Christmas!!

Aside from being sick, I had a wonderful Christmas! Unfortunately, we did not receive the snow prayed for, but we did get a lot of rain. It has warmed up a bit too, which I am thankful for.  The Sunday before Christmas we had some friends over for a Christmas party. We baked cookies and minced pies and watched Polar Express. I did not realize how scary that movie is until I watched it with young children! 

 

The day before Christmas was spent preparing for Christmas…making ginger bread men for our stocking. On Christmas Eve I went to church with the Witheralls. Their church’s choir sang, the kids sang a few songs (the 2 oldest Witherall children joined them), there was a short play, and the pastor shared the Christmas story. From what I could tell the service was good. The church was packed! The service was more than an hour long, and since the kids were getting restless, Helena and I left early with the younger ones. I went back to the apartment in the evening while Gary and Helena stayed up wrapping the gifts. They could not put the gifts out until the night before because the kids would get into them.

 Around 8:30am the next morning Janae and I walked to the Witheralls. The kids had gotten up at 6! They had told their parents the night before that they would be up at 6am! The children were very hyper when we arrived and they had already opened their stockings. Janae and I opened our stockings and had breakfast.

 

Then we spent the rest of the morning opening presents! The kids had lots of fun J and I enjoyed watching them open their gifts. They all received what they asked for. The boy received a blue, kid digital camera. I had never heard of it before! You can take real pictures with it, upload them on the computer, play games on it, and even listen to music! The 2 year-old received a life size doll that was as big as her!! The eldest received walkie talkies. She wanted these so she could talk to her mom while she was in bed. I received some very nice things too! In the evening some friends came over and we celebrated Jesus’ birthday.  We had cake and the Witherall’s special Christmas dinner-tacos! It was a wonderful Christmas!!!

Prayer:

1.  I am still trying to get over a cold. Pray that I feel better soon.

2.  I am going to Berlin for a few days with a friend. Pray for safety as we travel.

St. Nikolaus

Wiehnacht (Christmas) is in the air! Everyone in Germany is in the holiday spirit. The shops are bursting with Christmas specials and many of the window displays depict St. Nick or Christ’s birth. The Weihnachtsmarkte are open and people come from kilometers around to buy handmade Christmas ornaments and Christmas gifts. The Weihnachtsmarkte are also places of social gathering as many Germans stand at food stands, drinking warm drinks and eating while talking with friends. Even though there is snow on the ground and it is almost too cold to stand still without freezing, this doesn’t stop them from socializing. This weekend I went to the Weihnachtsmarkt in Bad Wimpfen.  It was really cold and I thought my toes would freeze off…even though I was wearing winter boots and 3 pairs of socks! However, it was lots of fun to see all the booths that were decorated for Christmas, selling homemade crafts or food. The city was especially beautiful with the snow on the ground and covering the buildings. It definitely felt like Christmas. I bought some handmade authentic German decorations and the king Nutcracker. I have always wanted a Nutcracker!

 

On December 6, the children in Germany celebrated St. Nikolaus Day, which is a holiday in remembrance of St. Nikolaus of Myra who died in 346. On the night of Dec. 5 the children put one of their boots outside in hopes that St. Nick will come and leave Geschenke (presents). In the morning they find fruit and candy in their boot! I even found some treats in my boot!!  This tradition also comes from St. Nikolaus who often left secret gifts in people’s shoes.  Some Germans also hold to the tradition that naughty children don’t receive any presents, or they may find coal or a switch in the boot. I think St. Nikolaus Day is a fun tradition!!