Today is Christmas Eve. Im Deutsch they call it Heilige Abend. Here in Stuttgart we discovered a few new things:
1) EVERYTHING shuts down at 2PM. We were out at Breunigerland shopping mall, and a store person came up to me when I least expected it, “Entshuldigung, wir schliessen.” (Excuse me we are closing). Within 30 minutes-the mall was locked up tighter than a drum. The good news for us-Nordsee was giving away free sushi boxes, because they could not keep them. We took some and made a hasty exit.
2) The streets become deserted by 3. That was a shock to me-being used to American and Japanese Christmas Eve’s where things don’t start shutting down till the evening-and in Japan where throngs of people are lined up to get their KFC boxes.
3) The sound of Church Bells were ringing as the S.O. and I went out to walk in our little village. I had wanted to see when the servce was anyway-and it turns out the children’s service was starting in 20 minutes. We stayed-and went into the service. The church is 530 years old-it was renovated in 1988-and was very interesting (and crowded). In the front are memorials to the Gefallene from World Wars I and 2. For as small a village as ours is-they lost a quite a few men in each conflagration. Anyway-the service was nice, and I tried to translate for the S.O. as best I could. First time I had ever heard the Lord’s Prayer in German. I said it in English-I gave up trying to follow it in German. We did get to sing Stille Nacht in German though-the original language it was written. It made me feel like it was Christmas. One thing about Germany-Christmas is a great time of year here.
And so it is we are now sitting and listening to Christmas music on the German TV. Frohe Weinachten! Schlaf in Himmilischer Ruh.
Merry Christmas aus Deutschland!
merry christmas, sugarplum! it’s the pogues at my place! š xoxoxo
Merry Christmas! It was quiet in our little village as I came home on Christmas Eve. The only thing open was the lone tavern. Things never change in “shopping mall USA!”