This year, the Christmas season started with our live, little Charlie Brown Christmas tree. We got him at a German nursery and plan on planting him in a few days... and hopefully this year Axel won't cut it down like in 2009! Then we made a gingerbread house... home - made... no kit! Yes, that was some architectural talent. And then Christmas took the back seat while Jesse and Shannon visited and we traveled to St. Anton and Brussels and day trips around the area. But on the 22nd, the holiday picked back up again with lots of Christmas baking and music!
On Christmas Eve, we made Snickerdoodles (which are now gone!), sweet potato black bean enchilladas (which were AMAZING - we both gave them a 10), and skyped with the Rapaljes (at 11pm!).
Yesterday, Christmas day, we woke up and opened our stockings! Then we made homemade blackberry jam and blackberry pastries for breakfast. We got to Skype with Brett, Ali, my Mom, and Shea while they opened their presents! Then we opened the rest of our presents and started the baking for Christmas dinner. Matt decided on a Christmas Market themed dinner so we had Reibekuchen, Mushrooms with Garlic Cream Sauce, Brats, Kasewurst, Red Cabbage, Sweet Potato Casserole (not German!), Rosemary Potatoes, and Pecan Pie - only missing the Pommes Frites mit mayo! After everything was almost ready, we headed into the city to take a few pictures. We have been on the hunt for a picture of the Porta Niga, but have not found one we like yet. A had the brilliant idea that the city might be dead (he was half right) and we could take our own to play with. So we took the dogs down and did just that. I took a ton of the Porta Nigra alone and a few of all 4 of us... wearing Virginia Tech gear, of course, which we would NOT sport on a busy Trier day! After, it was time for everyone to come over. Micael and Matt (of course) were over, as well as Joenan and her two daughters, and Jill, for a bit. We wish Mark could have come too, but he's in Afghanistan right now :( We ate, and talked, and ate, and drank, and ate and ate some more! The dinner was delicious (very German, lots of potatoes!) and the company divine. All in all a great Christmas. We will very much miss Germany's amazing Christmas season next year. Frohe Weihnachten!
A's Christmas purchases to decorate the porch!
Charlie Brown style Weihnacht Baum
Bos & Riva laying on their Christmas presents
Gingerbread House
Porta Nigra, practically deserted. I plan on playing with this one.
Porta Nigra pic
Taking advantage of the (almost) empty city to take a family picture.. in our 'WE ARE AMERICANS!' clothes
Joenan modeling her Afghan wear, sent from Kabul. We wish Mark would have been able to come!
the home-made Gluhwein master himself
w/ the Krautheim girls
the Group on Christmas
Eating the delicious Christmas Market themed Christmas dinner
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