Germerican Denglish

German kids must grow up with 10 times the patience as American kids, and it’s all thanks to the difference in Christmas celebrations. The vast majority of kids in America go to bed on Christmas Eve knowing that as soon as they get up in the morning they can open their presents. German children on the other hand wake up on Christmas Eve knowing that they have to wait aaaaaall day before they can open theirs. That is probably why an entire nation of people who are so impatient at the grocery store are able to deal with the snails pace at which most German government entities operate. Now I get it!

Our Christmas Eve was pretty laid back though. After the preparations for dinner were made we chilled on the couch, drank cofee, did crossword puzzles, and watched a current adaptation of Cinderella. That was the bulk of the afternoon anyway. Eventually we had to pry ourselves from the comfort of the sofa and get dolled up for the festivities. Once we were all pretty and my sister- and brother-in-law arrived we all sat down for a nice dinner exactly like the day of our arrival, Xxxxxxxxxxxx link xxxxxxxxxx and it was just as delicious. Then we could hold back the wild horses of a six year old no more and it was off to the living room to open the presents.

I may have said this already, but the absolute best part of Christmas is the looks on the faces of people receiving gifts. Whether it’s the six year old who gets his first Green Bay Packers jersey, or the wife who gets her seventh sports jersey but first Graham Zusi jersey, you just can’t put a price on the joy of giving. For the record, our son became a Packers fan all on his own. When the rather young son of an Eagles-Broncos couple consistently declares his allegiance to Cheesehead Nation and constantly asks for an Aaron Rodgers jersey, you just have to roll with it. I did explain to him though that as long as he “lives under my roof” he has no choice but to be a Ducks fan!

After all the gifts and surprises had been greeted with smiles and laughter the only thing left to do was enjoy another evening in good company, and enjoy it we certainly did. But all good things must come to an end, so eventually little guys were tucked into bed before the last few drinks and chuckles of the evening were had. A highlighted chapter in our Christmas vacation had come to an end, but no worries as in Germany there are two more Christmas days ahead. Bis zum nächsten mal!