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…
Snay in Connecticut says:
Y’know, I remember seeing a great cartoon once. It was a calendar of September through December, with an image for each week.
All of September and three weeks of October were little Santa Clauses. The last week of October had a pumpkin. The first three weeks of November were little Santa Clauses, and the last week was a Turkey. The entire month of December - surprise! - tiny little Santa Clauses.
I alter my entire approach to shopping after Thanksgiving, doing my best to hit stores early in the day or not at all. For grocery shopping, I actually drive out of my way to a 24-hour supermarket so as to avoid the one closer to me … the one that is always PACKED this time of year. The other benefit of this, is that when you’re grocery shopping at 2am, you don’t have to worry about “traffic jams” in the aisles with all those shopping carts!
I do have great sympathy for all those folks working in retail, and if I do this year (as I have every year) found myself in a super long line to the registers that takes an hour to get through … I will be very kind to that clerk and say “Thank you very much”, because I know they’re going to be stuck on that damn machine all day long …
24 November 2004 at 17:44
Michelle says:
Hey there, just surfing by courtesy of Blog Explosion. Hope you have a Happy Thanskgiving!
24 November 2004 at 19:45
backspin says:
i’m with you on the christmas thing..it’s for kids! i’m still paying for last christmas and there’s less than 6 weeks till the next one.
and what’s with the christmas decorations in october?? ugh.
thanksgiving on the other hand…doesn’t see race, religion or creed…an inclusive holiday that doesn’t involve gift giving…give me more of that!
25 November 2004 at 19:43