Christmas Eve is the main Christmas event in my family, as it will be for most Germans. We spend it at my parents', where we have a traditional meal, light the tree (yes, with REAL candles, and we've never had an accident with them, not even when we were little, or when we had one or more cats around), songs and presents.
I had spent the day doing stuff such as ironing, wrapping my presents and going to the gym. Before I left to walk the 10 minute distance to my parents, I looked out of my kitchen window and saw this:
The table and the tree (which I helped to light):
The tree is at its most beautiful when its candles are (nearly) the only light in the room. That may not be ideal for photos, but I'll post these anyway to give you a little of the atmosphere:
On Christmas morning at home, I opened my parcels from England. The desk is nearly not big enough to hold all the presents combined! Have a look:
Just after lunch time, we went for a walk on the fields. It was so sunny and warm we almost could have left our coats at home.
We went where we had come across the decorated tree shown here. What do you think, have more baubles been added since then? I am not sure, but it still looked nice:
We spotted a heron in a field. He was rather far away, and I apologize for the quality - this was taken at maximum zoom my camera can do:
Yesterday, on the 26th, we all met again at my parents' for a Christmas brunch. As always, there was so much food twice the amount of people could have come, and there would have still been leftovers :-) It was another mild and sunny day, and we went walking again.
At night, I went to my friends' house. They are American and have gone to see their families in the US over Christmas and New Year. I look after their two cats on weekends; someone else does it during the week. Madame and Hobbes were very affectionate - and not just because they wanted their food (that comes from an automatic food dispenser twice a day anyway). I stayed with them for a while, giving them the cuddles and games they wanted - hard to tell who had more fun there, I or them :-) I'm on Cat Care Duty again tonight.
Enjoy your day, whether it will be a quiet one resting at home, or filled with friends and family, laughter and games! If you are travelling today, have a safe journey!
How lovely it all sounds. I wish, I wish . . . . .
ReplyDeleteMy Christmas is all English, best over and forgotten as quickly as possible.
Did you ever find out what happened to the followers? I lost more than twenty in the end.
It was even lovelier than what it sounds like, Friko.
DeleteNo idea what really happened there. To lose 20 followers sounds like it must have been something to do with blogspot itself. And since nearly everyone reported having lost several more or less at the same time, some background workings going on is the most likely explanation.
A beautiful Christmas! Your parents tree is lovely. I especially loved seeing the swan ornament. We used to have a very old ornament which belonged to my great grandmother and was like a swan, but finally one year it just disintegrated. I had to go to amazon and look at the books whose titles I could read.......A Guinea Pig Pride and Prejudice! Too funny. Merry Christmas, dear Meike.
ReplyDeleteThe Guinea Pig Pride and Prejudice is very funny indeed! Guinea pigs are part of a running joke between my sister and I, and she found the little book and thought it would make me laugh (it did).
DeleteI love the swan and the other bird ornaments! They have such an old-fashioned charm about them.
I have heard of trees lit with candles (as it was once done in the U.S.) but have never seen one. It is so beautiful. Thank you for posting those pictures.
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome, Kathy!
DeleteA blessed and beautiful Christmas season and Happy New Year to you and your whole family!
ReplyDeleteThank you, and the same to you!
DeleteYour candle-lit tree looks wonderful. I wouldn't dare (especially not with the cats around) but nevertheless I am somewhat envious! One of my presents was a beautifully bound 2016 diary so I hope I can do it justice.
ReplyDeleteWhen we still had cats, they never attempted to touch or even just approach the candles. Our old black cat just sat and stared, as if he was deep in contemplation. The tree was always on a small table then, not on the ground, and that was enough to keep them from trying to get to the ornaments. No lametta with cats around, of course.
DeleteI'm in love with your candle lit tree, if only I had the nerve.
ReplyDeleteIt's beautiful, isn't it! We're so used to it, there are nearly always candles at my parents' place all year round, even at the allotment on the table, outdoors as well as in. We don't even think of it in terms of "nerves", we simply observe the basic rules of caution and common sense.
DeleteThe tree looks very festive with the red candles. It's the first time I see red ones in a Christmas tree, I think? (unless perhaps you've had them before and I've forgotten about that) Not that I've ever seen many trees with real candles, only a few back in my childhood. (And in my memory those candles are white.)
ReplyDeleteI've just checked the pictures of past Christmas trees here on my blog: in 2012 and 2014, the candles were white. I am not entirely sure about 2013 - they don't really look white in the picture, could have been beeswax colour. In 2010 and 11, they were red.
DeleteWe mostly have different coloured candles. One box with 20 candles inside is not enough, only for one evening. So I change from red to white or beewax.
DeleteI'm not really a domestic pet person but the picture of the ginger cat made me a little wistful for the ginger tom I inherited. I can not recall his proper name. I always called him BP (Big Puss - he was large). Your family Christmases always make me a little reflective. I hope you enjoy them for many years to come.
ReplyDeleteSo do I, Graham, so do I!
DeleteI'm so glad you revisited the bauble tree. Having seen yours I was surprised to see that someone had decorated a little fir tree which sits in the middle of a traffic island near here. Maybe it's a trend that will catch on. I can remember real candles on the tree when I was very small, but in England now no one would dream of doing it. A very happy New Year to you Meike.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Maggie, and the same to you!
DeleteIt looks like you had a wonderful holiday, and I love the idea of real candles on the tree. Next year Gregg and I plan to have a bigger Christmas and with a real tree, and maybe I can talk him into letting me put a few real candles on it!
ReplyDeleteIt's very early on to make plans for next Christmas already, Jennifer :-) As long as you take the necessary precautions (esp. regarding your pets), I don't see why you shouldn't have real candles on the tree. You light other candles, too, so where's the difference :-)
DeleteThe reason we're making plans for next Christmas already is because it will be a big milestone for us...Gregg's five year anniversary of beating lung cancer. He was diagnosed just before Christmas in 2011.
DeleteThat is certainly the best of all reasons to make plans!
DeleteI envy you your candlelit tree, Meike. We always had candles when I was a child, and there's nothing like them. I'm glad you had such a lovely Christmas.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Frances, it makes me glad, too! What stops you from using real candles on your own Christmas tree?
Delete