Thanksgiving is past, Christmas is coming up! I already got my Christmas decorations out on Wednesday, yesterday my friend and I made the first Christmas cookies, and I am looking forward very much to the next weeks. Iโll be in New York City to see the giant Rockefeller Christmas Tree, there is going to be a small Christmas market at work, I hope to go ice skating on at least one of the outside rinks in Boston, Iโll have eggnog and stollen, I have a ticket to see the Nutcracker ballet performance, Iโll go to Las Vegas just before Christmas and will be back to celebrate the holidays with my friends. Christmas time to me is when all the magic happens.
The number of my Christmas decorations slowly increases. Since it worked so well last year [here], I also wanted to create my own Advent wreath this year. When I was at Ikea in October, I already got candles, a plate and small Christmas bulbs. Last year I rather preferred red and silver, but this year it is definitely red and gold. Of course it is very easy to put four candles on a plate and arrange bulbs around them, but I like the result. Also I am very proud that Canavar hasnโt stolen one of the little balls yet. He usually loves everything rolling because he can push it and then chase it through the apartment.
Tomorrow morning I am going to light the first candle, and Iโll finally open the first package of gingerbread. I think I have been very patient this year, considering that Iโve had all the yummie Christmas sweets at home for several weeks โ but so far I havenโt eaten any. Well, I have already tried the eggnog though. And my friendโs husband, who is a confectioner, made stollen yesterday morning so we had it for breakfast. With marzipan. I love marzipan. Even though these arenโt as good as the stollen yesterday, I might still make my own stollen cubes again [here is the recipe โ in German only though].
I only realized this week that Christmas doesnโt mean anything to many people in the world. Of course I knew that, being Muslim, most people in Turkey donโt celebrate Christmas, but many still put up the decorations and exchange gifts on New Yearโs Eve. But my Chinese roommate reacted surprised at all my decorations (which are actually not that many) and thatโs how I learned that the majority of Chinese people doesnโt celebrate Christmas at all, and also they donโt seem to know much about it. Also our New Yearโs Eve apparently isnโt as important as the Chinese New Year. And thatโs how I got a very interesting cultural lesson.
I still havenโt told her though that I really want a Christmas tree. This year Iโll buy it in the city because cutting a Christmas tree is expensive and takes quite some time as I learned last year [here]. I think my roommate will be okay with a tree because it wonโt take up too much space and she will be gone from mid-December until the start of January. But Canavar and I love our Christmas trees. I do because to me they are the highlight of all decorations, and Canavar because there are so many bulbs to play with and a real tree is per se a very exciting thing.
This is only the start of this yearโs Christmas time, and I have a feeling that there are wonderful five weeks ahead of us, full of magic, lights and sweets. My ugly Christmas sweaters are ready, the apartment is decorated and I canโt wait for all the fun to start.
I wish you a great first weekend in Advent!
ยฉ janavar