Tuesday 26 November 2013

Sure Signs

...of it being that time of the year again: Christmas is fast approaching. Dreaded, I guess, by just as many as welcomed. For me, Christmas has not lost its magic; I still am as excited about it all as when I was a little girl.

Tonight, the Christmas market starts in my hometown. It is famous for being very beautifully laid out, and busloads of tourists come visiting every year. Just look at the picture on the official website and tell me you don't agree!

Sunday will be the first of the four Advent Sundays. It will also be the day when I'll put the few bits of Christmas decoration up that I want to see for the next six weeks or so. 

Other sure signs are:

My new boots! I finally found exactly what I wanted, after having looked around in two or three different shops, and then I couldn't decide on which pair - so I bought them both, something that would have been unthinkable only a year ago. But things have changed (for the better) since then, and so I walked out of the shop with two large boxes in bags, feeling like the proverbial shopaholic. My Mum was my good advisor, as usual.

The one pair is for every day wear, with a robust sole, and I chose them half a size larger than necessary, to be able to wear an extra pair of warm socks in them.

The other pair is obviously not made for snowy and very cold weather; it is very lightweight and feels as if you're not wearing any shoes at all. Inside their box, they came with an elegant satin bag to store them in, stating the manufacturer's name - a traditional company of over 175 years.


Last week, my Christmas parcel from England arrived! I was not going to open it until Christmas Day, but when I rang Mary to thank her, she asked me to open the parcel (just not the presents) beforehand, because she'd put Christmas cards inside for me, my parents and my sister. For now, it sits in the Third Room (which used to be Steve's bedroom).

I have almost all the presents ready that I want to give, except for a few things I hope to get maybe on Thursday at the Christmas market, and then I can wrap them all nicely and put those together that are going to be sent to England.

When I left work yesterday, it started to snow. I don't like winter and snow very much, but the first snow is always special, isn't it? Very fittingly, on the train I ended up standing next to an old man with a large white beard :-)
This morning, I woke up to these views which I will use to end today's post, wishing you all a happy, peaceful and stress-free (remember: that kind of stress is home-made!) three and a half weeks until Christmas!

PS: If you're looking for a small, individual present that is lightweight and unbreakable (and therefore easy to ship), have a look at my Mum's Etsy shop; the link is on the left side of my blog. There's still time enough for whatever you choose to arrive before Christmas.

21 comments:

  1. I remember looking forward to the Christmas market when we lived in Darmstadt and I loved the Nuremberg Chriskindle market. Christmas is always the smell of liebkuchen.

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    1. Winter is my least loved time of the year, and so I am glad that there are nice things such as Christmas and the Christmas market to tide me over :-)

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  2. We are deep in preparation for Thanksgiving on Thursday. The day after, i will start gearing my mind up for Christmas. Enjoy your beautiful market!

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    1. No Thanksgiving over here - at least not in the shape it is celebrated in the US. Usually, Thanksgiving is something churchy over here, and takes place much earlier in the year, late August/early September I think, when the harvest from the fields has all been brought in.

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  3. What a lovely post. And I love your new boots, Meike. Good for you for going for both pairs! :) You are so right about stress being home made too. I am trying to get a handle on the stress this year and to take some time to really stop and enjoy things as the weeks progress. Day after tomorrow is Thanksgiving here, and that's when the madness really starts. But this year, I am trying to plan better, and be better organized, so that things won't get so hectic. I'll let you know how that works out as the weeks progress. In the meantime, enjoy your beautiful new boots!

    xoxo

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    1. Thank you, Carol! Here's wishing you success in your effort to make it through Thanksgiving and the Christmas season without too much stress. I am sure you can do it!

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    2. I'm gonna give it the ole college try! :) Love, Carol

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  4. Dear Meike,
    I must tell you that I really want to visit the Christmas Market too! No wonder so many people want to visit it and aren't you the lucky one to live there!!
    And I love your boots! They are very trendy just now, I notice, everyone is wearing them, and it has finally gotten cold enough here that it makes sense to do so!

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    1. Dear Kay, if you ever happen to travel to Germany in December, make sure you reserve some time for the Ludwigsburg Christmas market - I'd happily make your guide :-) Just don't go there on a Saturday evening or Sunday afternoon. It is so packed then that you can't even look at things properly. I have the advantage of being able to go there almost anytime (apart from work, of course).

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    2. If I am ever even NEAR Germany, I will let you know!! And if I could ever be lucky enough to see Germany and to see real Christmas trees with real candles on them, it would make me so happy.
      To see the Ludwigsburg Christmas market would send me over the moon, I am sure!

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  5. Beautiful boots! I especially love the blue ones. And how I would love to visit a Christmas market!

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    1. Thank you, Kristi! The "blue" boots aren't blue - I guess it's the light and the combination with the blue dress that makes them look it; actually, they are a very dark charcoal, almost black.
      Last night, I've been to the Christmas market with my Mum and Sis; we had a great time and I hope to get more chances to go the week after next.

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  6. Your Christmas market looks very inviting - and both bigger and more elegant in style than ours :)
    When living in winter climate, one can certainly need more than one kind of boots - I seem always to be looking for the "ultimate" ones too :) For this winter I bought one new pair of sturdy warm ankle boots with built-in ice creepers underneath, and one pair of almost kneehigh lightweight Goretex ones. But I still have at least two more pairs of older winter boots that are not quite worn out either.

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    1. It is a lovely market, our Christmas market, even if I say this from my slightly biased point of view :-)
      The two pairs of boots that had to go before I bought the new ones were faithful companions for several winters, five at least, probably more. I still have a brown pair of boots for the days when I go more for a "town & country" look, and of course my very warm water-tight wellies. They will surely come in handy this winter, too!

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  7. The market is incredible; it looks as if one has stepped into a fairy tale! I adore the blue boots, my favorite shade! How good that you could buy the everyday boots and the exquisite dressy boots. Your ending shots are magical. Now I'm off to visit your mum's shop.

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    1. Hello Nonnie,
      sorry, but my sock's shop is quite empty since yesterday. The reason is, that I 've got a stall at a special Christmas market in the town-hall (inside, fortunately ;-) ), where only employees of the town can offer their home made products. I will offer all my socks and hats, and what is left over I will offer again in my Etsy-Shop. (Hope I will sell more than at Etsy!).
      So you could have a look after the weekend. Thanks for your interest!

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    2. The market really is as beautiful as it looks in the pictures, Nonnie.
      The dressy boots are not blue - only the light and probably the combination with the blue dress make them look so.
      Please come back to my Mum's Etsy shop after the weekend! Although I hope we'll be selling lots today at the mini indoor-Christmas market, I also hope there will still be something left you like.

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  8. Fabulous boots, I like the practical everyday pair best. You look great in them, you mom did a good job advising you.

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    1. Thank you, Terra! I've been wearing the everyday-pair almost every day this week, to change into a pair of different shoes at the office, and they really are very comfortable with a good, non-slippery sole.

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  9. I love the boots! But then when Wendy buys shoes she always shows them off to me because she'll get an honest - and usually very appreciative - opinion. It's probably not a very 'man' thing but I just appreciate nice shoes on a lady.

    As for Christmas: I really could do without it. As a Christian Festival I can accept it (despite being atheist) and used to celebrate it but as a commercial activity I loathe it.

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    1. Thank you, Graham!

      Yes, the commercial aspect of not just Christmas, but all the other festivities, is rather annoying. But I keep out of its way enough for not letting it spoil things for me. Probably quite difficult for those who work in retail.

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