Michelle Dix

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Michelle Dix As many of you know, I was raised in Germany and my family still lives there. Bavaria, the state I’m from, is deeply rooted in religion. That is evident in the local greeting “Grüß Gott,” which means “Greet God,” instead of “Hello.” My mom was a busy, working, single parent, and made sure we went to church every Sunday and said our prayers at night. I have fond memories of Advent and Christmas back home. I really loved sitting around the Advent wreath and singing hymns and reading the Christmas Story! One of my favorite Advent hymns is “Wir sagen Euch an den lieben Advent.” Translated into English 1. We announce to you to the dear Advent. See, the first candle is burning. We tell you of a holy time. Prepare the way for the Lord. Rejoice, you Christians, rejoice greatly! The Lord is near. 2. We announce to you to the dear Advent. See, the second candle is burning. So accept one other, just as the Lord did us. Rejoice, you Christians, rejoice greatly! The Lord is near. 3. We announce to you to the dear Advent. See, the third candle is burning. Now carry the light of your goodness far into the dark world. Rejoice, you Christians, rejoice greatly! The Lord is near. 4. We announce to you to the dear Advent. See, the fourth candle is burning. God Himself will come, He will not hesitate. On, on, you hearts, and become light. Rejoice, you Christians, rejoice greatly! The Lord is near. This hymn reminded me that the Lord is coming and we need to prepare our hearts. Unlike here, we didn’t anticipate Santa coming down the chimney but awaited “Das Christkind,” the Christ Child and exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve. We always looked forward to walking to church for the midnight service to end our evening. My absolute favorite hymn is “Silent Night,” and it still gets me emotional. Lord, thank you for transforming me by the renewing of my mind during this Advent season. I will prepare the way for you and let my light shine for you. Amen. - Michelle Dix 1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. My childhood church St. Blasius & Alexander. Originally built 1204 and added on to 1670 – 1681 German buildings are OLD! No heat or restrooms. We stayed bundled up in the winter! .
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    HAVE GERMAN WILL TRAVEL WEIHNACHTEN ,,Bei uns ist immer was los!" CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION CUSTOMS/ WEIHNACHTSFEIERBRA.UCHE bringer of gifts: der Gabenbringer, die Gabenbringer Christ child: das Christkind Forget Santa - Meet the Christkind! Today I'm going to tell you about a German Christmas tradition that I remember very fondly from my childhood. It's not something celebrated in the UK, but it's popular in Germany, and I think it makes Christmas really magical for children (even moreso than Santa does). I'm going to tell you about the Christkind. The Christkind (sometimes known affectionately as Christkindl} is a traditional giver of gifts at Christmas time, mainly in European countries including Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Liechtenstein, Hungary, Slovakia and Switzerland. The word Christkind translates to 'Christ Child'. The Christkind is depicted as an angelic figure with blond hair and wings. Vintage Christmas postcards like these ones capture the magical feeling of the Christkind perfectly: What does the Christkind do? This is all very, very exciting if you are a child! The Christkind brings children their Geschenke (presents} on December 24th and leaves them underneath the Weihnachtsbaum (Christmas tree). Parents tell their children that the Christkind won't come if they try to spot him. He is not meant to be seen! Sometimes parents will secretly ring a bell to announce the arrival or departure of the Christkind, after which the children go running to find their presents. I remember my parents doing this when I was very young: On Christmas eve one year, our doorbell rang, and I went running to open it in hope of seeing the Christkind, but when I opened it, all I found were a collection of presents on the doormat! Because my parents were in the living room at the time, I was convinced it was the Christkind who had brought us the presents.
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