Ho Ho Holiday Break

Okay, I am taking a Christmas Break from posting in German. For the next weeks, I'll only post in English, because I have the strong suspicion that during that time, most of my readers will be American. :o) Hihi.

This post is about my favorite Christmas tradition. I got the idea to write about my favorite tradition from another blog I read on a regular basis. You should go and check it out, too. It's great.

The thing I love most about Christmas is the waiting. Well, I have to admit that nowadays, for me Christmas is not about waiting at all. The weeks before Christmas are the busiest weeks of the year. I have to write papers, grade my students' work, attend some Christmas parties and all that while I am trying to solve world's biggest mystery, namely finding out what I could give my parents for Christmas. If there is one thing, I have absolutely no time for, then it is sitting down and waiting.

However, it wasn't always like this. I remember when I was a child, Christmas was all about waiting. It does not take a genius like Einstein to figure out that time is relative. Every child knows that time runs slower the closer you get to the big day. And then on Christmas eve, the hands on our kitchen clock went so slowly as if they were stuck with molasses which we had just used for baking Christmas cookies, a couple of days ago.

When you are seven years old, Christmas Eve is the longest day of your life. As every year for Christmas, I was not allowed to step into the living room, because the Christkindl was about to bring the Christmas tree and gifts. Only my Dad had the privilege to help. He locked the door behind him and hung a scarf in front of the key hole. No peeking allowed, otherwise the Christkindl wouldn't come.

So, here I was waiting. And waiting. And waiting. My mom was cleaning the house and told me to pick up my room, too. No child likes cleaning their room during the year, but on Christmas Eve it's sheer torture. You don't want to sort through Legos and crayons, while the biggest event of the year is going on in your living room! Why do parents not get that! But the Christkindl likes kids who do as they are told, so my room was never more organized than on Christmas Eve.

And then I was waiting again. And waiting and waiting. This was before we had game boys and Playstations or satelite TV. We only had 3 channels and the TV was in the living room, which was out of limits anyway. So, here I was waiting and waiting again. I was not allowed to leave the house, because it was Christmas Eve and that's a family holiday. However, we did not seem like much of a family to me that day. My father was out of sight in the forbidden living room and my mom was stressed out cleaning and cooking. For her, time seemed to run away, while I was still stuck in a timeless zone of waiting. I wanted to help, but she never let me. I was just in her way. So, I was waiting again.

In the afternoon, we went to church for the Christmas service, but our pastor was old and the service was not "child friendly". More waiting. This time on a hard church bench, not being allowed to move or speak. Listening to words I did not understand, about the evil in the world I had not seen and salvation I had no concept of. So, here I was again: Waiting.

Back at home, we would have Christmas dinner, but what child can eat when the Christkindl is right next door?! After I was scolded for not eating my veggies and my parents had argued about some spilled red wine, my Dad returned to the forbidden zone to give the Christkindl one last hand with the preparations.

So, here I was again. Waiting. This time with my mother. Waiting to hear Christkindl's bell that indicated that Christmas was here. Sitting quietly, listening, waiting. But instead of a silver bell ringing from the Christmas room, there usually was a little deep-voiced cursing coming from next door about not finding matches or something. So, my mother would get up and enter the (for me still) forbidden zone. And while the whispered arguing of my parents came to my ear, I was still waiting. Confused, but waiting. And waiting and waiting. Time was almost standing still and I was waiting.

And then out of a sudden, everything would be silent. Total silence. And suddenly the sound of a little bell. The living room door would be opened and there it would be: The Christmas Tree. With candle lights and ornaments. Sparkling and gleaming and lightening up the entire room. For this one moment, time would stand still. The waiting was over. Christmas was here. No more arguing, no more cursing, no more cleaning and cooking and veggies.

There would be peace.

This is my most favorite Christmas memory. Oh yes: There would be presents, too. But nothing would be able to compete with the moment I saw the lit-up Christmas tree for the first time each year.