Some Joys of the Season--Woche 43

This is on the outside wall of the Mall

This is a big week here in Austria.  There is a ton of stuff going on.  Since Dan was in Antwerp and then the US this week, he missed a lot of the fun.  He was pretty busy where he was, but is excited to be spending the rest of the year at home!

We started all advents this week.  We burned our first candle on our Advent wreath.  These wreaths are everywhere here.  On the first Sunday of Advent (the 4th Sunday before Christmas), you burn one candle.  You sing songs while the candle burns and you can have a little devotional, or whatever you want.  Then on the next Sunday, you burn 2 candles.  It is fun.  By the time you get to the Sunday before Christmas, you are burning all 4 candles in the wreath. 

The kids have also started to open their advent calendars.  Dan received a "Smarties" chocolate one.  Dane got a magic one.  He's been doing tricks for us all week.  Dyllan loves her jewelry one (by the way, I love the German word for jewelry--"schmuck" pronounced "shmook").  Deagan received a Lego one and has been building little Christmas scenes all week.  I got one from Dan that he leaves me a clue to find little wrapped gifts all over the house.  Yesterday, I got p.j.s, so I am comfortably lounging while typing this.  Danyon, on the other hand, got a really neat calendar with painted wooden ornaments that you can put on a mini tree or wreath.  He didn't quite get the whole idea of the advent calendar, as I found him in his crib, one afternoon, after his nap, with his whole calendar opened and every ornament thrown on the floor.  I guess the excitement was just too much for him.  He couldn't wait!  He must have known that it was something that he shouldn't have done, because he gave me a pretty sheepish look when I discovered his mischief. 

Dan's Smarties

The remains of Danyon's Advent

Oh, yeah.  He knew better!

We have started our Christmas activities.  We have read Christmas stories, made Christmas crafts, celebrated Christmas Mexican style with a fiesta, and watched the Grinch.  We are having a ton of fun!

Friday night was Krampus night.  At the store, you can buy St. Nicoli and Krampus chocolate figures (like the Easter bunnies we get--only shaped differently).  We really wanted to see Krampus, but we couldn't find any.  We were also told by the German tutor, not to take the kids to see Krampus, as he is really not very nice to the children.  He hits kids and yells--we figure the kids are already used to it from soccer and hockey coaches here in Austria so we didn't figure it would be any different.  She (the tutor)advised us not to get too close.  Even without seeing one in person, this was the dreaded night for Deagan.  I could tell he was pretty nervous going to bed, as he asked if he could sleep in my bed that night--just in case.  As luck would have it, all four of the kids were still in their own beds on Saturday morning.  Krampus did not cart any of them away!  I told the kids he must have got some addresses mixed up this year.  Interesting, on Friday morning, they had boxes and crates full of these chocolate Krampus' and Nicolis'.  Saturday evening when I went to buy one, they had zero left.  We found a box of broken and cracked ones, which I got a picture of, but there were none left to buy.

Kissing up to Santa

Christmas Train

Then the fun day is Saturday--St. Nicoli day.  I took the kids to the mall, where they were able to get their picture taken with St. Nicoli.  He does look a lot like our Santa, but there are some very notable differences.  He does wear a Bishop's hat and has robes that look more like Catholic robes--instead of a red velvet suit with fur.  The kids were able to get their picture taken and got a Milka chocolate Nicoli all for free!  I couldn't believe it!  I haven't gotten a free picture with Santa in years!  Also interesting--Nicoli does not hand out candy canes.  They don't have them here.  [Another wierd thing that they don't have here, while I am on the rampage, is a bagel.  With all of the bakeries here, it seems odd, but after two years of searching, there are no bagels here.  I think that I've mentioned before that they don't have pie either.  They have cakes and tortes and strudels, but there is nothing that resembles a real pie--circular with a crust.]  Of course there is lots of chocolate available, so that's what Nicoli gives to the children.  Although we learned in a fun Austrian Christmas song, that there is not any chocolate in traditional Christmas baking. (In der Weihnachtsbackerei--look it up!).



And you thought that Santa had a
tight fit in the chimneys!

We headed home and the kids all rounded up the biggest shoe they could find.  They all picked my boots--they wanted to have thigh-high boots, but I don't have any.  Then they set them outside of their bedroom doors and went to sleep.  The next morning, St. Nicoli had left them bubbles, candy, and oranges in their boots.  He even left me some in my shoe.  Dan was on the airplane, and when he woke up, he had candy in his shoe too!