted to experience different aspects of the Christmas market, there are also some activities for people to join. Nevertheless, one of the interviewees says, “The idea of the market is good, and yet it is so crowded that I could barely move my feet freely.’’
Although there have been some disadvantages of the markets, the true meaning of Christmas is supposed to bring the whole family together and for people to be thankful for everything they’ve got in this year.
