Thursday, December 19, 2013

Random Thursday. What the Holidays mean to me.

Hallo meine Lieben,

welcome to another Random Thursday and thanks for reading. I hope you are all having a wonderful time and are getting ready for Christmas. Do you have all your presents?



First of all, I have to say that Christmas kind of lost its magic after my Mom died. I don't know, I just did not want to celebrate anymore. I did not care for decoration, a Christmas tree or anything else. Sure, I spent Christmas Eve with my Dad and we gave each other presents and cooked something together but that was pretty much it. We just did not want to celebrate without my Mom because it wasn't the same without her. 

But David changed the way I see Christmas...I loved to celebrate my first Christmas with him and his family. I am still not a Christmas freak and I still miss my Mom like crazy but I do get a little bit of a Christmas mood once in a while and I am so happy that I can celebrate Christmas with David and my Dad this year.

There are things that just make the Holiday season special.

Christmas cookies for example. I love to bake Christmas cookies. And to eat them of course. I did not really find the time to make as many as I planned this year but I will try to make my Mom's favorite Christmas cookies on Friday. Finally. I have been planning to bake them for weeks. But Christmas cookies are a very important part. You just have to eat some during the Holidays. 

I also love to remember my Mom during the Holidays. I always remember her but holidays are extra special. When I was a kid my Mom and I always decorated the Christmas tree together on Christmas Eve. After that we started preparing dinner, Fondue at first but when I stopped eating meat we switched to Raclette as a Christmas dinner. Which we will have this year too. Thank god for vegan cheese. 

And I am a huge fan of Christmas candles. I love candles all year round but I do have a little weakness for the Christmas themed ones. I recently bought some which smell like Christmas cookies, vanilla chai, salted caramel and marshmallows. Heavenly!

Christmas movies also play an important role. I watch The Holiday and Love Actually and Dirty Dancing -which is a Christmas movie for me, I don't know why but it makes me feel christmassy-  every year. I will also try to watch some other Christmas movies this year.

The Holidays also give me time to start reading the books I usually get as Christmas gifts. Reading is definitely the best thing to do over the holidays because of the cozy atmosphere. 

And of course: I love to surprise my loved ones with some gifts and extra attention. And we should not forget the ones who need our help. There is so much we can do....


What do the holidays mean to you?









22 comments:

  1. I'm sorry to read that your mum passed away some time ago. My boyfriend also stopped celebrating Christmas altogether when his mother died. Only since his nephews were born, did they begin to put a Christmas tree again.
    I'm happy you're somehow enjoying Christmas again and baking cookies is definitely one of the best things to do during the holiday season :)
    Have a lovely day, Katrin!

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words, Irene! I am so sorry to hear that your boyfriend's mother died as well. :(
      And yes, baking cookies makes everything better. :)
      Have a great weekend!

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  2. I'm sorry that the holidays lost some of the sparkle without your mum.

    I never really celebrated Christmas, my parents split up when I was really young and neither bothered after that. I like some of the stories and traditions and the passion people put into it, but not the super consumerist western style of celebrating.

    In Iceland the tradition is to give a book and an article of warm clothing on Christmas, which I think is really nice. Even better is the clothing is a hand made scarf of beanie!

    I also like some of the 'goodwill' projects around the holidays, there needs to be more of this and less spoiling children.

    And I have a soft spot for the Muppets Christmas Carol :)

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    1. Thanks for your sweet words, Celeste!

      Sorry that you never really celebrated Christmas. I really loved it as a kid. Not the consumerist part of it but being together with loved ones and sharing a meal.

      I did not know about that Icelandic tradition! That is so fantastic! We should do that as well!

      Love the Muppets Christmas Carol too!

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  3. I'm so sorry you've lost your mother. My husband lost his mom in his 20's. It was a rough time. Still is at the holidays especially. I'm glad you've got your dad and David to make it a happier holiday!

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    1. Thank you so much, Sarah! You are so sweet! I am so sorry that your husband lost his mom too! I can imagine how rough that was! Have happy holidays!

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  4. I'm sorry to hear the Christmas magic was lost when your mom past, but that is definitely understandable. We almost lost my father-in-law this year, though by some amazing miracle we did not - and I keep thinking how different Christmas would be this year if he wasn't around. Instead, we have a lot to be thankful for and will celebrate accordingly! Heading home to Edmonton for the first time since we moved away, and I cannot wait for the mountain of snow!! ~Stephanie

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    1. I am so sorry to hear about your father-in-law! I am sure that was very terrifying! I hope he is doing fine now! And I also hope that you will have a wonderful Christmas in Edmonton! Have fun!

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  5. Hi Katrin

    Nice post..I can understand your emotions for your mother but I am sure she will always bless you from heaven.

    I love cookies and Christmas tree looks so cute :)

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words, Ankita! It really means a lot to me!

      Cookies are awesome! :)

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  6. Christmas is definitely a time to remember friends and family and I'm thinking of you and your mom during this time of year. Hugs and enjoy the memory-making that is the holiday season

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    1. You are so sweet! Thank you so much! I hope your holidays will be fantastic!

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  7. I'm sorry that Christmas is sad without your mom around :( But I'm glad that you can have fun with David and your Dad! Hope you're finally able to bake your cookies this weekend. We went nuts baking here last Sunday and are just finally getting to the end of the boxes and bags in time for Christmas. I'm going to need to go on a low-sugar diet after the holidays I think! I've been snarfing sweets like crazy!

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    1. Haha, I need a low-sugar diet too. I eat way too much marzipan! Thank you so much for your sweet words, you are such a great friend! I hope you will have fantastic holidays and enjoy all the cookies you made!

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  8. Such sweet memories!
    Raclette for dinner sounds heavenly :)

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    1. I am sure it will be delicious! Have a wonderful Christmas, mon amie!

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  9. Oh man. I can't even imagine how hard that would be but I love how you still honor her memory with the cookies and decorations. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas Katrin!

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    1. Thank you so much for your sweet words! It means a lot to me! Have a Merry Christmas!

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  10. The first paragraph was heartbreaking…I’m so happy that David changed the way you see Christmas, especially with your Dad. I can’t wait to see your Mom’s favorite Xmas cookies, I’m catching up with blogs right now. Candles are my favorite, too, I love them glowing on dark nights, especially dark rooms. Dirty Dancing was a great classic! I never really celebrated Christmas with my family, only 4-5 times in my life (weird right?). Christmas wasn’t a huge holidays for my family, it was just movies and takeout. But meeting my partner changed the way I see Christmas, too, his family loves celebrating Christmas, making a massive feast, trying all sorts of holiday drinks and pajamas and opening gifts on a Christmas morning!

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    1. Thank you so much for your kind words, Rika! You are so sweet! We had a wonderful Christmas together! I hope yours was fantastic as well! Weird that you did not celebrate Christmas with your family that often but I hope you had a great time anyways! It wasn't that huge for my family either, we mostly ate together and watched movies. It was just about having a nice time together. :) Your partner's family's Christmas sounds so nice! :)

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