hoverfly

Seasons Greetings and how do you celebrate Christmas?

Since we do appear to have quite a nice cross-section of the worlds population on the forum, maybe you too fancy giving us a little insight into how Christmas is celebrated by you and your family.

Well, since I started the topic, I guess I should then make the first 'seasonal' post...

Us being some kind of mongrel family, we have adopted a multitude of celebrations over the past 25 years and more.

The German in us demands a real Christmas tree. No plastic rubbish in our house and living in an old Victorian place with incredibly high ceilings, it'll obviously be a huge one, at least 10'.

The mistletoe is a later addition, if I remember right, we picked that one up while in LA. Now, that really is a wonderful idea. A kiss under the mistletoe... and maybe more when the kids are off to bed... who knows.

Tinsel and bauble are a must and something that was funnily enough picked up in LA, where some German immigrants told us that it was tradition in Germany to hang a pickled gherkin into the tree (no German ever heard of this tradition, must be some kind or urban myth). So, I went out in LA an bought a glass gherkin which ever since has graced all our Christmas trees and at least gave every German that ever saw it one hell of a laugh. Also, if you were the one to find the gherkin in the tree, you were meant to get an extra present.


Christmas Eve
Presents are given late afternnon on Christmas Eve, rather then as is tradition in the UK, on Christmas Day. This is very much a close family thing, not party time at all. So, for those with children Father Christmas will then put in an appearance between 4-7pm. Coming into your house with a book full of notes about how everybody behaved during the past years, always remembering to bring his birch broom to smack the proper little bastards (no, this does not really happen at Christmas but for the youngest, the threat is real enough).

Dinner is very spares on Christmas Eve. Potato salad and Bockwurst (something like a short, thick Frankfurter) or cooked Kale with smoked pork on the bone cooked with it and spuds. Those, at least in the part of Germany where we came from, are the most popular two dishes served on Christmas Eve.

Then there is what German's call the 'bunte Teller' (roughly describes an painted metal dish on which fruit and sweets are laid out). No Christmas without one of those for every family member. Marzipan logs covered in dark chocolate, a variety of nuts, maybe an apple or two to pop in the oven later, some clementine's, marzipan potatoes (rolled marzipan dusted with strong, dark cacoa, hm, delicious), a chocolate Santa, that goes without saying and all other manner of sweets either in some kind of Christmassy shape or other. Anything unhealthy will do. LOL

Once the kids have settled down and dinner is over, some overindulgence in the sweet stuff and if you should be unlucky enough to have been born into a 'no TV' family as we were for years and years, you'd all sit down and play games. Anything that'll work in a group will do. Ludo, 9 men Morris or failing to find the board games, even things like 'I spy with my little eye' are a half decent way to pass the evening.

Christmas Day
The day usually starts off with the kids being told to keep the noise down. LOL. After all, this is a good day to have a lie in. Then back to normal. Breakfast, the kids will usually not partake, they've already had more sugary stuff then is good for them anyway, prepare the Christmas Joint (there doesn't seem to be much of a pattern as to what Germans traditionally eat anymore, Goose once upon a time was probably the most popular) and then, say about 2-3pm it's time for a stroll. Maybe visit the Grandparents, in fact, if you were lucky, you wouldn't have any cooking to do, since you have been invited anyway. Yet, everything is still very much a family affair.

Oh, did I mention, all shops shut on Christmas Eve and STAY CLOSED over Christmas and Boxing Day, not like in the UK, where after two month of hardcore shopping the shops stay shut on Christmas Day but Boxing Day, it turns into sheer hell with literally half the nation out and about buying more stuff they don't really need. For us, this has nothing to do with Christmas, this is just an excuse to use and abuse credit cards that should have run dry by now anyway, yet still they go out for more. I feel really sorry for those people that have to work then instead of spending the day with their family.

Dinner at the in-laws, now that's always been my nightmare. Can anybody explain to my why during this supposed season of love and solitude your mother-in-law ALWAYS has to do all her dirty washing? Good grief, Christmay Day at my mother-in-laws has always been my ultimate nightmare, though I have to admit, that food was always great but to be paid for with a massive earache.

Boxing Day
The exitement has died down a bit and things are a little more normal. A normal breakfast of rolls, boiled egg, jam and marmalade, maybe some cheese or ham and all family members at the table.

If you didn't do your own roast dinner the day before, you'd then get that prepared, go for a walk, talk, play games, maybe even use the sleigh, if you were lucky enough to have some snow, basically build up an appetite before you went home again.

Fo course, things have changed since our kids have left home, nearly 10 years ago. These days the games are more likely to be played on the X-Box and TV rules the lounge. Now that is something where I have always remained pretty firm on. NO TV on Christmas. Let's talk some more, you might be surprised what you get to hear. No , really.

And all this time the whole town/city is as tranquil as it gets. Hardly any cars, no shops open, no rush to do or buy anything. Wonderful. And surprisingly people in Germany do not starve to death on Boxing Day, evolution has trained them to be able to buy enough food for two whole days. Obviously something that failed to happen, at least in the UK.

And then?
First day after Christmas, things still stay pretty slow. There are few people going shopping, there is usually so much food left over from the past few days, not much need to buy anything. Apart from which, after tucking into all those chocolates over Christmas, most people start experiencing the twinges of guilt from their overindulgence. So, the next lot of Weigth Watchers are beginning to make plans for yet another diet. Well, keeps that company in business.

Right, I've probably forgotten to mention a lot of things, so if you are another 'Kraut', feel free to jog my memory and it would be nice if others could give us a little idea about what they do for Christmas.

And this year?
And since our kids moved out such a long time ago, we these days hardly get out of bed. Breakfast in bed, a glass of champagne or three, a few spliffs and lots of 'serious cuddling'. Sounds like a plan to me for this year.

So, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you.

Hoverfly and wife

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