Christmas Day

  Waking up on Christmas morning to find that nothing had changed over night, was a very strange experience for me. No new presents under the tree or stocking filled by Santa Claus in the night. Actually, I got to sleep in until around 11, which I have to say was very nice, to shower before leaving for lunch at noon. Without the anticipation of 'Santa Clause' and the decorations around the house it really did not feel like at all like Christmas.

  I think the fact that even though it was the 25th of December and it did not at all feel like Christmas, I was not very homesick. After sleeping until 10:30 am, the longest I have ever slept on Christmas morning, we all got ready to leave for Christmas lunch at noon. One of the strangest things that day was the meal, it was a completely delicious 5 course lunch, but the fact we went out for lunch and no one cooked was very  strange. At home, the food is a huge part of the Christmas tradition, something that doesn't change with the passing years. I can always count on Swedish meatballs (which are almost always turkey) for Christmas eve and my grandmothers delicious cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. I guess in Switzerland, the food is not as important as the people you celebrate with.

  When we arrived at the castle, which also happens to have a restaurant, I met about 17 different people from my host dad's side of the family. His parents, sibling with their children and girlfriends. I can't remember everyone's name, but they were all very nice to me and welcomed me as a part of the family. We then sat down for the huge meal; starting with salad, a wonderful soup, the main course of beef and potatoes, and lastly my absolute favorite dessert.

  When lunch was over, everyone said their goodbyes and went home. To me, it did not feel at all like Christmas. While it was an absolutely wonderful lunch, it wasn't really Christmas without my family and the traditions I miss from home.

The castle where we ate for Christmas lunch, complete with a moat. 

Christmas Eve

  Christmas Eve in Switzerland... was a new experience, being away from home on Christmas for the first time in sixteen years. It wasn't at all the same, but a wonderful new memory and I had a wonderful day. I am so thankful that I was able to celebrate it how I did, but it wasn't the same holiday without being at home.

 I started the day by sleeping until 11, ate a quick breakfast, and then met my host sister in town. We then set off to her father's jewelry store so that she could pick out a few pieces of jewelry from her godfather, who makes some of the jewelry sold in her fathers shop. She spent just about two hours deciding which earrings, necklace, and ring she would want. I was perfectly happy trying on the various rings, made from mountain crystal. She eventually decided what she liked better, and we set off for home.

  My host mom's parents arrived around 3pm, they are from Germany but have lived in Switzerland for almost 30 years and only speak High German. Which for me is absolutely wonderful. I talked with them about their travels around the world, I am completely amazed of how many places they have been. It was so nice to understand almost everything that people are saying. They left for church around 4:30, and I skyped my family. It was wonderful to talk to them and hear about the preparations for Christmas eve which I missed very much.

  When everyone was back from church we started dinner with an apero (basically oer d'ovres) of foie gras, fresh bread and champagne. If anyone doesn't know, foie gras is duck liver, and it truthfully did not taste as bad as I thought. Apparently we ate the expensive stuff which to me tasted like chicken, with a very strange texture. The apero was quite entertaining, because my host parents had another one earlier, where they drank a few glasses of champagne with the employees of their jewelry store. So my host dad was singing, absolutely horribly, around the house.

  For dinner; we ate roasted duck, brussel sprouts, potatoes, red cabbage, and pears. It was a wonderful dinner, and afterwords we opened presents! I think I received more presents this year than I ever have at home. I received so many wonderful gifts and I was so happy to have had such a happy Christmas eve.

Christmastime in der Schweiz

My chocolate Sammiclau with the Advent candles.

  Well it's December, and a week until Christmas comes, and with a little time this morning it is perfect time to write a much over due blog post. In a lot of ways, Christmas time in Switzeraland is similar to that at home, but with a few big differences.

  First of all, one of the most obvious differences is the lack of one of my favorite Christmas characters, Santa Clause. Actually, I have yet to see one in a department store, or in anyone's home. The big jolly man in a red suit is obviously absent from the Christmas season as are his holiday specials on television- which thanks to you tube I have been able to watch. The Swiss may not have Santa Clause, but they do have Sammiclaus or St. Nickolaus who comes to all the children's homes on December 6th. He tells every Swiss child (he also comes to other European countries) whether they have been naughty or nice during the year looking at a big book. If the children have been good, they receive; chocolates, oranges, and peanuts. But when the children have been naughty, they are beaten with sticks by the Smutzli's (people who accompany Sammiclaus dressed in black and are all around very scary).

  Another holiday difference is the focus of the decorations around town and the vibe of the Christmas season. Advent, being the 4 Sundays before Christmas Day, is much more important than it is back home. Almost every house has the four Advent candles, which are placed on a beautiful wreath decorated with little ornament balls. a new one is lit every Sunday in Advent and are re lit for most meals.

  I have also yet to see a Swiss equivalent to 'ABC Family's 25 Days of Chrsitmas' which one of my Christmas traditions I truly miss. No new Holiday specials every night, with the obligatory 'Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer', 'Frosty the Snowman', 'Santa Clause is Coming to Town', just to name a few. I really miss curling up on the sofa with peppermint hot chocolate and watching Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, but thanks to YouTube I was able to find most of my favorite specials to curb my need for Christmas specials.
 
   The decorations here in Altdorf, are simpler and less colorful than the lights and window decorations we see at home. The main street is gilded with big white lights connecting to the tops of both sides of the roof tops, making a beautiful little tunnel of lights. The bigger fir trees are also decked out with lights, but all of them white, as are the ones on peoples house windows. No Christmas lane or houses covered top to bottom in wonderful colorful lights, blow up Santa's, Candy Canes, or reindeer's on the rooftops. And inside its no change, no Christmas villages, no tinsel around staircase, or 14 foot Christmas tree. We will be getting a Christmas tree, but it wont come until a few days until Christmas as most Swiss people use real candles on their trees, so at the moment the house is quite bare.

  It seems strange that Christmas is only a week away, and I still have school next week and have not been skiing yet. It is almost as if Christmas is sneaking up on me, and that it doesn't seem plausible that it could really be Christmas time being so far ways from home. The snow today helped a lot, due to that fact that I'm still a 5 year old when ever it snows. Its just not the same, because I know how my house looks right now, and I miss going to sleep to the sound of my snow globes Christmas tunes. Christmas decorations may be tuned down quite a lot, but seeing the Christmas tree decorated all over school and the lights in the streets still makes me smile and reminds me of how wonderful this time of the year truly is.

My Christmas presents, my mom even sent a stocking! 

The first snow of the season!