Christmas in Germany takes place on the 24th, and things go down a bit different. Present opening doesn’t take place until night. In fact, the Christmas tree doesn’t go up until this day, and it’s set up in a room that the kids are forbidden to enter. The tree is decorated and the presents set out, and when night comes the room is lit with candles, the pyramids are set into motion, and incense from the smoking men fills the room. Magical transformation complete, the kids are then allowed into the room and events unfold as you would expect.

I like the idea of not seeing the tree and presents until the special day, but for me Christmas is sort of like sex. The second it’s over I lose interest completely and I don’t want to hear carols or see the tree for much longer. I like the month long of Western foreplay better, although from previous blog entries you can see that there is plenty of Christmas action in Germany that takes place through December.

Since “Weihnachten” happens on the 24th, the advent calendars all end there. Above is all the plunder I got from both calendars. Lego won this year, with tons of cool animal figures like a monkey, crocodile, and swordfish, and it also managed to tell a story with each new item. The surprise egg calendar was great too, as I always like getting more ornaments to add to the tree. Tonight is when the real action happens. Andreas and I are going to pop open some drinks (beer and sake respectively) and delve into materialistic bliss with the cats. However you choose to celebrate the holidays this year, I hope your days and nights are filled with warmth and love.