Frohe Weihnachten! I wish you all a Merry Christmas! Today is the first day I've had time to write to you all- its been a buys two and a half days. Lets see...
Heilige Abend (Wensday, Dec. 24)-
In the German Christmas tradition, Christmas Eve plays a much bigger role than I've experienced in America. We prepared and so on all morning (actually, Philip and I played Santa Claus to one of the friends of the family while Heide did most of the preperation), then we went to the Kleine Kapelle (the local chapel) for a small service. Afterwards, we came home, had and amazing deer dinner and then, around nine o'clock, Christmas REALLY started. In order to get your gifts (which you recieve on Christmas Eve in Germany) here you must first read a poem (of your own selection) to the family. I read one entitled 'Heilige Nacht' and for it recieved:
Oreos, an electric picture frame, a normal picture frame, a case of Weizner beer, two Czech beers, a phone card (which I actually haven't seen), chocolates, a print of an American flag done by Keith Herring, and a book about Advent and Weihnachten in Niedersachsen.
Erste Weihnachts Tag (Thrusday, Dec. 25)-
Otherwise known as Christmas in America. On this day we all slept in until at least eleven, while myself and the rest of the children had stayed up until 2:30 playing German boardgames (which are actually very popular here). Then around three we shipped out of Heide's father's house, where we had a miniture Christmas with the extended family and had an extravagant and deliscious four-course dinner, provided by the family of Heide's brother. Then came more boardgames and an early bedtime.
Zweite Weihnachts Tag (Friday, Dec. 26)-
Early to bed, early to rise. More church today, this time in Stade. The service there was bigger and a little better organised than the one on Wensday, probably because the church itself was bigger. Then we went back home, ate a late breakfast, and then Warhammer 40,000 until around five. I loved spending the day with the guys and so on, but that evening the long days and strain of Christmas kind of caught up with me.
Anyway, I slept in till eleven today, too, and had a slow day around the house. Heide's father came to visit for tea at around six, and now here I am, well rested, relaxed, only slightly bored, and iching to watch the second Lord of the Rings movie with the family, which is airing for the first time on German television today. I hope your Christmas was as good as mine. Please, feel free to leave long comments or email me about what happened over there. I'm planning to use this break to answer some of the letters I've recieved, so if you sent me any, be looking for the post in about two weeks.
-Elliot P.
2 comments:
You fit in way too well with the family. :) Hope you had an amazing Christmas. Misery misses you.
Looks like you had a good Christmas, did you get the DVD yet?
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