Der Weihnachtsmarkt: Glühwein und Waffeln und Lebkuchen

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Hope I typed that right, have lead in my boots this morning. Had a great weekend with lots of Glühwein and Weinschorlen and Nikoläuser.
Didn't get back from a Christmas party till 8 last night and too late to make the Kranz. I usually start decorating on Dec 1st so will do that with d after school and then light a candle tonight.
We're in the UK as well for C'mas but I still do decorations, put the tree baubles in glass vases so even they get an outing.
I love white fairy lights, put some all over the place and in the evenings leave the lamps off and light downstairs with fairy lights alone.

The tree lighting on Saturday was great fun, friends of ours were there and their 13 yr old d took mine to the fire & waited 15 mins in the crowds for Nikolaus while I was plied with Glühwein.
Think my ideal Christmas is Advent here and C'mas day in the UK, then back here for Sylvester. So this year should be good.
Mind you when we're here we have roast beef on the 25th, or goose. Think if I served Truthahn, h would clobber me with it.

Taipo have mailed you.
Have only one school meeting this week but a stack of reports to write. It is very good for my rusty brain but v hard work getting into. Feel rather fragile this morning, housework beckons and all I want is a bucket of tea and an aspirin

treat yourself to something from the bakery

and enjoy all the coffee to yourself.....

I'm off to church this morning to see dd in her end of term service. Yesterday they went and sand in an retirement home.

After church I'm going to get myself a bottle of baileys and some m and m chocolate peanuts for tonight, bliss and no h as he'll be in Berlin. Don't know why but when I open a packet of those I have to finish it.

Sidling up to MmeL in the hope the domestic goddess bit rubs off on me. Shall be on MN for one mug of coffee only - ha! Want to get the house cleaned today, do 28 loads of washing and then pack tomorrow.

Had planned day of drudgery domesticity and was relieved not to have to go out again this week but had my annual Christmas card cock-up yesterday. The wee cards I bought in England last year are not Regulation Size and so would have cost me 2 euros each to post instead of 0.70 cents. So will have to hunt out envelopes and go again today.

Last day of term, thankfully. The children are shattered. My h has been feeling the pressure at work, people are leaving left, right and centre and morale is v bad he says. So he will be in a good mood tonight with 2 weeks holiday ahead and I'm looking forward to a relaxed meal with our friends. They're v much the muck in type otherwise I wouldn't have asked them after the manic last 2 weeks.

MmeL, that's great about your d, must be such a boost to her confidence. I am really pleased with how my d's German has come on since she started school. Her grammar is still a bit ropey but she's so much more confident and now she can read she's improving her vocab the whole time. She's very happy in her class too.

I had the bright idea that to even out the water stains on the rug I would flood the whole thing. Now it's a bit crinkly and splotchy but looks marginally better.

Was crosser than necessary I think because the (permanent) ink was spilled by a visiting child running through the house with a sheet of paper dripping with the ink. I was looking after her for a neighbour I don't even like who called and more or less took for granted I'd pick her d from school, give her lunch and look after her all afternoon as the mum was sick.
We were in the middle of a school drama (involving the media, right bloody pain) and the trouble-maker was the husband. So I was juggling phone calls and meetings and when he turned up to pick his d up, harangued me really rudely about the school thing.
Not many thanks either for looking after her nor a whiff of an apology when I explained the cleaning stuff on the rug he had to step over.
Shan't be doing them any more favours I think.

Off tp church now. How is the cleaning going finks? Keep at it, good girl!

admylin, I just sent you another waffly long mail so feel free to vent your spleen about the schools in a mail when you find time if you don't want to plaster it all over MN. I'm tough, I can handle it. Bet it's maths.

Mind you MN would be tripe and boring if it was all just, what shall we get for the teacher this Christmas and how much are you spending on your dh, kind of thing.

Domestic goddess is so far out of my reach I am afraid but well done ML!

O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum... has anyone got their's up or are you all being very German and leavign it till Christmas Eve?

OMG triTe not triPe!

Tripe too, I reckon.
Haven't started yet, just back from the post office.
Am officially looking for my Christmas CDs, I dumped all the Christmas stuff on the dining table on Dec 1st where it has stayed so we've only been eating in the kitchen. Looks decorative though and plays happily every day with the tinsel and baubles but I must pack it away or hang it all up or something before tonight.

Who knows where the CDs are? I may have to resort to daytime UK telly if I can't find them, am incapable of housework without background noise and not in the mood for Desert Island Discs.

Again, lurking but not posting - sorry! I'm off back to the UK tomorrow morning for 2 weeks with friends and family. Just wanted to wish you all a cracking great Christmas and New Year.

xxx

Have a great time thequietone!

I've got my weekend planned, curled up on the sofa mostly and then mentally prepare for the food shopping trip on Monday. I hate it when people shop as if they might starve over Christmas. I'll make an effort to get up early and hope I miss the crowds.

Thank goodness we are off school for 2 weeks!

A Cracking Christmas to you too, love the expression!

Found the CDs hidden in plain view on a shelf in my study next to, err, all the other CDs. So am blasting Bing Crosby and Mario Lanza out. Sure the neighbours love me.

House cleaned-ish. Children home and quietly and quite legitimately doing something they're not normally allowed in school time so are being very quiet in case I change my mind!

Now to clear the dining table.

S2 is being very clingy after my friend's birthday. I wouldn't have mentioned it to them only d is happily reading everything she can see and the date was marked on the calender. Didn't seem right crossing it out. Wish he were more like d, she chatters away about it all and complained that I don't take her often enough to the cemetery etc. and we must do this and that, whereas s2 goes quiet and hugs me and worries if I go out. Lots of hugs and silliness and crap TV in order I think.

Will be drowning in Sekt packing tomorrow so wish all a Cracking Christmas and a guten Rutsch into 2009.

SSSanta, I haven't even got my tree yet and have just realised it's going to be very knapp as h has the car all weekend in Berlin. There will be rubbish ones left on Monday I bet. I s your h even in the country over Christmas?!

Saw your email ,thanks.

X-posted, admylin.
Think numero uno in 2009 will be a plan for you, can't bear to think of you being so sad all year.
Wishing you and the children a happy Christmas, lots of chocs and Baileys and a bloody good rest. Am sure you need it.

Thanks finks! I'm halfway through my bag of chocolates and h has only been gone an hour!

My mum comes over in January too so that's atleast something to look forward to. The church service this morning nearly had me in tears. It was so awful in German and hardly any parents turned up. Then they all clapped at the end like in a theatre - I've seen school services in UK and they are lovely and you leave the church feeling good about things but not today. Anyway, I smiled alot at dd so she saw I was theer and she was singing her heart out - just a shame I'd never heard ofteh songs they were singing! The best bit was the girl who was chosen to be Mary, she didn't want to do it and you could just see she was standing behind the crib with her arms crossed and I bet she was tapping her foot under her gown!

Weihnachten fetzt huh? Ripping, spiffing, cracking fun we'll be having hopefully. Actally I'm looking forward to it (except for any cooking, hate cooking).

We have Mario Lanza too but not for Christmas fink. We have some arriverderci Roma type stuff.

We are singing Italian all day at the moment, so we have Bing Crosby's Chrsitmas on instead when I get the chance. Dd has started learning Italian which means I listen to it all day as well. Have: "Mi piace la scuola uno, due, tre" coming out my ears. Goes through my head at night too, keeps me awake.

how come when I changed my nick, I lost my profile? Does anyone know, I'm feeling bereft

Mine went too SSSanta, but mmelindt knows how to get her profile to stay.

what was awful about it admylin? I quite like German carols. Some of those we sing in English actually sound sweeter to my ears in German - maybe they were originally German. Dunno.

German corner survey English/German:
What is your favourite carol?
What is your least favourite carol?

LOL that girl crossing her arms not wanting to be Mary. When you think what Mary went through tbh who WOULD want to be her? I'm sure if the angel had appeared to me, I would have sent him packing! Not that I'm the requisite material but you get my drift

Just checked with the boss and she says O Tannenbaum is the best, followed by Tochter Zion (whatever that is?) and she doesn't like "AT ALL" Stille Nacht

I never liked Gloria in excelsis with all that o-o-o-o-o-o stuff in it. I always sing that looking ahead to see how much is left and when it will be over.

I know, the funny thing is all those threads about little girls wanting to be Mary or proud mums who have a little Mary dd and all the concurence for nativity play parts in UK!

Our radio station plays Felice Navidad every morning and I can't get it out of my head for hours! I can't play music om my new PC at the moment as I seem to have bust the driver or sound card - otherwise we could do some youtube links.

I like that one too. Dh just been in Spain trying to sort out some mess there. Said the Spanish managers were telling him, he needs to understand the most important thing for them as men is their honour and if they pay a fine (seems they have broken a law and will have to), it wouldn't be good for their honour, so how to get around it?

Dh wondering whether an honorable man should have broken the law in the first place? He likes them though, real Spanish grandees apparently, highly distinguished looking. After talking about honour for a couple of hours they all went out, got drunk and were singing Feliz Navidad at the top of the voices

Major stress all round for him though. He will be in India all of January

How nice, the neighbour just came down with a bottle of Sekt and we sat and drank it in the light of my Adventskranz! I've officially invited them for Christmas dinner on the 25th(evening) so now big stress about getting everything I need including some sort of Turkey. And all the veg etc...I'm not that great at traditional English food. I can do a 6 course Indian meal anytime for up to 15 people but a simple Christmas dinner..hmm.

Oh, fabulous Admylin. Just what you need, guests at Xmas so you can lock your bah humbug DH in the cellar and have a cracking Xmas. :-))

There is a profile mover page on the my mumsnet bit. I think where the nickname history is.

I tricked persuaded DH to do the lunchtime schoolrun after leaving me in town to do xmas shopping. We chose the DC's presents together. I think that was the first time we have done the Xmas shopping together. I told him that I feel he needs to be more involved rather than me just taking over then being the martyr.

I will take the kids out on Monday so he can do some shopping.

I had a look at computers today and totally fell in love with the macbook. Will have to do some very creative accounting with the household accounts to persuade dh though.

Favourite carol: hark the herald angels sing. Because it is so joyful. I like Gloria, especially since DS has learnt it.
In German: I only really know Stille Nacht and Oh Tannenbaum. There isn't really a lot of choice in German. The Rolf Zuckowski songs are good, In der Weihnachtsbaeckerei.

The town band did a fantastic Xmas medley yesterday. Started with the Tatum Tatum Tatumtatumtatumtatum tatuuuum from the Pink Panther then mixed all the famous Xmas songs from stille nacht, jingle bells, gloooria... Just remembered another german one, Leise lieslt der Schnee. That is my favourite german one.

Least favourite: Little Donkey. Such a dreary song. And O Tannenbaum.

Talking of which, ours is up and decorated.

Having wine at the moment , about to make tea and eat some chocolates. better put the dc to bed first. They are watching Winnie the Pooh. They are much too old for auld Winnie but they have recently rediscovered their DVDs

So what are you doing for Christmas dinner? Have you found all the stuff you need? I will have to go and buy some food at the English shop in List. I hope they have those frozen Yorkshire puddings as I can't make them. A few mince pies would be good too.

profile mover eh? Never noticed. Will investigate. Thanks ML.

admylin, yorkshire puddings are really not difficult. Have you tried? They're just batter in patty tins or are you thinking of something more fancy than what I know?

I'm sure if you can make a 6 course Indian meal at the drop of a hat for 15 people you can make yorkshire puddings no problem.

How did you learn to cook Indian food so well then? Can't quite invisage your dh in the kitchen with you, painstakingly teaching you step-by-step.

where's taipo? Has she gone to the UK?

Just wondering too, not feeling inspired really, what are you having for breakfast on Christmas day, anything special?