'Twas but November 17, but today my town put on Christmas. My first whiff of Christmas spirit came when I stumbled out of bed at 7:00 AM, awakened by loud rumbling and scraping noises outside my window. So I tore open the shutters and threw up the sash, and what to my wondering eyes should appear but an extreme close-up of a large man in a bright yellow cherry picker. He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, not filling his baskets with the fruits of the season, but tacking up a Christmas wreath that would make any boy scout worth his salt gasp and stutter and wish that he had thought to knock on this guy's door first. I mean, the thing stretches from my window, above the pharmacy, across the pedestrian zone to the apartments across the street, above the bakery. If I had a couple of soup cans we could play telephone. This is an impressive piece of green-- I bet even the passengers in low-flying planes over Wittenberg are pointing and murmuring.
But seriously now, I am glad that they waited until...well...almost Advent to put up the Christmas decorations. Advent, by the way, is a very big season in Germany. Every town gets dressed up for it in the form of booths lining the main square, selling Advent wreaths and homemade candles and French crepes and Gluehwein, which is a yummy mixture of wine, cinnamon, nutmeg and who knows what else. It warms your heart (and, which I find very practical, your hands). This will be my third Christmas in Germany. I miss my family like crazy, and my friends, and sometimes even the cheesy Santa Claus commercials, but the advent markets really do make the atmosphere gemuetlich. (...and to all a good night!)
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
'Twas a month before Christmas...
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4 comments:
I am intrigued by this Gluehwein. It sounds delicious. Is there any way you could figure out exactly what's in it so I could try to concoct it myself? And speaking of early Christmas, I was at Target the week of Halloween, and they had Halloween and Christmas stuff out at the same time. It was sickening.
Sure, to make Gluehwein, just dump a liter of wine into a saucepan (it can be fairly cheap wine), throw in a few whole cloves, a chopped-up lemon, a couple of cinnamon sticks and whatever else sounds good, and let it brew until it smells yummy. Serve in coffee mugs.
"... tacking up a Christmas wreath that would make any boy scout worth his salt gasp and stutter and wish that he had thought to knock on this guy's door first..."
I rather feel like I'm posting a fan fic comment here, but oh my gosh this sentence had me rolling on the floor laughing. Thanks. And hey! I live above a bakery, and they put up the wreath outside my window yesterday, too! Perhaps we live on the same cosmic street.
That's like meta-cool, man. I was hoping I'd get some good neighbors. Welcome to my psychic universe.
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