Bald ist Nikolausabend da... English words?

[finknottle]

Ds1 & ds2 have been practising "Lasst uns froh und munter sein... Lustig lustig, tra-la-la-la, bald ist..." for a C'mas party and I'm convinced there's an English version.

Am I imagining things?
It's on my brain and driving me tra-la-la-la-la
Am also supposed to be offering English carols and Christmassy songs so can anyone help with ideas for ones which are easiest to play on the piano? Ds1 is 10.
Oh, apart from Jingle Bells
Thanks

Here, listen to this,
the indian version of 12th day of christmas
My dh is Indian and he thought this was great

Yes, I always tried that with the if you don't believe you don't get anything but they know I'm too soft (I've got them some marzipan shaped like different fruits and a chocolate santa but nothing else yet)

Youtube has some really good Christmas songs though - I liked the bit about the lotus and when I call the dc to eat I say the buttered chicken is ready!

I always find it difficult to fill a stocking. I think I might get gloves, dd managed to lose one and some things like that because they're nice and bulky. She doesn't need anything at all though, definitely not little bits of plastic rubbish, we're drowning in it already.

Our tradition in the days of believing in Nikolaus was to get them a game in the hope that they would spend time playing them together! They have memory, top trumps, several different ravensburger games in the small box (sort of A5 sized) also quartett style games with different themes. This year as you say, they really don't need anything so will have to think carefully what to get.

SSSandy, you know on your side of town have you been in Wertheim recently? Do they have a selection of British style foods at all? Would save me the journey across town if I know they haven't got anything.

Not all together in one area. What are you after? I'll tell you if they have it.

Problem with games is she'll want me to play them with her and I find I can't really be bothered with games these days.... (bad mummy emoticon)
Well, I'm off to have a mosey around Hugenduebel. Thinking a mug - Prinzessin Lilifee or one of those with the horses on it. Not very exciting but really she doesn't need anything at all and Christmas has me floored too. Haven't a clue what to get her.

Well, one thing I was looking for would be some sort of typical English biscuit or something maybe shortbread style. The reason being: you know ds has to sit through English lessons at school but the teacher has made an exception for him and he gets one to one tuition in a different room with a teacher from the Brazilian/Portugese section who speaks fluent English (and not such good German) and they do advanced reading, reviews, spellings etc and I wanted to thank them for that with a small gift at the end of term so I though I could get something typically British to show that I really am thankfull as it's great for ds not to have to sit bored through all the beginners English.
Apart from that we could do with anything to help us get over the homesickness feeling at Christmas.

They do have Walker's shortbread

zu Diensten:
Lasst uns froh und munter sein,
und uns recht von Herzen freun!
Lustig, lustig, traleralera!
Bald ist Nikolaus Abend da,
bald ist Nikolaus Abend da!

Dann stell ich den Teller auf,
Nik'laus legt gewiß was drauf.
Lustig, lustig, traleralera!
Bald ist Nikolaus Abend da,
bald ist Nikolaus Abend da!

Wenn ich schlaf, dann träume ich,
jetzt bringt Nik'laus was für mich.
Lustig, lustig, traleralera!
Bald ist Nikolaus Abend da,
bald ist Nikolaus Abend da!

Wenn ich aufgestanden bin,
lauf ich schnell zu dem Teller hin.
Lustig, lustig, traleralera!
Bald ist Nikolaus Abend da,
bald ist Nikolaus Abend da!

Nik'laus ist ein guter Mann,
dem man nicht genug danken kann!
Lustig, lustig, traleralera!
Bald ist Nikolaus Abend da,
bald ist Nikolaus Abend da!

Mind you, this is all dd and I have ever known of it:
Lustig, lustig, traleralera!
Bald ist Nikolaus Abend da

Are you in the States for Christmas then?
bald ist Nikolaus Abend da!

Wondering what a hypocrite emoticon would look like? Hope you have a great Christmas. How long is your contract in the US?

Well, admylin, got my Nikolaus-Geschenke yesterday which is just as well since I kept dd off school today. Got a couple of Christmas pressies at the same time since I realised with a jolt how little time there is left!

How are you feeling today? I'm really with the whole school thing.

Wondering where Finky has gone, whether we've scared her off her own thread?!

You know, I would set up a school, I really would... and (but?) I think if we were in the UK I'd be a natural home-edder. Am planning to start an eV for a Berlin English children's library... would you join?

ds1 is starting an Integrationskiga and the place we have angemeldet him in is also Integration, so I'm sort of hoping that will be a safe haven to some degree and thus provide resilience for later.

dh found ds1 a really cute ('Elch') calendar at Ikea with 24 tiny books in!

I have the day 'off' today (i.e. just ds2) as dh has taken a day off from research and taken ds1 to MIL's to bake Plätzchen. Am off Nikolaus and Christmas shopping.

My Xmas name is, er, noch in Planung I will probably be BeroliNativity. Was OLittleTownofBerolina 2 years ago, but it doesn't scan and the 'little town' bit is somehow cruelly unapt...

I would HE too Berolina over sending her to school here but it just isn't permitted to the best of my knowledge. IME you have no choice really than to be a HE in the afternoons on top of school here anyway. Ah well never mind just yet, Zukunftsmusik for you still, luckily. Perhaps things will change for the better before your ds starts school and maybe you and ds will have more luck with the whole thing. Hope so. The Kita sounds nice.

Yes, I'd join the library and get involved. Absolutely

Yes, am pleased with our choice, and ds (although only 2.7) could do with the stimulation and channelling.

I hate the fact that HE is not allowed here. Odd really. So hot on civil liberties in so many ways and then Schulpflicht. What also disturbs me is that there seems to be so little pastoral care in so many German schools.

CAT me?

well I think it's that old adage: da kann ja jeder kommen... I don't think they trust people on the whole to be capable of doing it properly.

Don't have CAT but you can mail me at iskrennii at yahoo dot de when you have time.

Will do. Am just on my way out when ds2 finishes feeding. He is a day post-first vax and although his temp is back to normal he is claearly out of sorts, so he might as well be snuggled up to me in the sling while I do KaDeWe

Berolina, that is exactly what is missing in Berlin. I couldn't believe it when I moved here and found there was no English language library. I got through the few shelves of books in English at the local library within a few months and for the kids there is one box. There isn't even a Deutsch-Amerikanisches Institut or anything like that.
I'll join in too.

Tra-la-la-la-la, Nikolaus tomorrow! I'm more into it than my dc, they aren't bothered!

Admylin there were two English language libraries of that type : the British Council one (and an American one) but they closed down and donated their books to the Humboldt-University. I have been told the Amerika-Gedenkbibliothek has English books but I have never been there.

Now we have an English library at school it is less of a concern for us. We get plenty for dd to read from there and there are also plenty of books for adults to read to dc.

Somewhere in Kreuzberg (where else?!) there is a second-hand bookshop which functions as a kind of lending library. Can't remember where it is or what it is called though.

ds was up at 4.30
thinking today was the big day

one slightly bewildered child who
has just calmed down now

oma had just given dried fruit too!