Christmas Market. Mulled Wine. Cookies. Winter coat. Boots. Candles. Happy people. Beautifully decorated houses & homes. Raclette. Sofa. Duvet. Lebkuchen. It’s the season. Counting until the Christmas holidays…
Minus 6C degrees in the morning. Frozen car window screens. Blue sky. Sunshine. It’s perfect. It’s December. It’s the season. (For me one of) The most wonderful time of the year has started (I successfully ignored all the Lebkuchen and Spekulatius you can already get in the stores since August). It’s December. It’s time to enjoy the magical season.
It’s the time of rituals. Rituals which make us feel like children again. Time for family traditions. And new traditions. Own traditions. I’m excited like a little kid. We haven’t had Christmas in Europe for a long time. You might be able to imagine my “deficit”… I cannot wait for the Christmas market (or the Sternle market how it is called in Swabia) and mulled wine (the white one is amazing) and a chocolate Nikolaus and Lebkuchen… the house decorating is on-going including one of the bigger challenges: convincing my husband that Christmas time is the best time of the year! We will have our own Christmas tree (actually it’s two) – the first time since we met.
We are following American traditions and the tree is already set up (thanksgiving). I love it. I cannot stare at it often enough. I wish I didn’t have to go to work but would have enough time for baking cookies, enjoying all the wonderful Christmas markets and sit with candle light and a cup of tea at home. Happily.
And the all time favorite (or most hated) song is back: “Last Christmas” in all radio stations and at home on the vinyl (and CD). Around the clock. Hubby hates it while I am loving it and cannot get enough (it’s limited time, you know. It will be over soon again).
The most wonderful gift to myself: preparing Christmas: decoration, advent, wrapping gifts while listening to Christmas songs, enjoying a cup of tea and reading my daily advent calendar. Making plans what to cook at Christmas. I enjoy slowing down, clearing the mind, thinking of the past 12 months and writing & posting our obligatory Christmas letter.
I like to walk around and see how everybody gets ready. The nature for winter and the people for Christmas. Every day a new tree is light. A new star in the window. A new lantern with a candle. And tomorrow it’s St. Nikolaus day!
It’s a wonderful season.
Stuttgart547 