As expected, Christmas was a little different this year as it was my first away from home and in Germany! I wasn't sure whether it would be quite the same but I had a great time. We spent Christmas Eve settling Pete in at Nico's Mum's where he has spent the holidays and doing last minute bits of Christmas shopping. We cooked a nice hearty dinner, made a batch of fresh mince pies (I had to bring a little bit of English spirit to the festivities, Nico brought a lot of spirit to them) and then settled in for a nice evening round the tree.
As I have mentioned before, decorations are really big here in Germany and Nico's Mum does the house up beautifully. There were decorations everywhere around the house, including in the garden and of course the tree was stunning. There were no candles which I had been expecting but it was a real tree (you wouldn't consider anything else living in the country) and decorated warmly and traditionally with red and wooden baubles (some handmade my Nico's granddad).
We exchanged presents at around 8pm. I really liked this as it means the Christmas Day itself is about family and being together rather than the gifts. However, I know many English children who would not be made to wait all day before opening their presents!
Christmas Day was lovely. First we were with Nico's Dad's side of the family where seventeen of us sat down to dinner with a goose and two turkeys as well as all the trimmings. It was great to see all the family and have a real sense of togetherness. In the afternoon, we went to Nico's Mum's side of the family for coffee and cake and later a buffet and Ice Age 3 with the children. I love having children around at Christmas. It brings some of the magic back which gets lost when you grow up.
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