AVE GERMAN WILL TRAVEL

TWELVE TRADITIONS OF FAMILIENFEST / FAMILY CELEBRATION

family: die Familie, die Familien celebration, feast: das Fest, die Feste

Weihnachtszeit is a time of family togetherness, a -~appy spirit, -~nd good food and beverages: Familienfest, Gemutlichkeit, und Geback und Getranke.

sound of that little silver bell, before it was time to go into the "Christmas Room". Finally, we heard the sound of the bell and ran up the steps, little ones first and older ones last, the door opened and there it was, the whole room bathed in candlelight from the Christmas all covered with silver and glass balls to the many candleholders with the red candles glowing and changing our old Living-room into a magical, fes­ tive palace. We saw our presents, all neatly piled on dressers and tables, the dining table loaded with large, colorful paper-plates full of oranges, apples, nuts, chocolates and . We did not know where to look first, but our mother told us to go to the grand piano in the corner where my oldest sister Weihmachtsfamilie played some Christmas carols and we sang along. Gemiilde von V. Katzler 1891 Stille Nacht; Vom Himmel hoch; 1hr Kinderlein kommet; Frohliche Weihnacht liberall, etc. Only then were we allowed to look at our presents and play with the toys we received. AT OUR HOUSE CHRISTMAS In the dining room the table was set and after a in was one exciting while we gathered around the table and ate our typ­ to take a bath, and dress time. All of us children had ical Christmas Eve meal. It was always meat salad es and stockings and shoes. The in our finest dress with fresh hard rolls, breads and different lunch and shining and wonderful aro­ house was cleaned meats, sour herring and little smoked fishes. The kitchen. mas came from the table was decorated with small fir limbs and tinsel from the church service, we were told Coming and of course candles. After the meal we sat around () and the that the Weihnachtsmann the table in the living-room and the grown-ups had child) were still busy upstairs in (Christ wine and cookies and the little ones drank lemonade and dining room, and we had to wait in the living mixed with a little wine. We would touch our glass­ office for a while, keeping ourselves busy my Dad's es and toast the Weihnachtsmann, who was really and making paper planes. by drawing on papers busy that night. Him and the Christkind on the Sled all day and in Germany, Both rooms had been closed with the white horse had to go to so many towns yet. see the before children did not As we heard some trumpets outside, we opened the parents are indeed busy Christmas Eve. German windows and heard trumpeters from the windows , that we had to hear the elves that night. We knew high up in the church tower playing . As a light snow was falling from the sky, we could not imagine a more wonderful closing of such an exciting night.