Seasons Greetings from Germany! Yes, as Christmas approaches, we are full swing into the holiday spirit. In fact, it seems like the entire month has been spent preparing for Christmas - as it should be, of course. This has provided me plenty of opportunity to discover new traditions as well as German variations on familiar and well-loved holiday activities.
Advent Calendars: On the first of December, Signe and Manfred surprised me with a lovely Ferrero Rocher Calendar, which I have since been enjoying immensely. Here, Advent calendar are very popular, and come in many more variations then in Canada. Emils and Marta each got one with a different part every day to build remote-controlled helicopters, Manfred got a Christmas joke calendar, Signe got one that consists of small boxes of material which come by post every few days, and Justus got two - one with chocolate, and one with a piece of lego every day to form an entire set. Apparently you can get calendars with cheese, salami, tea, make-up... and basically anything else you can dream up. Christmas Baking: I have now spent many a happy afternoon baking and decorating cookies with Marta and Manfred, often with the help of a flour-covered Justus. Schoko-Crossies (chocolate-cornflake clusters) are one of my favourite cookies so far. St. Nikolaus day: On December 5th, I joined Marta and Emils in schue-putzen (shoe-cleaning). It seems a strange tradition, but is very important - who wants to receive chocolates and sweets in a dirty boot? I guess we did a sufficient job, because St. Nikolaus deemed it fit to fill our boots during the night. Thank you, jolly old St. Nick! Christmas (okay, pre-Christmas) parties: The cocoon has split open and revealed a social butterfly! Or perhaps something more like a moth, but close enough. I have been hopping from party to party over the last few weeks - from extremely fancy (a Rotary club roasted goose feast) to casual but festive (such as a lovely Straßefest with our neighbours). Christmas Markets: At the center of every German town, city, and village, stands a cheerful collection of wooden stalls festooned with lights and greenery. It is a gathering place for neighbours and out-of-town friends to meet, drink mulled wine, and shop for the perfect christmas gift - not to mention eat! (For more details on the food, please read further - it deserves an entire category of its own.) I’ve been sure to hit up as many Christmas Markets as possible, near and far: in Dusseldorf, Velbert, Heiligenhaus, Aachen, Munster, and Ratingen. The biggest ones are impressive, jam-packed, and full of millions of exotic and traditional options for souvenir shoppers and snack seekers alike. On the other hand, the smaller ones are cozy and often feature school choirs and other local musical talent. A fun place to wander with friends! The Food: I have to include a list of new and exciting foods, and here it is:
Of course, this is only the beginning - I will report on my very first German Christmas and Sylvester (New Years) in a week or so. Until then, I wish you all the best of the season! Liebe Grüße, Sylvia
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