Christkindlmarket Des Moines 2026 is fast approaching and we have eight nonprofit “angel” organizations (5 returning and 3 new ones!) preparing decorations and designs to electrify and entrance those who visit the Weihnachtswald, Christmas Forest.
Each “Angel” organization has been featured in the lead up to CDM 2026, and we want to share with you what each nonprofit has in store for your viewing pleasure.
Click here to learn about how to bid on these trees.
The Silent Auction will begin the first day of the market, Thursday, December 3rd at 5pm and conclude Sunday, December 6th at 5pm. Winning bidders will be notified via our text-to-bid platform and all trees will be wrapped and ready for pick up between 5:30pm and 7:30 pm Sunday evening.
Click on the Item # below to see their tree and bid!
Click on the organization below to learn more about the organization.
Item presented by Daughters of Norway: 250th Celebration of America
Tree description: We will be following the 250th Celebration of America. We, Norwegians have started coming 150 years ago. The tree will show the red,white &blue colors of American traditions. Sherikobolt, Liaison for Daughters of Norway
Item presented by New Hope United Methodist Church: Tree of Life
Tree description: Bringing New Hope to our community means bringing new life, as well. Our congregation engages in life-giving ministries that revitalize and spark life in the Des Moines North Metro Area, including Lower Beaver, Beaverdale, Johnston, Urbandale, and Des Moines, as well as throughout the state and world. Food ministry, clothing ministry, recovery ministry, support ministries, scouting ministry, multicultural ministry, youth ministry, children’s ministry, women’s and men’s ministries, LGBTQ+ ministry, veterans ministry, prison reentry ministry, worship ministry, music ministry, and more are all routine ways we bring life into the world. We offer six regular worship services: traditional Sunday worship @ 9 & 11am, contemporary Sunday worship at 11am, New Foundation Church Sunday worship @ 9am, Swahili language Sunday worship @ 12:30pm, and worship at Brio Senior Living on the second Sunday each month at 4:00pm. If you are not sure who we are, look for the church that is on fire for Christ with our sleeves rolled up, our ears listening, and our voices praising!
Our ornaments were made in partnership with our Wednesday evening children and youth programs, our Friday and our Saturday United Women of Faith groups, and our Christkindlmarket team! The beautiful empty crosses and butterflies represent the eternal life we have in Christ, which we bring in love to every ministry and activity we do. Together, we can bring New Hope and new life to Des Moines!
Item presented by Danish Brotherhood Lodge #15: Celebrating Danish Christmas Plates
Tree description: This year the Danish Brotherhood decided to honor the Danish Christmas plates in using blue and white colors in the decorations. We used blue mini-Danish plates and papirklip (paper cutting) using blue and white paper for the ornaments. Blue and white lights are also used to brighten and accent the tree.
The plates mythology traces back to the Middle Ages when nobles are said to have gifted their servants’ unique platters of fruit and cookies during the annual Yule celebrations. More recently, the history of the blue and white plates begins in 1888 when Crown Princess Louise of Denmark visited the 1888 Nordic Industrial, Agricultural and Arts Exhibition in Copenhagen. This was a massive event with over 1 million people gathered in and around Tivoli Gardens.
The plates originally weren’t intended to be anything more than decorative, but when Princess Louise requested to purchase one as a keepsake, attendees scrambled to claim their own until every plate was claimed. Collecting these ornate and unique plates has been a Danish and Danish American tradition ever since. Some families stuck with one factory line, others mixed both together depending on which image they preferred year after year.
Bing & Grøndahl and Royal Copenhagen, produce a new design every year. And in keeping with tradition, the mold is broken after production, ensuring they can never be copied.
The plates are cherished by thousands of people around the world. While many still look forward to the debut of a new plate every year, others only collect for years of special significance, such as a wedding date or the birth of a new family member.
Item presented by Project Iowa: Growing Into Your Purpose
Tree description: Every career begins with something more than a job. It begins with discovering your strengths, recognizing your possibilities, and finding a path forward.
Project Iowa’s tree celebrates the many ways Iowans contribute to our workplaces and communities. Decorated in Project Iowa’s signature colors, the tree features ornaments and objects representing careers across industries from healthcare and education to skilled trades, technology, hospitality, business, transportation, and more.
Woven throughout the tree are words representing the journey toward meaningful employment: purpose, confidence, skills, opportunity, growth, hope, career, and stability.
Together, the decorations tell the story of Project Iowa’s three pillars Purpose, Career, and Stability and our belief that when people connect their strengths and purpose with meaningful, stable employment, individuals, families, businesses, and communities can grow.
Item presented by Self-Help International: Colors of Ghana
Tree description: Since 1989, Self-Help International has worked in Ghana, West Africa, to alleviate hunger by helping people help themselves. That work continues today, supported entirely by our generous donors.
Our tree features decorations made of fabric acquired in Ghana. Ghana has a long and rich history of textile production, and we are thrilled to be able to showcase this fabric Christkindlmarket Des Moines.
Item presented by Center for Creative Justice: Hope in Every Sparkle
Tree description: CCJ’s hope- and justice-themed tree uses a winter-inspired color palette of deep and icy blues, snowy white, glittering silver, and touches of crystal to symbolize hope, compassion, courage, determination, and the pursuit of justice. Meaningful statement ornaments add a personal touch that celebrates belonging, connection, and community, creating a tree that reflects CCJ’s commitment to hope and justice for all.
Item presented by Sons of Norway: Ro! Ro! Ro!
Tree description: A play off the fun World Cup chant that seemed to captivate Norway and the world. The tree will be decorated with both soccer and Viking ship paraphernalia. Should be lots of fun.
Item presented by Lutheran Services in Iowa: Safe At Home
Tree description: We decided on this theme because all of our service lines are represented in some way through the idea of being safe in our homes.
Our Early Childhood Program involves violence prevention. Services for People with Disabilitiespromotes independence and safety at home. Immigrant and Refugee Community Services involves building a home somewhere new. Foster Care and Adoption Services helps children feel safe at home. Our Mental Health Program represents the idea that when an individual has good mental health, their home can be a more pleasant place to be. Our Evelyn K. Davis Center represents career readiness and financial security, which can help people build a safe and “secure” home.
The overall tree aesthetic will feature an LSI color theme, with featured ornaments representing what “home” can look like for different people. The homes and different groups of ornaments will have unique color schemes to cater to a variety of tastes and interests. The tree will also include words in other languages that mean “home.”
Other ornaments will include 3D house-themed designs, as well as 2D ornaments in a variety of styles. Different color schemes will be incorporated throughout the tree, along with LSI’s signature colors, to create a welcoming and diverse representation of what “Safe at Home” can mean to different people.