Tallinn city elder Monika Haukanõmm told ERR that in order to extend the festive season, for a number of years now, a "Christmas tree maze" has been in place around the Christmas tree in Town Hall Square long after the market has closed. According to Haukanõmm, keeping the trees and decoration in the square adds a touch of glamour to the Old Town during the dark and gloomy January and February days.

Haukanõmm said that the small Christmas trees are collected from the streets of the Old Town and arranged to form a labyrinth.

"The big Christmas tree and the small tree forest will remain in Town Hall Square until the end of the Independence Day celebrations," said Haukanõmm. She added that the trees would be decorated with blue, black and white colored ribbons to mark the occasion. "Then, they will be quietly removed from the square next Monday," she said.

High prices and inconveniences caused by the introduction of a deposit-based system for plates and cups set the tone for the 2023-24 Christmas market.

Speaking about the city's assessment of this year's Christmas market, Haukanõmm said there were a number of challenges that had to be addressed, which lead to increased prices for traders.

"We sat down with Christmas market organizer, 5+ Capital, in the New Year and went over the market's operations – the joys and sorrows, as well as our thoughts and future intentions – one-by-one. Over such a long venture, there were bound to be quite a few. The Christmas Market ran for just over a month in Town Hall Square (Raekoja Plats) and a varied program with nearly 3,000 exhibitors and a wide range of handicrafts as well as festive food and drink. However, compared to the previous years', for some traders, turnover was down, which naturally made it challenging for them," said Haukanõmm.

She added that it was difficult to know the exact number of visitors to the market, though estimates suggest the total was around 500,000. "However, attendance alone does not put bread on the table for merchants, it is when visitors buy things," she said.

According to Haukanõmm, some traders thought the rental prices for the stalls, which were set by Christmas market organizer 5+ Capital, were rather high.

She said that while prices seemed to have been pushed up due to the introduction of a deposit-payment system for plates and cups, however, that money was later returned to customers.

"The organizer expressed the belief that the new system was still a burden for some visitors, and this attitude was reflected in the turnover. However, it should be stressed that the new deposit system is here to stay," Haukanõmm said.

"It may be a little unfamiliar and inconvenient for people at first, but it is clear that it is serving its purpose. Thanks to the new system, we have stopped using hundreds of kilos of plastic. The use of the deposit system also contributed to the cleanliness of the marketplace, as the containers were not thrown away," said Haukanõmm.

Haukanõmm put the higher prices down to the energy crisis resulting from Russia's war in Ukraine and general inflation. "And we also cannot overlook the unexpected and colossal tax increases that our people have been hit with, which are increasing price sensitivity," she said.

Haukanõmm said that 5+ Capital, which won the bid to organize last year's Tallinn Christmas market last year, will do so for a minimum of three years – until at least until 2025. "There are ideas about what to do differently and better next year," she said, adding that it would not be appropriate to talk about concrete changes before analyzing the suggestions that have been put forward.

"What is clear is that we can't change the re-use requirement, which has caused pain for traders and Christmas market goers alike, because that is the law. We can only hope that attending future events across Estonia, where the deposit requirement will also be introduced starting from this year, will enable people to become more familiar with the system. Then, paying a deposit and getting a refund for it later will no longer seem such a strange and daunting procedure by the time of the next festive season," Haukanõmm added.

"We've been operating in fairly volatile conditions for quite a few years. Organizing a Christmas market is logistically challenging and economically risky. There are a lot of risk factors to take into account commercially. However, we hope to be able to operate more smoothly in the future, as the Christmas market plays an important role in creating a festive atmosphere for residents and tourists. It is a genuine pleasure that the market took place and we hope that this tradition will continue in the future," she said.

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