Christmas Markets in Munich and Strasbourg

I think you should pick based on which city sounds more interesting, not the market. I went to the Christmas market in Strasbourg and frankly it's very repetitive and unoriginal. And I have to think every one would be like that; how different can one farmers' market be from another? And in case you're wondering, there are only so many Christmas ornaments styles in the world and only so much mulled wine you can drink. I was surprised at Strasbourg, it's bigger and more "important" than I thought (has a big EU influence) and was quite pleasant.

If you are deciding based on markets, I can say that in any city it is worth looking off the beaten track for less-known markets. A pride market, a medieval market, a fairy tale market . . . . these create variations on a theme. The ones in the main square are often the "standard" markets, but going beyond into other neighbourhoods might give you some variety and may influence your decision.

I agree with both comments above. The main Christmas Markets themselves largely sell the same goods everywhere. I pick the cities and consider the markets as frosting on the cake.

Munich had some variations during our last visit. There was a medieval market in Wittelsbacher Platz and a craft fair in Schwabing that had a reggae band instead of piped Christmas Carols. I also liked the small community market in Haidhausen. The main Christmas Market in Marienplatz is packed weekends & nights, best to visit during the day. We enjoyed ourselves in Munich.

We went to the Christmas markets for the ambiance and not to shop. Our favorite was Strasbourg for 3 days (gorgeous decorations) with a day trip from there to the market at Colmar. Munich has other attractions than the markets. We enjoyed Munich as well.

I disagree that the markets and their offerings are all the same. I have been to Christmas Markets trips 8 times. Strasbourg is high on my list. I would do 2 days there and spend one of the days in the smaller surrounding towns in Alsace like Obernai or Kaiserburg. Munich was not as special as other places in Germany. Have you checked out Regensburg?

My personal opinion of the market in Munich was that it was just ok, nothing special at all.
Strassbourg was pretty good and had a huge variety of markets spread out and the city itself is nice. Colmar though, was unique.
Rather than Munich, look at Stuttgart which has one of the best large city markets and perhaps Esslingen, then head to Strassbourg and Colmar. Colmar is a 30 min. ride on the train from Strassbourg and Esslingen with its' fantastic medieval market is a short train ride from Stuttgart.
I know those are different towns than what you were thinking about, but I have been to dozens and dozens of markets over the past 35 years, and found these to be some of the best.

Stuttgart and surrounding areas have the advantage of better Glühwein as local wineries compete with each other and use their product rather than the stock mix you find in Munich or Hamburg or Berlin.

I have not been to Strasbourg during Christmas time. In Munich the main Christmas Market on Marienplatz is a main stream one but there a many quite different Christmas Markets in town worth looking at. I found that link giving a good overview.
https://www.munich.travel/en/topics/markets-festivals/christmas-markets
Additionlly to that list are the small one in English Garden at the Chinese Tower, specifically nice when snow has fallen and the Medieval Christmas Fair on Wittelsbacher Platz.
The Tollwood Winter Festival on Theresienwiese is something more than a Christmas Market.

And finally a recommendation for Salzburg, don’t miss the Christmas Market at Schloss Hellbrunn.
https://www.hellbrunneradventzauber.at/en

I second the mention of Stuttgart and Esslingen! Great markets where you will not hear many foreign voices.

I second everything Mrs. Jo said!!!
In Stuttgart, the roofs of the stalls are elaborately decorated, so make sure you have daylight hours to appreciate them all. And- there's the Mercedes Benz automotive museum.
In Strasbourg, the buildings are decorated all the way to the roof, not just the first floor, and the decorations and lights are incredible. You don't need to shop at all to enjoy the ambience.
In Esslinger, with a Middle Ages theme, there's a section where all the vendors dress in period costumes, use fires for lighting [no electricity], have period games of skill for the little ones, street theater, and parades. My daughter and I were actually dancing in the streets to the music of a Middle Ages band- it's a total festival atmosphere.
In Rothenburg, the markets are much smaller, but I just love the city, so the markets were just frosting. [Try not to be there on a Saturday evening- that night gets very crowded.]
You will have a magical trip - enjoy!

I've personally been to the Christmas Markets in Vienna, Munich, Nuremberg, and Strasbourg. By far my favorites were the various locations around Vienna. While in Vienna, you might want to consider a trip (1 hour each way) to Bratislava. The markets, ice rink, music and food is in a smaller area in the main square; it had a more family feel when we visited.

I second the recommendation for visiting Colmar while in Strasbourg during the holidays. We also made short stops at Riquewihr and Obernai which are very very small local almost village markets. They were very nice. We utilized VinoRoute for our day trip from Strasbourg. We would highly endorse them and use them again. https://www.vinoroute.alsace/

We also did a day wine tasting trip with Vinoroute; it was very well done, he's a one-person company with one van, owns a vineyard, about 150 Euros each- well worth it!

Check your accommodation or the local tourist office for open and transportation reachable local Weihnachtsmarkt. Some are only one weekend. These are in many times the best. Some with animals, handwork, fires, live music and of course Glühwein.

PS
i would reserve [refundable] hotels asap; for our Dec., 2019, trip, many hotels were booked by June, especially for the weekends.
Have a wonderful and magical trip!