December Happenings

December was a great month.  Now it's sad to take down the Christmas tree and the decorations.  I loved plugging this tree in every morning as I'd have to get up in the cold dark and get Em off to school.  It's warm glow made everything better. Sigh.  I think next year I'll keep it up through the whole month of January to help ward off depression. 

I have to say we are really enjoying our time here.  It gets better and better… that's just the nature of this military lifestyle.  The first year in a new place is typically very challenging, the second year you become more comfortable, and by the third year you are feeling VERY much at home.  I'm glad that we are at this stage.  It's awesome and now I don't want to leave!

Anyway, I absolutely love Christmas in Germany.  It's so festive as each city, town, village, and even some of the castles have their own unique Christmas markets where they sell all sorts of fabulous woodwork, made right here in Germany from ornaments to nutcrackers to pyramids and nativity sets and much much more.  They also sell super yummy food and treats, gluwein, and kinderpunsch (the kid version of gluwein, minus the alcohol, which is what we always get).  Many of the markets also have rides and activities for the kids. 

One of the many many MANY booths at the Christmas markets

 The actual week from Christmas to New Year's Day was super relaxing.  We didn't go anywhere.. and it snowed!  Our post has some amazing hills and we went sledding a ton with the girls.  Even James got in on the action.  I baked and cooked a lot, which was fun.  Leading up to Christmas I baked cookies and made rolls, homemade salsa, wassail, hot chocolate, and a pork roast on Christmas Day.  It was really nice how Christmas fell on a Thursday this year… so Ben got Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the 26th off, and then it just flowed into the weekend.  Then he worked three days the next week and got New Year's Day off (Thursday) and then the rest of that weekend. It was so nice to have the kids out of school and Ben around.  I just loved it.  We were thinking about it, and we've never had this kind of break over the holidays where we weren't traveling or moving.

The Sunday before Christmas we hosted a neighbor Christmas party.  It was a lot of work but so worth it in the end. We sat around and ate salsa and wassail and hot chocolate and lots of other goodies the others brought.  We sang Christmas songs around the piano. The kids had a blast running around with each other.  It was so nice to have our neighbors in our home and further develop those bonds of friendship.

Ben got to go to Bastogne for the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge… he went with some guys from work.  They did a 20 km walk/march on the actual anniversary, through the woods where the battle was fought and came across all of these hardcore re-enactors, so cool.   And bonus… it snowed!

Re-enactors.  It looks like a movie set, doesn't it?

Notice his screaming eagle hat

We went to Ulm (birthplace of Einstein) and visited their fun Christmas market and climbed to the very top of the cathedral… it has the highest spire in ALL of Europe… it was 786 steps to the top (by comparison, the highest point we climbed up the Eiffel Tower, the 2nd tier, was only 666).  All three kids did it.  Em leading the charge, C crying all the way, and J on Ben's back.  

Getting closer to the top!

This is the entrance to the needlepoint spire at the very tippy, tippy top.  So tight, plus a two way staircase meaning when someone came down it was almost impossible to squeeze past

View from the top… so worth it, right?  Now I would say yes. 

It was SUPER windy and cold up top.  C, NOT a fan. 

  Danube River… 

Inside the cathedral at the altarpiece. 

Train at the Christmas market

Christmas Eve was memorable.  That was the day we were in St. Gallen, Switzerland.  I wanted to be home in good time so we could enjoy Christmas Eve together as a family.  But Em was complaining of her ear hurting, and I knew I didn't want to have to take her in on Christmas, so we went to the pediatric ER since the military clinic was closed. By the time we got home from that, we were pretty spent. 

 As we drove into base my heart went out to the poor guards who had to work Christmas Eve.  You know there's a group of them there, 24/7.  So, we baked our sugar cookies, the girls frosted, and we ran over to the gate to give them cookies and hot chocolate.  The one guard, who is usually quite stern and serious about everything was consistent in this manner, "Thank you.  Thank you very much."  But the other guard was grinning from ear to ear.  You could tell he was delighted.  It was fun.

We then ate a loaf of yummy bread from the Swiss bakery by candlelight, a simple meal to remember the humble circumstances surrounding the Savior's birth.

 We mustered what little strength we had left and put together a little nativity.  C was Mary and INSISTED I be Joseph.  She is so twisted.  Em was the angel and poor Ben was relegated to playing the lowly donkey.

So Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!  

Now to survive January...