We had a really fun week! It started on Sunday when we ventured out to get a Christmas tree. On Saturday Chad went to the store and picked up some Christmas lights along with a tree stand while Doreen and Logan were back visiting Oma and Opa for the weekend. With everything prepped it was time to pick out a tree for 2018. Ever since we can remember we have lived in a place with a car, so going to the tree lot and having the final product tied to the top of the car for a slow and precarious drive home has been the tradition. This year we started a new tradition. We had space for a bigger tree because our ceilings are tall but had to be careful not to get something too big since we would be carrying it about 1 kilometer from he tree lot to our flat. Yes, they offered delivery, but Chad is far too impatient to wait and would rather just make it happen. So, with our selection made it was time for Logan to make one of his own. He selected a nice tree that was just right for his height and something he could also carry.

Once home we put on some Christmas music and got to decorating. We had a lot of fun this year getting everything set up - especially Logan as this was the first time he had a tree of his own. The house is decorated and we’re feeling the season’s cheer.

Monday brought a visit from our friend Hollie. She had been traveling Europe for the past few weeks and decided to stop in and say “hi” for the week. Her and Doreen have been biking around the city seeing the sights while Hollie has been taking several side trips to Dresden and Hamburg in order to take in as much of Germany as she can. On Tuesday we managed to go to one of the many Christmas markets after work. Now that the sun is setting before 4pm it’s easy to get into the Christmas sprit. The Christmas market at Kulturbrauerei is Scandinavian themed and a wonderful example of how beautiful these markets can be. We enjoyed some moose sausage, a few rides and some Swedish meat balls along with a flat bread pizza.

Thursday brought another German holiday custom, Saint Nicholas Day. For a long time in history Saint Nicholas was the central figure in the Christmas story for much of the German speaking world. Going as far back as 1555, he visits the children the eve of December 6th and leaves gifts in their boots if they have been good thought the year. As the legend goes he travels with a counterpart(s) known by many names, (“Knecht Ruprecht”, “Krampus” or “Belsnickle,” or “Niglo,” or “Pelznickel” depending on the region), who taunts and sometimes beats the bad children with a switch. As with many Renaissance traditions the archetype of heaven and hell is represented in the dichotomy of Nicholas and Krampus but is rarely seen in the modern celebration. The myth of Saint Nicholas is based on the actual Bishop of Myra; the patron saint of children, sailors, students, teachers, and merchants. Nicholas is credited with several miracles and his feast day is December 6th, which is the main reason he is connected with Christmas. During the German Reformation Martin Luther introduced der Heilige Christ [AKA: das Christkindl], an angel-like “Christ Child,” that brought Christmas gifts and reduced the importance of Saint Nicholas in the new Protestant faith. Christkindl would be replaced by der Weihnachtsmann [Father Christmas] and eventually mutated into the English term “Kris Kringle.” Eventually the days changed to the 24th and 25th of December - and then American commercialism stepped in and the rest is history.

We have always celebrated Saint Nicholas with Logan (excluding the Krampus of course) but this year was special because Logan got to celebrate it in Germany with his school mates and see how the tradition carries on in the rest of the world. He got a double dose of gifts this year; one set at home and another at school when he arrived. School tends to lean towards the positive aspects of the holiday learning about the Bishop of Myra and all the good deeds he did.

Saturday brought another fun tradition, gingerbread house construction. Doreen and Logan put together a fun kit from the store to create a wonderful seasonal house for display.

Sunday we visited the Berliner Weihnachtszeit Christmas market at the Rotes Rathaus (Red City Hall) and had a lot of fun walking around sampling the goods. We will be back to ride the massive ferris wheel in the dark.

In the afternoon we filled it up again and went to the Potsdamer Platz Christmas Market when Hollie got back from Hamburg - Emily also joined us for a wonderful evening. The main event which sets the Potsdamer Platz Christmas Market apart from the others is the 5 story sliding hill. Hollie, Logan and Chad got after it and had a wonderful time. After wandering through the market and seeing the sights, we settled on a pop-up Austrian restaurant for dinner. About 15 min after arriving the music started to play and Logan couldn’t help but to dance for the rest of the time. He kept saying “I know this song, Mommy I know this song.”

It was a wonderful week and we look forward to the next weeks as we explore more markets and see more friends. To end this week we bring you our film shot from Poznań.

Film Shots from Poznań

Until Next Time,

The McNeills