I found this article in the paper today. Germany!! Come the holiday season, open air markets make their traditions appearance in the center of nearly every German town. Ornate boots selling food, drink, craft or gifts line the decorated "Platz' or Strasse. Outside in the cold, often snow filled air, the warmly bundled Germans stop to peruse the goods, squeezing their way around the street musicians. The attendants, warmed by heaters and shelter by temporary roofs, exchange a festive banter with passers-by. " It is really like a story book," said Claire Kantowicz, who spent 12 years in Hamburg and now works at the Chicago branch of Goethe Institute. The markets tend to create more of a social event than a shopping event,she said. With Christmas approaching, downtown areas fill with shoppers- most on foot,most in the markets. "They're full, but it's not an aggressive, panicky shopping," Kantowicz said. In fact, Christmas traditions in Germany tend to be what she called "more natural, a lot less smashy". Open- air markets spring up every where. Nearly every one puts up a live tree subtly decorated with real candles. Instead of the store, holiday treats come out of the kitchen. It's not completely different from the United States. " It gets earlier every year," Becky Martin said in mid -November. " there is already some homes with their Christmas decoration up. Martin moved to Dessau, Germany, 12 years ago to continue her career in opera. She now lives in Nurnberg, home of a christmas market that's known world wide. She sees a lot of different between holidays there and in Allentown ,Pa. where she spent much of her live. Germans tend to start their shopping earlier than Americans, she said. Stores are closed Sundays; on Saturday they stay open till 6 p.m. during December only. And trends that hit the United States usually don't receive the same fanfare there. " All kids have Pokemon cards," Martin said. " But it's not as fanatical". Neither is the rush to large stores such as Wal-Mart. The natural growth and strict zoning of towns in western Germany have channeled business to downtown shops and smaller stores. The 95 Super centers throughout the country have struggled. Though, comparable store sales rose 7 percent in the third quarter, Wal- Mart"s senior vice president of finance Jay Fitzsimmons said. The company still is a few quarters away from hitting its goals. Hans- Joachim Koerber, chief executive with Wal -Mart's German Competitor, Metro AG, explained Wal- Mart troubles. It is an American retailer with international operations, he said, not an international retailer. " Wal- mart is totally wrong for German culture," Martin said. Adding that the famous Wal- MArt associate cheer is virtually one existent there. " It's really a question of adapting to the culture, or the culture adapting to them." But around christmas, Martin said, that's even more difficult. After all, Germans still prefer their open- air- markets. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : http://explorer.msn.com