What better way to start this new blog than with a post about Christmas?

This year’s Christmas season mostly went right past me. I was so overwhelmed with school work that I didn’t really get to enjoy the time leading up to Christmas. That is why I was so thrilled when I was on the train to my parents’ house on the 21st and my dad told me that they had yet to buy a Christmas tree. I immediately told him I would go buy it with him. So on the 22nd, we went and bought ourselves a beautiful Christmas tree.

As is tradition, we waited until the early afternoon of December 24th to decorate it, something I had done by myself for the past few years. This year, my brother helped me with it. I remember when I was younger it was my dad’s and brother’s job to decorate the Christmas tree, while my mom and I went to the afternoon service at church. Nowadays, we don’t go to church anymore and it has become my job to decorate the tree. And I love it!

On Christmas Eve, my brother asked my parents if the little bell would ring after the Christkind has brought the presents. The Christkind is our (German) version of Santa Claus. That’s right, we get our presents from baby Jesus himself! When we were kids, after the gifts were brought, a bell would chime letting us know that we were allowed back into the living room to unwrap our presents. My parents told us that they don’t even know where it is anymore. That’s how times have changed.

I am trying to remember if I ever really believed in the Christkind or whether I always knew it was really our parents who gave us the presents on Christmas Eve. I cannot remember a time I truly believed in the Christkind or a point in time when I stopped believing, so I am inclined to believe I always knew it was our parents, but I still believe it to be a beautiful tradition.

After a stressful Christmas season, I ended up really enjoying Christmas Eve. I got lovely presents (more about that in my next post!), everyone loved my presents (which made me so happy!), I indulged in amazing Christmas cookies, and I spent some time away from working on my thesis.

How was your Christmas? I hope you all had (or are having) peaceful and beautiful days filled with love and laughter.