Thursday, December 18, 2014

Holiday Trip

My second favorite past time is thinking about all the places I would go, the things I would do, if money was not a factor.  (My first favorite past time is compulsively buying all the books that exist, but this blog post isn't about that)   I would probably want to fly my family somewhere where there is snow, because my son has never seen snow.  Everyone should experience snow at least once in their lives, I firmly believe. We would have to dress warmly, of course; right now we can wear shorts comfortably.  Nicely snug coats and mittens and snow boots would likely be required, as well as hats and long johns, as we used to call them.  

We would be heading to Germany.  Nuremburg, to be exact.  They have a Christmas Market that is one of the best in the world.  It's been years since I've been there, but I remember as a child that it was a magical place.  The pageantry of the Christkind(Christ child), the lights, the food, and the fun are still in my dreams even now around this time.  

Primarily the food, and I'm not ashamed to say that.  

I'm not a huge fan of lebkuchen, the German gingerbread, but I loved the gorgeous decorated tins the cookies came in at the Christkindlemarkt, and I still have some of them.  However, I did adore the Nuremburg sausages. They would be served in hard rolls and were so delicious that my mouth is watering right now, just thinking about them.  

My mother purchased some ornaments for our Christmas tree each year at the market, including these little handmade figures called Prune Men.  My parents would sip a hot wine drink while we wandered among the aisles, because it is freakin' cold in Germany at this time of the year. I cannot even describe how cold it is, because my tiny brain has completely blocked out any apt description that would convey the immense refrigeration experience that is Germany in winter.  

But it would be completely worth it.  We could stay in a hotel right on the square, walk over to the event, and just be mesmerized by every single thing, from the glockenspiel on the church tower to the faces of the crowd, especially the children.  My son's face would glow with his excitement and my cold heart would grow three sizes.  

Unless the glow was frostbite...

 

Check out Mamakat and her awesome Writer's Workshop.  Try one of the prompts if you like them! 5. Describe how you would celebrate the holidays if it was totally up to you and money was not a factor.


 

8 comments:

  1. You make it sound so magical, such a perfect venue to celebrate the wonder of Christmas.

    Had to smile when I read about the Lebkuchen, having just snatched a box of it at Trader Joe's yesterday. It probably won't be eaten, just left out by the fireplace for Santa's arrival. And, it will still be there on the plate Christmas morning. Santa doesn't like it either. He left a note last year, stating that. He did drink the Jack Daniels, however.

    Enjoy a wonderful holiday!

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  2. My husband just came home from Germany after being gone for 15 months. I was there with him from Oct. to Jan, and I have to agree, the Christmas Markets are over-the-top magical. I had never seen anything like them. We went to 30 of them, Nuremburg included.

    We live in Utah where we get cold, snowy winters, so Germany was extremely mild in temperature for us. We loved the change from freezing cold temps to rain, sleet and, on occasion, a light dusting of snow. If you visit my blog this week, you can show your son some icy cold scenes we experience in the winter months in Utah. Snow is fun, but I'm always ready for Spring when it comes.

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  3. I googled the temps for Germany in Dec... honestly, I think they are nicer than here in New England. I would love to experience Christmas in another country... it's SO incredibly commercialized here, it would be nice to go somewhere where it is not all about the gifts.

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  4. I'd never heard of the Christmas Market in Germany. Now, of course, I want to go, too!

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  5. I've never had a real 'White Christmas' - unless you count sand on the beaches so white it almost hurts your eyes!

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  6. Because "Germany during Christmas time" just HAD to be added to my list of things to do. Thanks a lot! Now I have to go.

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