The Advent Calendar isn’t the only way to mark the time before Christmas; in our home, we always had a Traditional German Advent Wreath. My mother would bring it out on the first Sunday of Advent, and the Holiday Season would officially begin. I couldn’t understand why other (non-German) houses I visited didn’t have them. , but then, other houses…
Author: karenanne
The Original Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm
Boy did Disney get it wrong! The Original fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, were not about sweetness and light, they were dark and bloody stories meant to frighten or teach. When the brothers compiled their first edition, the stories were even darker still! The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm is a reprint of the…
Traditional German Advent Calendars- Count the Days to Christmas!
Having a traditional German Advent calendar to count down the days to Christmas was as normal to me as breathing or putting on house shoes; it is just something we had in our home. Most years, they were simple, a double thick cardboard sheet printed with Christmas scenes and pretty pictures behind each door. In later years, we had German chocolate…
Collectible Wooden German Santa Claus Figurines from the Erzgebirge
ISDD German incense smoker Santa Claus under candlearch, height 19 cm/7 inch, original Erzgebirge by Mueller Seiffen German Santa Claus figurines are some of my favorite Christmas Decorations. Probably because my mom always had a line up of them on her mantle… and so now I do too! It’s a special day when the Christmas boxes come out of storage,…
Easy German Marble Cake Recipe- Marmorkuchen Recipe
As a child, Marmorkuchen , made from this German Marble Cake Recipe, was a staple in our home. Chocolate and Vanilla swirled into a Bundt (or Gugelhopf) pan. Delicious, but not gooey like many cakes. It was the perfect treat for after school, or with a cup of coffee. And if you were a kid like me, you would always…
Once there was a Wall- A Visit to the Berlin Wall in 1988 & Today
My first visit to the Berlin Wall was in 1988. The imposing Wall surrounded Berlin’s western sectors. It was a rainy July, and the whole city seemed to be colored various shades of grey. Who knew that a year later, there would be color? The next time I saw Berlin was in 2018. The Wall had been down for nearly…
How to play the Stadt Land Fluss Game
When I was a kid, we would often play the Stadt Land Fluss Game (City Country River). Saturday Morning German School meant a half hour drive in each direction. This is a long time to kill for a kid in the back seat in the days before iphones. Luckily, we would carpool with other kids, so we kept busy playing…
Kinder Chocolate Made for Kids! Where to Buy Kinder Chocolate
Kinder Schokolade came into the world the same year I did… 1967. You could say we grew up together, which must explain why I love it so much. This wonderful chocolate confection is almost too sweet… but… it’s delightful for a child with a sweet tooth. (And even now when I want a bomb of sweetness). My Opa used…