Weihnachten 2009

I loved talking to so many family members on Christmas day and hearing that everyone is doing so well.  Here is a glimpse of our Christmas here in Germany...

When we moved here, I made the decision to to leave all of our Christmas stuff in a box in Michigan.  I thought it would be a good excuse to replace our tired old decorations with some nice things from Europe.  Unfortunately, my family does not approve of my plan, and I've heard about it all month.  I must admit there are some things that I miss, most especially our Christmas stockings.  Because our "real" stockings aren't here, we had a paper-stocking-making party on Christmas Eve.  I think they turned out cute, but the kids were not convinced.

Here is one of the new things I've gotten in Germany.  I bought this pyramid on our trip to Rothenburg.  It is so cool, because when you light the candles, the hot air ascends and turns the blades on top so the whole thing rotates. 

Every year, my mom makes Christmas jammies for all her grandkids.  She had the foresight this year to make the jammies early and send them with us when we came in August, so we had them to open on Christmas Eve.  Brad and I were excited to see that Mom had even made jammie pants for us.  Brad's have a golfball motif, so clearly she made them special for him.

In my family growing up, we always had a monstrous breakfast on Christmas morning.  While our breakfast here in Berlin wasn't monstrous, we did have cheesy eggs and sausage.  I also bought a Stollen, which is a German sweet bread I've seen at the grocery store. For the record, Stollen is disgusting.  It is very heavy and dry, with a fruitcake-like substance running through it.  This will not be repeated next year.  (When I called my family that evening, it happened to be just as they were sitting down to Christmas breakfast back in the States.  As I talked to everyone, I could hear "pass the bacon" or "pass the french-fries" in the background.  Ahhh, the sweet sounds of Christmas...)

   I had to take this picture of Luke on Christmas day.  Even though he got some new Christmas clothes, he didn't choose to wear them when he dressed himself.  You will notice that he is wearing 2 shirts, a sweater vest (inside out), a pair of Adam's shorts, and shoes with no socks.  The best part was that when he walked, he did so with his legs really wide apart so the shorts wouldn't fall down.  I tried to get him to change, but he would have none of it.  So, he was our Little Christmas Orphan all day.

Christmas in a German Walled City

Now that Brad is off work and the kids are out of school, it is time to play.  This last week, we took a little road trip to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, an old German walled city about five hours south of Berlin.  Rothenburg is one of the few remaining medieval towns left in Germany.  Apparently, during World War II, the mayor of Rothenburg defied Hitler's orders to never surrender, and when Rothenburg was attacked, the mayor gave up immediately so the city wouldn't be destroyed.  I think he did the right thing.

Here we are outside the entrance to Rothenburg ob der Tauber.  There was a little snow, but it wasn't too cold.  The snow only added to the Christmas ambience.

The inner city was surrounded by this wall.  As we got closer, we saw pock marks in the wall that were probably wounds from wars gone by.  So cool!

Here is the moat that went around Rothenburg.  Can't you just imagine knights on horseback prancing across that bridge?

Once inside the city, we all felt like we'd stepped back in time.  It was especially fun to come at Christmas time because there were lots of decorations and market booths.  When we moved here to Germany, I left all of our old Christmas decorations in boxes in Michigan.  My family is kind of mad at me, but it gives me an excuse to buy lots of cute wooden German Christmas things.  We took advantage of the Christmas markets in Rothenburg to pick up some nutcrackers and a wooden Christmas pyramid.  So fun!

Jess, Pep, and I all thought Rothenburg had the same magic as Prague.  There was the overall sense that nothing had changed in hundreds of years, and every time we turned down a new street, I just wanted to squeal with delight.

  We passed this Nativity as we were walking down an alley near the town hall.  It was nice to see a blatantly Christian display.  These are getting scarce in the U.S.

    In the middle of the town square, next to the town hall, was this clock tower.  It was like the clock tower in Prague's Old Town Square because every hour as it chimed, the doors on either side of the clock would open and the statues would come to life.  The guy on the right slowly took a swig from his mug.  How German.

This is the market under the clock tower.  The buildings surrounding it were so cute.  My favorite is the one in the background in the middle of the photo.  It is painted mint green with candy-cane-striped shudders.  It was impossible not to get caught up in Christmas excitement as we walked through the streets.

Near the market was this carousel for the kids.  One of the best things about our day in Rothenburg was the lack of crowds.  You can see the streets are mostly empty, and our boys had the carousel all to themselves.

One of the reasons we planned this trip to Rothenburg was to visit the Christmas Museum there.  It is basically a totally amazing Christmas store that has made its upstairs into a museum about the history of various Christmas traditions.

Even though it was obviously a marketing ploy to get customers into the store, we all really liked the Christmas museum.  They had some awesome old Christmas decorations and it was interesting to see how Christmas has evolved through time.  We learned that in the 1700's, Santa had an assistant called Knecht Ruprecht.  He was a mean old guy who carried a big stick, and it was rumored that he ate the naughty children.  Our boys were fascinated by this old legend, and it has given us more ammunition for our You-Better-Be-Good-or-Else lectures.

This display was just inside the Christmas Museum/Store.  The kids loved it - it was like a mini Small World.

This store was all about teddy bears.  What's not to like?

When we passed this store with the suit of armor out front, of course we had to go in.  What a store!  Now we know where to go for all of our medieval weaponry needs.

After a day spent wandering around the charming town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, it was time to go.  You can see how narrow the entrance way into the city is - only one car can fit through at a time, so everyone takes turns.   We parked just outside the city, and this is us on our way out.

A lovely, lovely day!

Luke's Winter Concert

Wednesday it was Luke's turn for a concert at school, and just between us, I think it was the best one.  It was very short, because you can't expect a bunch of 3 and 4 year olds to stand still for very long, and the cute factor was off the charts. 

Here is a rare shot of Luke actually singing.

First, the kids sang a song with their "Magic Scarves."  The music teacher explained that when they have their Magic Scarves on their heads, they are invisible.  They sang a little song that called different children by name, and then that child would remove his or her scarf and beam like crazy.  It was adorable.

After the song where they kids were supposed to have their scarves on their heads, they sang "Row Row Row Your Boat", using the scarves to make little actions.  Apparently Lukie preferred to stay invisible, because he just stood there the whole song with his scarf on his head.

Next, they put the scarves away and sang "What Does My Tummy Button Do?" (things get pretty deep at preschool) and "This Little Light of Mine."

By the last song, Luke was pretty much done with the whole thing.  He just stood there with his fingers in his mouth for most of the song.

Or even better, he picked his nose.  I was so proud!

(I took video of  "Row Row Row Your Boat" and "What Does Your Tummy Button Do?", but the video wouldn't load here.  So, I put it on my Facebook page.  Check out my Profile page on Facebook to see the videos - they really capture the moment!)

Adopting New Traditions

This December, we have learned some new German Christmas traditions.  Since we're living here, we thought it would be fun to adopt a few to add to our American celebrations.  So, with some coaching from German ward members and friends, here is what we've learned:

St. Nicholas Day - official German version:

On December 5th, German children clean and polish their shoes, then place them outside their bedroom door for St. Nicholas to fill.  He comes during the night - much like Santa - and fills the shoes with goodies.  On the morning of December 6th, the children awake to find all the goodies and celebrate St. Nicholas Day.

St. Nicholas Day - sorry Bitner version:

We forgot to put our shoes out on December 5th, which was a Saturday night.  We were all sick the next day, so we stayed home from church and lounged around in our jammies.  That night, Mom remembered that it was supposed to be St. Nicholas Day, so she reminded the kids to put their shoes out.  Our kids wear sneakers, so there was no real cleaning or polishing.  Only two of the four kids actually remembered to lay out their shoes, so Mom rounded up the remaining shoes and lined them all up by the front door after the kids were in bed.

The next morning, in the rush to get off to school, the shoes were emptied of their goodies (aka - goodies were dumped all over the coat room floor so the kids could wear the shoes to school).  The kids went to school, where their teachers did a much better job at celebrating a belated St. Nicholas Day, and then the kids came home and ate all the candy in one sitting.  Mom was just glad St. Nicholas Day fell on a Sunday, and that we had been sick, so the kids never knew that he was a day late coming to our house.

Here is Lukie discovering that St. Nicholas had come to his classroom at school and filled all their house shoes with treats.

Advent Calendars - official German version:

Advent calendars are fun way to count down the days of December until Christmas.  Usually each child has their own calendar that contains a treat for each day until December 25th. 

Advent Calendars - sorry Bitner version:

Mom sees the advent calendars at various stores for a couple of weeks before December, but pretty much ignores them.  Then, in a conversation with a friend at Thanksgiving, it becomes clear that advent calendars are a big deal here in Germany, and every child should have one.  This friend had spent a good deal of time shopping around to make sure each of her children had a different calendar, and that the treats were to the liking of each individual child.  Mom feels Lame.

On December 1, Mom goes to the grocery store and luckily finds a few straggly advent calendars still for sale.  She buys four of them (all exactly the same), writes children's names on them with a Sharpie, and presents them to the delighted children at dinner.  They each find the appropriate chocolate piece and enjoy.

The next morning, in her rounds to tidy the house, Mom finds Jessica's advent calendar ripped to shreds and missing most of the chocolate pieces.  She also notices the chocolate ring around Luke's mouth.  After putting two and two together, Mom produces Sharpie and renames the advent calendars so now the torn-up/mostly eaten calendar belongs to Luke.  Advent calendars are now given a special "place" that is high enough to be out of Luke's reach.

Advent Wreath - official German version:

A wreath is purchased with four large candles to celebrate the four Sundays before Christmas.  Beginning on the last Sunday in November, families and friends gather for a nice meal and light one candle on the wreath.  This is repeated each Sunday, with one more candle being lit each week.  On the last Sunday before Christmas, all the candles are lit and there is much rejoicing.

Advent Wreath - sorry Bitner version:

Mom doesn't find out about this tradition until speaking with an institute student after church on November 29.  Since nothing is open on Sunday here - and we don't shop on Sunday anyway - she makes a mental note to buy an Advent Wreath that next week.  Then, she forgets all about it.  Midway thru the second week in December, Mom passes a small market that is selling Advent wreaths and purchases one, feeling very German.  She brings it home and proudly sets it on the kitchen table.

On Sunday, December 13, the wreath is removed from the kitchen table to make way for Sunday dinner.  Dinner is eaten, and dishes are done.  Mom suddenly remembers the wreath, and returns it to the table, thinking it will just as fun to light the candles and enjoy it while we eat cake.  After a failed search for matches, Dad finds an old lighter in the camping stuff, and two candles are lit on the Advent Wreath.  Family is called to come eat cake in the candle-light, and half of them arrive (some are not hungry for cake).  After cake, Mom realizes that three candles should be lit on the wreath, as there is only one more Sunday before Christmas.  Another candle is lit and the children are rounded up to take a picture around the Advent Wreath.

As you can see, we are learning.  A bit slow perhaps, but we are trying...

Merry Christmas to all, from the land of St. Nicholas, Advent Calendars, and Advent Wreaths.  We love you and wish we could be closer to celebrate the season with you.  But for now, we feel blessed to have each other as we prepare to celebrate Christ's birth with traditions both old and new.

So, Merry Christmas and  Frohliche Weihnachten!

I'm Dreaming. . .

. . .of a White Christmas! 

So, this afternoon, I was feeling very cozy in my chair reading my book next to the Christmas tree, when I decided I needed more Diet Coke (yes, this was a perfect moment in time).  So, I got up and went to the kitchen, glancing out the window on the way, and guess what I saw! 

Snow! 

Yaaaaay!

This is the view of our street from our front door.

And here is our snow-covered backyard.

As soon as Adam and Luke saw the snow, they made a mad rush for boots, hats, and gloves and got right to work on the first snowman of the season.  Incidentally, this picture was taken at 4:00 in the afternoon.  It gets dark really early here.

I don't really have high hopes that this dusting of snow will last until Christmas, but right now I am basking in the beauty of it all.  I love the first snowfall of the season, because it is new and clean and seems to transform the ordinary into a picture postcard.

And the best part is that I don't have to do anything for the rest of today except sit in my cozy chair, reading my book next to the Christmas tree, drinking Diet Coke, and marinating in the sense that Christmas is coming, my house is warm, and my family is happy.

 Aaaahhhh. . .

BBIS Elementary Holiday Concert

This last Wednesday, Brad and I got to go watch Adam and Pepper participate in their school Holiday Concert.  I was impressed with the variety of music, although having the 3rd graders sing the "Hallelujah Chorus" may have been a bit ambitious.

Even so, both boys did great and neither messed up their solos, so I think the afternoon was a success!

Here are the aforementioned 3rd graders singing Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus".  Wow.

Basking in the applause.

Adam's solo in "I Hate/Love Art."

Adam gets ready to accompany the group for the song "Fossils."

The 5th graders are ready to sing.

Pepper sings "Dreams of Harmony."  Doesn't he look earnest?

"Soca Santa"

Playing the boom-whackers for "Lord of the Dance."

Pepper's solo in "Hurray, Hurrah."  It was no "Eye of the Tiger", but we were still proud.

Well done, boys!

BBIS Middle School Holiday Concert

On Thursday, Brad and I returned to the school to watch the Middle School concert.  Jessica did so wonderfully (she told me to write that).

All the 8th graders getting ready to sing - and not look Lame.

I kept giving Jessica goofy grins to get her to smile, but it didn't really work.   I'm just the embarrassing mom.

"OMG - everyone is applauding and this is so embarrassing..."

Jessica's friend Kate played guitar for the song "Light One Candle", and I thought that was cool.

Way to go Jess!