I don’t have any of my Christmas shopping finished yet.  I just *don’t* know what to get all the wonderful people in my life!!!  I want to shower them with turtle doves and diamond rings, but I just can’t find anything I really love for them.  So today I made the awesome decision on the coldest day of the year so far (is this factual?  feels like it) to go check out the outdoor holiday markets in Union Square and Columbus Circle.  BAD MOVE!  It is way too cold outside to be checking out booths and booths of jewelry, candles, and animal-shaped winter hats (which are pretty freaking cool, let’s be real here).

The Urban Space Markets crew puts on both of these markets until December 24th (which is probably when I will finish my shopping this year).  I definitely suggest visiting these, but on a warmer day.  There are tons of different vendors in each market, with some of the vendors featured in both markets.  The vendors have everything from ornaments knit out of Kazakhstan wool, plastic necklaces that hold your favorite fortune cookie fortune (fortunes not included), bags made completely of zippers, reusable hand warmers, bath goodies (all of which I am unfortunately allergic to) or tea and spices that have been sitting out in the open air without covers on them every day since November.  I really wish I could have looked for longer but my fingers were falling off and I could not afford (although I wanted) cow-shaped mittens.

The cold did not ruin my evening though as I did pick up something for my mom that I think she will really dig AND I found a Wafels & Dinges booth!  They did not have all the varieties of the truck so I was able to steer myself away without eating a bacon waffle, in favor of this lovely box of Cheese Nips next to me that I am having for dinner instead.  I did pick up their fabulous Spekuloos Spread (featured in Real Simple’s gift guide) which I plan on spreading on toast and crackers and apples and anything else I can find.  It tastes like gingerbread cookies and is basically the new Nutella.

I did end up warming up a little by finding a taco booth in the Columbus Circle market that had awesome hot chocolate, which I realize is a strange thing to order from a taco booth, but I needed it pretty badly.  I didn’t actually need for it to spill all over my coat, but I just don’t have enough balance to type out an email with one hand on my blackberry while crossing the street,and holding my other blackberry, my camera, my one glove, and the hot chocolate in my other hand.

xx