Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Holiday Memories

The winter holidays are celebrated differently in Germany. In our family, we celebrated a blended version of both U.S. and German traditions, leaving the backgrounds on why the gifts arrive when they do and how mostly to the girls’ imagination.

 As the girls are opening their gifts today in the evening of the 24th, let me give you a glimpse in the German holiday traditions of my childhood.

My entire extended family lived within less than an hour, so the gifts could be hidden very well from me as there were never large boxes arriving during the weeks leading up to the holidays. On the entire 24th, our living room, which is a separate room in my parents’ house, not an open living / sitting space as it is in most American homes, was locked to give the “Christkind” some privacy to prepare the room. At night, after the church service, my grandparents came over for dinner, and as my mom and grandma cleaned the dishes, my grandpa would read fairy tales to me from his ancient, big fairy tale book. Afterward, I had to go upstairs to my room to wait for the bell to ring and tell me it was time to go into the living room. Seeing the tree for the first time, all sparkly, lit with real candles, was magical. The gifts usually were placed on the couch (real candles, a small child, and wrapping paper are usually not a good combination for a quiet evening); I looked for my pile and started to unwrap.

On the evening of the 24th I was always allowed to stay up late, play with my new toys, try on my new clothes, eat cookies, and sit with my parents and grandparents. The next morning was usually an early one for me; I let my parents sleep in and made myself a breakfast of holiday cookies (the best of the year!!) and went on playing with my toys. For lunch my grandparents came over again. My mom would either make a pork roast, turkey breast, or sometimes even a traditional German holiday goose.

On the 26th, we would go to the traditional get together of my mom’s family at my other grandparents’ house, where there were more gifts, cookies and holiday bread, and playing with all my cousins.

I loved the holidays as a child, but I even love it more today, as I can be the onlooker watching our girls indulging in the holiday spirit. Giving is truly better than receiving!

8 comments:

  1. This sounds very familiar except for the fact that we put the ornaments on the tree together as a family. So the tree was not hidden from me. Apart from that my childhood memories are quite similar to yours.

    Fröhliche Weihnachten! :-)

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    1. Fröhliche Weihnachten :-) I think it might be a local thing. My friend told me that the first thing on her wish list every year was the tree. Now we decorate the tree as a family, and it's tons of fun :-)

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  2. :) Wishing you and your family a wonderful Holiday season! :)

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    1. The same to you, Jen! I hope you enjoy your vacation very much!!

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  3. Your Christmas sounds like it was magical! I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas this year as well! :-)

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    1. Thank you very much, Susannah! We're celebrating a very different holiday nowadays, blending together traditions from both sides of the pond. Have a very happy holiday, Susannah!

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  4. The thought of real candles on a tree give me the shivers. I know that's what generations of people did, but man, I wouldn't be able to do it.
    Sounds like your parents really knew how to make the holiday special .

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    1. They truly did! We don't have real candles on the tree either, but my parents still do. Maybe I'll try it some of these years :-)

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