A Week with my Adopted German Family: A Holiday Fairytale

German Christmas is really a beautiful thing. And when it’s spent like a local, with a loving family and lots of homemade German food, it’s just plain magical.

My best friend here in home sweet Madrid is German, from an adorable city outside of Frankfurt called Wiesbaden. It’s got 273,000 habitants, one American military base (I couldn’t believe how many American accents I heard!), a charming Christmas market, lots of tall (amazingly good-looking) blonde people, and SAUSAGES. SAUSAGES EVERYWHERE.

To say that I feel blessed to have had the incredible opportunity to spend Christmas time with my little EnchiLuisa and her family is an understatement. Not only did I get to know what a true German christmas is like,  but I really felt as if I was adopted into a German family. It’s such a wonderful thing to feel you have family all over the world…from Spain, to Belgium, Germany, to (of course) my very own home-sweet-USA! The only thing left for me to do is share my incredible fairytale experience with YOU! ‘Cause every little boy and girl around the world should know what it’s like to be a real German in the most magical time of year!

So, sit on AWC’s lap, ’cause it’s story time! We’re going to time-travel through my fairytale week in small-town Germany. 1,2,3…BLAST OFF!

‘Twas the week before Christmas, in a little German city called Wiesbaden. A mere 40 km from Frankfurt, A little hungry Casiedilla wandered onto a train and found herself greeted by a lovely German family, and some really kick-ass parliament buildings.

The city was sparkling, as all the locals gathered in the city center at the glimmering Christmas Market.

There, thy cold ones drank glühwein.

Poured by the town’s notorious glühwein-men. (Who, by fairytale fate, the handsome young man on the left also happened to be my brotha’ from my other German motha’!)

And sausages, we ate…

Like professionals.

And as the sun set on the townspeople before the big day, so did chocolate-gingerbread lebkuchen.

Morning came. ‘Twas day of the 24th…Christmas. Yes, that’s right, little ones. The main day of German Christmas is actually as we know it, Christmas Eve! How did the little boys and girls of Germany know it was Christmas morning? Christmas cookies, of course!

Later that day, my very merry German family gathered together, joint by a beautiful table complete with dazzling candles, a spread of Christmas roses, local wine from the Rheingau vineyards, and lotsa’ love. And so, the feast began. Or continued, rather…

Delicious roasted duck, sweet red rotkohl cabbage, and…BALLS????? No, nooo little Johnny. Those are kartoffelkloesse! Or, as the German folk call them, potato dumplings.

The feast ended, and just as I thought my button pants were going to pop off, a Christmas miracle happened. The miracle of song. It’s one of the oldest traditions by EnchiLuisa and her family. Every year, after the big Christmas meal, the family gathers and joins in traditional German holiday song. Eins, zwei, drei…hit it fam!  

Once the song came to an end, that signals the big green light for eager boys and girls of Deutschland.  PRESENT TIME!!!

Just when the little AWC thought the eating and holiday cheer was over until next year, she realized she was very, very wrong. Why? Because in a very German Christmas story, there is not one day of Christmas. There are three. And so the celebr-eating continued! However, this time, in an even smaller village. ‘Twas called Geisenheim, a 10,000 person village in the Rheingau wine region.

Why go there, you ask? EnchiLuisa’s prince charming, Sir Tilly Con Carne, resides there, along with his lovely family. And more food, we ate. Because it’s a very merry Christmas story, PIE not! The day of the 25th is marked by a big mid-day coffee and cake celebration, more family, more friends, and more Apfelwein.

Sure, it sounds like all we did was eat and drink all week. But that’s not entirely true! The story wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Niederwalddkenkmal (or if you actually want to be able to pronounce it, the Niederwalk Mondument.) There, awaited this view…

One week later, the very jolly German Christmas tale came to an end. But the friendships, new family, and magical memories will stay with a little AWC for happily ever after.

And off to Cologne, Germany she went! Stay tuned for part 2 of the holidayventure 😉

What are your family’s holiday traditions? Have you ever felt like you were a part of an adopted family in a foreign country? Have you experienced the holidays in a home different than your own? In holiday spirit of giving, share your very merry tales!