A nice occasion involving the entire TU/e community on which to bring the year to a close, this is what community manager Erik de Jong went in search of last summer. “I think what people actually enjoy more than anything is marking this time outdoors on a cafe terrace.” The idea of holding the first TU/e Christmas market was soon born, and in TU/e's regular caterer Eurest, De Jong soon found an enthusiastic partner.

After all, a Christmas market is nothing without food and drink, and starting December 11th, these will be plentifully provided every day, the community manager promises. From a sausage stall and a soup bar to more international Christmas cuisine and a hot drinks truck serving mulled wine and other treats. Including, of course, hot chocolate with, “at my request, an optional shot of rum,” says De Jong with a smile. “That's essential if it's cold.”

In addition, from  December 11 through 21 there will be various activities, many of them musical, some of them for charity, thanks to the various associations. The first day of the Christmas market will open with the firing of Christmas trees from a cannon, which will involve TU/e staff and students trying to fire a Christmas tree across the length of the pond with the aid of a Christmas tree cannon. “That'll be a challenge,” ‘fears’ De Jong. The event will draw to a close on December 21 with a TU/e Christmas Sing-along.

The Christmas market is open every day from 12 noon to 7 p.m., and until a little later on some days in the second week. “We've arranged for it to be enjoyable throughout the day and for there to be a buzz whether there are fifty or five hundred people milling about. Of course we hope that everyone will bring along their fellow students and colleagues, and that the Christmas market ends up being full to overflowing.”