*Weihnachtsmann der Deutschen Post*

Does anyone else think that Deutsche Post's Santa is a bit creepy? I don't know what it is.


Frohe Weihnachten!

*Stuffing for Thanksgiving in Germany*

Thanksgiving is one of those American holidays that you just don't miss, even if you're living in a foreign country. And I'll tell you why: it's the stuffing. Okay, for me, anyway. Turkey's great for making you zonk out and mashed potatoes and gravy are a staple in any true American diet, but stuffing . . . oh, it's something special.

So each time I've celebrated Thanksgiving in Germany, it goes something like this:

Someone: "We want to celebrate Thanksgiving."
Me: "Great! I'll make the stuffing!"
Someone: "I can make the stuffing. Why don't you make the potatoes?"
Me: "You could use my recipe. It's really awesome."
Someone: "Oh, that's okay. I've got one already."
Me: "I'll make the stuffing! And a pie!"
Someone: "Sounds good."

Yeah, so that was actually an exaggeration. But I do like to make stuffing or at least consume stuffing, especially when it's made of Mom's recipe. But then, when shopping for ingredients, it goes something like this:

Me talking to myself in Denglisch: Brot, Zwiebeln, Butter, gut. I have Salbei zu hause . . . now I just need celery (walking to the produce section, looking around, not finding any).
Me to a store employee: Haben Sie Sellerie?
Store employee: Yeah, here, let me show you (except in German, obviously).
Me: That looks like a root (see picture below). I need celery.

Store employee: This is celery (pointing to sign).
Me: Okay, but I need the plant part of celery.
Store employee: For what?
Me: Stuffing.
Store employee: ?
Me: Where do I get the green plant part of celery?
Store employee: We don't have that.
Me: Yes. Do you know where I could find some?
Store employee: Maybe a farmer's market? Or Kaufland (the German version of Target)?

So I make another trip or two. Just for the celery stalks. But you will know why it's worth it when you try this recipe (no turkey necessary!):

Basic Stuffing Recipe

2/3 cup butter

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

Saute until onion is clear.

In a large bowl, mix together:

18 slices bread, toasted and cubed

2 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. poultry seasoning (sage, thyme, marjoram)

Dash of sage

Then add onion mixture and approximately one cup boiling water and mix well. Add more water if necessary. Stuff into turkey right before cooking. Bake remaining stuffing at 325 degrees (162 Celsius) for about an hour. You might want to cover it with foil and then uncover it for the last 15 or so minutes for some crispy pieces on top.

*Germany's Done with Payments*

Did you know, as of the German Unification Holiday yesterday, Germany is done with the reparation payments from WWI?

See this article.

And here's an interesting photo gallery with pictures of East Germany right after the wall fell and again many years later.

*Christmas Market*

Going to the Christmas market is one popular activity at Christmas time. People will claim that it's mostly a tourist thing, but then they ask each other if they've gone yet, tell stories about what they saw and bought and ate there, and arrange new get-togethers to explore the treasures that can be found there.

There are tall tables where people stand around drinking Glühwein.

Here are some of my pictures from last year in Dresden, and here I am in Leipzig 2 years ago.

*Reformations Brötchen*

Around this time of year, because of the celebration of the Protestant Reformation, bakeries boast rolls called "Reformationsbrötchen." They are sweet rolls with raisins and zitronat in the bread and a dollop of jam in the middle. Some also have glaze or almonds on top.





Their background isn't very clear, but apparently they are supposed to look like Martin Luther's symbol of the rose, which had five points. Another theory is that it represents a bishop's miter (yeah, I had to look it up, it's one of those pointy hats Catholic bishops wear).

But anyway, I love Reformationsbrötchen and on Reformations Day tomorrow I'm going to bake some. You can read more about them here (in German--translate on Google if you can't understand).

*Guten Rutsch!*

In Germany, people don't say "Happy New Year," they literally say, "Good slide into the new year."

Cool.

*Christmas in Germany*

This week, I have all sorts of posts about Christmas in Germany over here at my other blog. But let me just say that for most Germans, it's not a religious holiday in the least. Frohe Weihnachten!

Also, enjoy this Denglisch poem:

Denglisches Weihnachtsgedicht

When the snow falls wunderbar

And the children happy are,
When the Glatteis on the street,
And we all a Glühwein need,
Then you know, es ist soweit:
She is here, the Weihnachtszeit

Every Parkhaus ist besetzt,
Weil die people fahren jetzt
All to Kaufhof, Mediamarkt,
Kriegen nearly Herzinfarkt.
Shopping hirnverbrannte things
And the Christmasglocke rings.

Merry Christmas, merry Christmas,
Hear the music, see the lights,
Frohe Weihnacht, Frohe Weihnacht,
Merry Christmas allerseits…

Mother in the kitchen bakes
Schoko-, Nuss- and Mandelkeks
Daddy in the Nebenraum
Schmücks a Riesen-Weihnachtsbaum
He is hanging auf the balls,
Then he from the Leiter falls…

Finally the Kinderlein
To the Zimmer kommen rein
And es sings the family
Schauerlich: “Oh, Chistmastree!”
And the jeder in the house
Is packing die Geschenke aus.

Merry Christmas, merry Christmas,
Hear the music, see the lights,
Frohe Weihnacht, Frohe Weihnacht,
Merry Christmas allerseits…

Mama finds unter the Tanne
Eine brandnew Teflon-Pfanne,
Papa gets a Schlips and Socken,
Everybody does frohlocken.
President speaks in TV,
All around is Harmonie,
Bis mother in the kitchen runs:
Im Ofen burns the Weihnachtsgans

And so comes die Feuerwehr
With Tatü, tata daher,
And they bring a long, long Schlauch
And a long, long Leiter auch.
And they schrei - “Wasser marsch!”,
Christmas is - now im - Eimer…

Merry Christmas, merry Christmas,
Hear the music, see the lights,
Frohe Weihnacht, Frohe Weihnacht,
Merry Christmas allerseits…

*Men Day*

May 1st is a double holiday this year in Germany, or at least in Sachsen it is. Christ's Ascension and May Day happened to fall on the same day, which, as I've heard described, "is cheating us out of another holiday." (Germans LOVE their holidays.)

So when some friends of mine were laughing about "being men," I didn't get it. Come to find out, since people here have kind of forgotten/don't care about the reason for their religious holidays, they make up their own things. Today is also known as "Men Day," which as far as I can tell, is an excuse for men to do every lame stereotypical thing. They walk around in big groups with ridiculous amounts of beer, cat-call, talk loudly, pee wherever they want, grill meat, and burn things. Fun, huh?

*Frohe Ostern*

Germans rarely go to church. When they do, it is on Christmas and Easter. I have talked to a few people who said they did not enjoy going to church for mass and that they disagree with most of what is said, which is interesting, since Christianity has so many important developments in Germany. For most people, Easter just means two extra days off. Good Friday and Easter Monday are holidays where most stores are closed. The most random thing to me was that it is traditional to have a fire on Easter to burn away winter.

*Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag!*

Since today is my birthday, I find it fitting to talk about birthdays this time.

Birthdays in Germany are amusingly important. In my experience, birthdays become just another day after you turn 19 or so, and then the big ones are at 40, 50, 60, 80, and 90. (Don't ask me why I've never seen a 70-year-old bash.) So when I saw how important birthdays are to people in Germany, and at any age, I was a little surprised. The first two birthdays I thought were exceptions. However, I soon found a few things:

1. Never, ever wish someone a happy birthday before it's their birthday. It's bad luck.
2. Don't expect anyone to do anything on their birthday. It's their day and they don't want to get up early or go to a meeting.
3. Lots of food, friends, and family.
4. Real gifts.