The Christmas season has been in swing here in Germany for at least a month (or two or maybe even three), with no Thanksgiving or Halloween they start a lot earlier than we do in the States. Thus far I've been to a handful of Christmas markets in different cities and have experienced more Christmas traditions than I thought existed, it's true you have to hand-it to the Germans they do do Christmas better than most . This post however is not about the wonderful things about German Christmas (and it is wonderful) that post will come AFTER the holidays , this post is about the not so good parts about spending Christmas 4781.8 miles (that's 7695.5 kilometers) away from your home ( or real home ... or home that you use to live in ... or uhmm the home you had before you lived in the home you live now ?. ) Anyways mom and host-mom turn away now from the blog or know that if you continue reading I really am very happy and exited to be spending Christmas here but I acknowledge that it isn't perfect. Onward .
The last week or two have really opened my eyes to something that seems a bit oxymoronic , that is that, while Miami is AWESOME Germany is AMAZING. Awesome and amazing are two completely different words and that has been made very clear here .I've had the time of my life, the most traditional Christmas a Florida girl could ever hope for and I've loved it but at the end of the day I'm still that Florida girl who's idea of a "Winter Wonderland" was always more than a little skewed by the fluorescent lights on the palm trees .
Without further a do here is a list of the things I miss about my Miami Christmas ...
All things TACKY and SPARKLY
You know what I'm talking about the thousands of lights rapped around the Palm Trees the entirely unnecessary amount of over-sized Christmas ornaments the giant Inflatable Snowmen in every yard . Going out at night during the Christmas season in America is always filled with a tinge of childhood excitement as you admire the lights and Christmas displays of your neighbors. There's always that one crazy family whose house is so filled with lights you can barely see the house anymore and that of course means that there's another one like it a little ways down . As I grew up people started adding things to their yearly display and the familiarity of the yearly tradition grew on me as well, it was something I looked forward to every-year . Germany and it's people are usually eco-friendly, practical, and frugal three-things that the US is not necessarily renowned for but although it is wasteful , time-consuming, and frivolous the holiday displays that dot suburban American communities have always done something to lighten my heart and usher in the Christmas spirit . Germans with their abundance of Christmas spirit feel no need to display it through expensive moving reindeer's and synchronized blinking light systems but those things make strangers like me smile on the way back from a stressful day at work or school .
My Christmas Tree
In Germany the tree is traditionally put up on the 24th of December, in my house I always put up the tree and it is up the entire month of December. The fact that the tree usually shows up on my sisters birthday pictures (December 4th) is a testament to my punctuality in the manner. The tree is the center of all Christmas decoration in my house and because I love Christmas it goes up early and with lots of thought and work put in. Every year it has a little something new and every year the process is the same. I decide how I want it to be, convince someone to climb in the attic and get the decorations then turn on Christmas music and set to work inviting the people I care about the most to help me (or watch while I do it ) .Throughout the years I've gotten better and better at decorating it , it's a me thing , something I pride myself on doing every year and my biggest contribution to the family Christmas . Not having that is weird for me but the experience of doing it the German way is something I'm looking forward to especially since this year the tree is going to be real and not plastic :D .
Santas Enchanted Forest
I've gone almost every year since I was 6 and it gets worse as I get older but it's always a fun night . Throughout the years I've gone with friends and family alike and my experience's there are countless from riding the Mega Drop for the first time to spending more than half the time just eating at the stands consequentially barring me from the Mega Drop that night unless I wanted my food to make a second appearance. I'll never be able to see it in the same way again after going to the "real" Christmas markets here, but Santas will forever be a joyful relic of a Christmas Market done Miami style with chorizo replacing bratwurst and a sling shot replacing the carousel. Fortunately Santas is nothing new and next year when I go back the same tired elephant, moody snake lady and shady Crazy Mouse roller coaster will be waiting besides growing up in South Florida I don't need to hear it on the radio to remember ... Santassss Enchaaannteeddd Forressstttt Vengan a difrutar ;) .
The Temperature
My Christmas outfits usually consist of something red and white, sometimes of shorts and always of short sleeves. I'm loving the cold but sometimes it's just a lot more fun to dress up when you have to think of only one layer and with no winter coat everyone gets to see all your Christmas cheer all the time :D ! Germans would also be surprised at how much Christmas spirit we Floridians can pack onto a beach boardwalk, there really is nothing like strolling down Hollywood Beach or Fort Lauderdale Beach ( sorry to the "real" Miami beaches but they are just to full of tourist that time of year) on a winter night with everything decorated in it's tropical yuletide splendor.
Friendliness Level : Miami
Okay lets get this straight Germans are great people they are amazing for a whole list of reasons that I wont name now but I don't think there is any place in the world where friendliness (even if superficial) abounds to the level it does in South Florida this time of year. Miami has mastered the art of fusing American and Caribbean Culture both of which are abundant in friendliness. Describing Miami as warm speaks not only to the temperatures but also to the spirit of the city , something you usually don't get in big cities . Farewells of Merry Christmas and Feliz Navidad replace any and all of the many forms of goodbye we use throughout the year . I miss that the intangible spirit of community that suddenly arises around from random people this time. It's been nice to experience how close Germans get during the holidays to the people they are usually around but it's so different from home where a big part of Christmas is spreading the spirit among strangers as well .
( Its a feeling cant put it in pictures )
Okayy ... My Family
I sat through my schools church service for Christmas the other day as an American whose attended public school it was a surreal and unforgettable experience however as someone who has spent nearly five months away from their family it was very hard to hear about the importance of spending Christmas together with your family . I have an amazing family here to spend Christmas with and I'm so grateful for that but knowing that out of a church filled with students the vast majority would spend the 24th in the arms of all the people they have grown up with while I would have to settle with Skype, well it was a bit hard.
Christmas is something that''s laden in tradition and being far-away has made me realized that I've done Christmas right all along, Christmas should represent your own traditions not that of the typical Christmas the things I've missed are tings that I could only ever find at home and are things that will always be part of my childhood in South Florida. It's hard being in the Christmas spirit at 70 degrees but I think we've done well for ourselves down south and just to bring a little Miami Christmas to my host-family there's a Christmas palm hanging outside my door ;) .
The last week or two have really opened my eyes to something that seems a bit oxymoronic , that is that, while Miami is AWESOME Germany is AMAZING. Awesome and amazing are two completely different words and that has been made very clear here .I've had the time of my life, the most traditional Christmas a Florida girl could ever hope for and I've loved it but at the end of the day I'm still that Florida girl who's idea of a "Winter Wonderland" was always more than a little skewed by the fluorescent lights on the palm trees .
Without further a do here is a list of the things I miss about my Miami Christmas ...
All things TACKY and SPARKLY
My Christmas Tree
In Germany the tree is traditionally put up on the 24th of December, in my house I always put up the tree and it is up the entire month of December. The fact that the tree usually shows up on my sisters birthday pictures (December 4th) is a testament to my punctuality in the manner. The tree is the center of all Christmas decoration in my house and because I love Christmas it goes up early and with lots of thought and work put in. Every year it has a little something new and every year the process is the same. I decide how I want it to be, convince someone to climb in the attic and get the decorations then turn on Christmas music and set to work inviting the people I care about the most to help me (or watch while I do it ) .Throughout the years I've gotten better and better at decorating it , it's a me thing , something I pride myself on doing every year and my biggest contribution to the family Christmas . Not having that is weird for me but the experience of doing it the German way is something I'm looking forward to especially since this year the tree is going to be real and not plastic :D .
I've gone almost every year since I was 6 and it gets worse as I get older but it's always a fun night . Throughout the years I've gone with friends and family alike and my experience's there are countless from riding the Mega Drop for the first time to spending more than half the time just eating at the stands consequentially barring me from the Mega Drop that night unless I wanted my food to make a second appearance. I'll never be able to see it in the same way again after going to the "real" Christmas markets here, but Santas will forever be a joyful relic of a Christmas Market done Miami style with chorizo replacing bratwurst and a sling shot replacing the carousel. Fortunately Santas is nothing new and next year when I go back the same tired elephant, moody snake lady and shady Crazy Mouse roller coaster will be waiting besides growing up in South Florida I don't need to hear it on the radio to remember ... Santassss Enchaaannteeddd Forressstttt Vengan a difrutar ;) .
The Temperature
My Christmas outfits usually consist of something red and white, sometimes of shorts and always of short sleeves. I'm loving the cold but sometimes it's just a lot more fun to dress up when you have to think of only one layer and with no winter coat everyone gets to see all your Christmas cheer all the time :D ! Germans would also be surprised at how much Christmas spirit we Floridians can pack onto a beach boardwalk, there really is nothing like strolling down Hollywood Beach or Fort Lauderdale Beach ( sorry to the "real" Miami beaches but they are just to full of tourist that time of year) on a winter night with everything decorated in it's tropical yuletide splendor.
Friendliness Level : Miami
Okay lets get this straight Germans are great people they are amazing for a whole list of reasons that I wont name now but I don't think there is any place in the world where friendliness (even if superficial) abounds to the level it does in South Florida this time of year. Miami has mastered the art of fusing American and Caribbean Culture both of which are abundant in friendliness. Describing Miami as warm speaks not only to the temperatures but also to the spirit of the city , something you usually don't get in big cities . Farewells of Merry Christmas and Feliz Navidad replace any and all of the many forms of goodbye we use throughout the year . I miss that the intangible spirit of community that suddenly arises around from random people this time. It's been nice to experience how close Germans get during the holidays to the people they are usually around but it's so different from home where a big part of Christmas is spreading the spirit among strangers as well .
( Its a feeling cant put it in pictures )
Okayy ... My Family
I sat through my schools church service for Christmas the other day as an American whose attended public school it was a surreal and unforgettable experience however as someone who has spent nearly five months away from their family it was very hard to hear about the importance of spending Christmas together with your family . I have an amazing family here to spend Christmas with and I'm so grateful for that but knowing that out of a church filled with students the vast majority would spend the 24th in the arms of all the people they have grown up with while I would have to settle with Skype, well it was a bit hard.
Christmas is something that''s laden in tradition and being far-away has made me realized that I've done Christmas right all along, Christmas should represent your own traditions not that of the typical Christmas the things I've missed are tings that I could only ever find at home and are things that will always be part of my childhood in South Florida. It's hard being in the Christmas spirit at 70 degrees but I think we've done well for ourselves down south and just to bring a little Miami Christmas to my host-family there's a Christmas palm hanging outside my door ;) .
For Everyone viewing from Germany the name of the songs are
All I want for Christmas is a real good tan - Kenny Chesney
&
Christmas in the Sand by Colbie Calliat
They are on Spotify and YouTube just not these versions <3
All I want for Christmas is a real good tan - Kenny Chesney
&
Christmas in the Sand by Colbie Calliat
They are on Spotify and YouTube just not these versions <3
No comments:
Post a Comment