Our German Holiday Season

December Pictures

Christmas Eve & Our German Christmas
It was so nice that during this time that we would traditionally see our families, we were invited to join Anna and Martin and Anna's family for Christmas Eve.  We were able to go to a children's church service with them and then join them for dinner!   The services was a perfect length for kids and although entirely in German, we were able to follow the story and the pictures they put on the screen for the kids. :)

Anna's family is kind and fun!  We enjoyed being welcomed into their home and spending time with them.  Will enjoyed playing with Rosi's Christmas gifts as well.  Additionally, Anna made a very tasty and traditional German Christmas dinner which included a very large goose, red cabbage, potato dumplings and this amazing sauce!  We have never gone hungry when Anna cooks.  :) She was one busy girl!

We also got to watch Anna's family share the joy of opening gifts.  It was so nice to watch as they didn't have wrapping paper everywhere or piles of boxes around the room.  There was a joy in this process that was simple and meaningful.  It wasn't about going from one gift to the next (everyone opened one or maybe two things), but rather a very intimate family affair and you could tell people were touched by the thought that went into what they received.  I felt very fortunate to share this experience with them, as I know our Christmas time in the US can be stressful finding gifts for everyone on the list, trying to figure out travel plans, and being able to wrap all the presents. It will be a Christmas we will always treasure.

Will's Simple Christmas
I am probably pretty simple when it comes to Christmas and Will.  I have a wonderful friend who shared with me a line that I believe is very important to remember "Jesus only received 3 gifts at Christmas." It allows me to put the holiday into perspective a bit and really acknowledge that Will doesn't need lots of "stuff" or "gifts" to be happy.  He was excited when I cut a penguin out of the wrapping paper and he got to tape it on the window. :)   I also think back to my favorite Christmas memories when I was little and it was sledding with my cousins on my grandparents' farm, going to midnight mass and falling asleep, and my grandpa playing Christmas music (Perry Como, I believe) outside of the house.

It is hard sometimes not to buy toys for him but he has plenty of "stuff" and he can only play with so much.  I also realize that toys are only good for a period of time and then they find their way back into boxes and in storage.  He tends to gravitate to the same few toys anyway, like his train set and cars.   I was glad we just got him a couch, a car ramp and some additional pieces for his train for Christmas this year!  Chad spent his time off also making Will some quality cardboard toys (a barn, garage for his cars, and his favorite ramp).  I am hoping in the future we can keep our Christmas time as simple and his memories are not about opening gifts but rather the meaning of the holiday season.  He's never too young to learn this. :)

Our Turkey Dinner at Dr. Hossmann's
The day after Christmas we were invited to our old landlord's home to have dinner with him, Hugo and Claudia (our old neighbors) and a few of Dr. Hossmann's relatives.  We had a nice evening and Will did a good job play and not breaking anything. :)  Dr. Hossmann also had a traditional Christmas Tree for us to look at with real candles that were lit and real apples hanging from it.  This was Chad's nightmare as he was on Will duty chasing him around the room and keeping him from the tree and the fireplace. :)

Dr. Hossmann also had wonderful food for us to share with his family.  We had appetizers, soup and then our first turkey!  Dr. Hossmann's niece brought out the turkey and we all dished up a plate of turkey, potato dumplings, cranberry dressing, and red cabbage.  When we finished, the brought out a second turkey and dished up second plate of all of the sides again. WOW...a lot of food! It was crazy! At least Chad thought it was the best turkey he has had in a very long time and was quite impressed.

We always enjoy spending time with Dr. Hossmann and Hugo and Claudia.  Again, we are very blessed to met such wonderful people here in Germany!

Everything closes December 25th and 26th...Even Toy's R Us
Another thing we learned is that the day after Christmas in Germany is the POLAR OPPOSITE of the day after Christmas in the US. Everything is closed! No Shopping!  We did leave our flat and tried to get  something for Will at Toy's R US that we weren't able to get before Christmas.  It was weird to see empty parking lots.  It was good that we planned our groceries for the weekend and had enough food in our flat. :)