Merry Christmas

It's Christmas time!

I wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!

December 24:

It's December 24th, 17:30 in the afternoon, half an hour before we are going to start our Christmas celebrations and finally my luggage arrives! This feels like Santa Claus ringing on your door delivering you your Christmas present :-) Well, it was actually a delivery of a present, but not of my present, but of the presents for the others that were in that suitcase.

Unfortunately at this point of time of the evening those presents didn't get anymore the chance of getting wrapped. It was simply too late for that and the people would have to be content with the plastic bags around them.

Also the Christmas cards I had planned to write during the day will remain blank for next year.

I just had exactly a couple of minutes to take my Christmas clothes out of my suitcase and iron them.

This year Christmas was celebrated in a different way then usual. Normally we celebrate Christmas Eve at home at my mum's place, having most ofen fondue, sing Christmas carols and go to the midnight sevice at Church. The last couple of years we had always invited good friends of the family over for dinner as they are alone having their kids living far away in Australia.

This year, though, it was them inviting us over to celebrate Christmas Eve at their place... in the Bavarian way, because they are originally from Bavaria. The Bavaria way meant: huuuuuge veal Snitzel accompanied with Bavarian potato salad (without mayonnaise) and coleslaw.

After all this fillling food it took us a while until we could handle the dessert: chocolate mousse, whipped cream and berries... and not to forget Christmas cookies :-)

We, that is the the couple of friends, my brother, my mum and her husband and I, were still sitting together for quite a while and somewhat around midnight we went back home.

Though different from all the other years, I had a good Christmas Eve. It's simply nice to spend time with the family and friends.

December 25:

For some years now we no longer celebrate this Christmas day in my mum's family. This is basically since my grandmother's death in 2003. It had always been her birthday and the whole big family came together (all 16 cousins and the aunts and uncles). So this year this day was quite a quite day. My brother spent it in the family of his girlfriend. Later in the afternoon we would have some friends of my mum and Engelbert coming over. However, before we wanted to use the time for a walk outside in the snow.

There wasn't nice sun, but simply the blanket of snow. And right next to our row of houses, the forest starts. Perfect for a winter walk!

This walk felt soooo good! Conclusion: I do love (also, but not only) winter! An hour and a half walk like this makes me feel great!

December 26:

Already at noon Engelbert's daughters, my stepsisters, came over with their boyfriend. I don't see them that often recently and I think it was a pleasure to see them again. We had some healthy chicken soup and in the afternoon some fantastic home made ice cream based on ginger bread (Lebkucheneis). My mum got the receipe some years ago from a friend and it's sooooooo delicious! I could have eaten the whole box of it, but there was still some Christmas dinner on the programme of the day.

December 26 has actually always been the day of celebration with the family of my father's side. We usually were at my grandmother's place, but she's not getting younger. Since already last year's celebrations - in 2009 I wasn't in Germany over Christmas - were relocated to a restaurant and everyone liked it, this was repeated also in 2010. My father had organised a restaurant for this evening where we had a table for all of us. Since my parent's with their "new" partners still get along quite well, a day like this can be celebrated in peace all together. So today it was not only my father with his wife and my family of that side, but also my mum and Engelbert with my stepsisters and their boyfriend. In total we were nearly 20 people having a good evening with good food and pleasant conversations.

It was good to see this part of the family again. When you do not live at home anymore and not even close to home,  it becomes difficult and seldom that you get to see everyone of your family regulary.

For the opening of the presents we spontaneously decided to do that at Andrea's place. It's certainly not a big apartment, but we all squeezed us on the sofa and the few chairs and managed in somehow to fit all in.

Sitting so close together gave it a totally different atmosphere. A cosy one!

Everyone was unwrapping presents and I could say that the fresh salmon brought along from Norway went down well.

My grandmother's Christmas money would be translated into a pair of new black boots and shoes the next day :-)

Somewhat at around midnight I left together with my mum and Engelbert as last ones. All others had gone already about an hour before.

Christmas is over now and I liked the days spent together with the family.