Frohe Weihnachten!

Like in the past years, we celebrate under our Xmas tree twice: on Xmas Eve (Heiligabend), we sing German carols and open packages we got from Germany. On Xmas Day, the kids get to rush to the tree in the morning to open the remaining gifts in their PJ’s … like all American children.

Tonight, the kids were allowed to open Omi Hilde’s gift – the annual wall calendar from our favorite German children’s book illustrator. They can’t wait for it to go up on their wall on January 1st! Omi and Opa’s lovely package was a huge hit as well, brimming with gifts for the whole family. Mika quickly took over the new book Opa Addi made, about the neighborhood cat that befriended not only my parents but also the kids these past years. Tobin immediately started building a house for his frog from the colorful construction cards, and Mika later joined in on the fun. Our German Xmas Eve wouldn’t be complete without potato salad, Knackwurst, and beer – a recipe that originates from my own great-grandmother, Omi Hedwig. I am already the fourth generation preparing the dish, and lots of good memories are tied to it. Traditionally, we would roast a duck on the following day, but Sung really doesn’t like duck at all. We have to come up with a new tradition for Xmas Day…