Ha Ha! This just cracks me up!!
Really, have I watched Star Wars that many times? So… How Jedi are you?
You can call me a humbug if you want, I don’t care: The truth is, I don’t do Christmas. I haven’t really enjoyed Christmas since I was 16 and the one present I asked for I didn’t get. That in and of it self wouldn’t have been the problem, except my little sister did get the present she asked for!
Sure, you can go on and on about how the true meaning of Christmas doesn’t lie in the presents, but let’s be honest: Up to 40% of a store’s annual sales come from the six week period between the Friday after Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. Christmas is about presents! If you still don’t agree, try and celebrate Christmas this year without giving or receiving any presents…
One of the things I like best about moving far, far away from my family and friends is that I no longer have to do anything more than a couple of phone calls at Christmas. A. doesn’t do Christmas either, so I don’t even have to do any shopping or anything anymore!
However, there are two things that I have found about Adventzeit here in Germany that I do like:
First is the Adventkalender. A. bought me one last year and I just loved opening a little door on my cheap cardboard calendar everyday from December first to the twenty fourth and getting a little piece of chocolate. A piece of chocolate everyday! What could be better? Too bad they don’t have year-round Adventkalenders…
Second is the Madelstollen, a sort of almond cake (or bread) that is choke full of almonds and rum and covered in powdered sugar! Normally, I am not too fond of German cakes because I find them way too heavy. (I think the heaviness of cakes here has a lot to do with the fact that baking soda is considered a dangerous substance that must be bought at the pharmacy.)
However, though the Madelstollen is heavier than what I normally like in a cake, (it is more like bread in its consistency) it is just so damn tasty! But, it is only available at the bakery across the street during Adventzeit. I bought my first small offering yesterday and quickly devoured it. Luckily, they will still be available for a few more weeks…