Christmas in November

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A whirlwind week in Germany has been had. Everything that I wanted to do was done. Never could I have ever imagined to have such an amazing time. With the assistance of Claud and Lars (Sugarlips), I have been reacquainted with Germany and have grown quite fond of it.They did everything in their power to make sure that I had a fabulous time. I have never been treated in a more hospitable manner than I was by my favorite sister and her German.

The week started off on a fabulous note when they made me Jaeger Schnitzel, my favorite German meal, the first night I arrived. Although I was groggy, I savored every single bite. It was by far the best Schnitzel I have ever eaten. Sorry mom. They drove me hours out of their way so I could visit my grandparents and so that I could meet the parents of Mr. Sugarlips and enjoy an evening of Raclette with them. They even took me to my hometown so that I could eat sausages and fries with my cousin Wolfie and his mom Maria. We spent the days going to dinner parties at their friends homes, walking through the entire city, and we even took a break to taste the world renowned Koelsch at a record number of bars. In between all of that, I spent the rest of the time eating the various types of cheese that Claud and Lars bought for me. I always considered myself to be a cheese connoisseur, however, after my first bite of 1 of the 6 cheese types that they bought, it clearly became apparent that I am out of my league around Lars and Claud. It was evident that Lars invented the game and I am merely lucky enough to be an ignorant participant. Never in my life have I eaten, let alone seen the type of French cheese that they crossed the border to buy for me. Thus, I proceeded to make cheese my main staple food and ate it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and forth meal.

The rest of the week progressed just as the first day did. I was constantly pampered by my gracious hosts. Although the entire week was great, I have to say that Sunday was definitely the best day of the trip. It is a day that I will never forget. Since Wolfie had come to Koeln for the night, Sugarlips and Claud decided to make pancakes for breakfast. We all woke up to the smell of Lars' banana pancakes. As the aroma of the pancakes was wafting through the apartment, we were all questioning when they would be done so that we could stop wiping away the drool and start stuffing our faces instead. After brunch we decided to do what all Germans do on sunny Sundays and that is, stroll. We took off and headed down towards the river. Our cousins Julia and Florian were coming in from Bonn and were going to have coffee with us. I felt as though the six of us were one big happy family and just as normal as the other families who were partaking in the sunshine. We spent the afternoon sipping on coffee, hot chocolate, and of course Gluhwein, which is a German warm wine speciality that is served during Christmas time. After saying goodbye to our cousins and friends, Claud, Lars, and I headed home. I spent the time on the train contriving a plan as to how I was going to pack 2 suitcases worth of clothes and gear into one suitcase. Apparently while I was busy stressing out, Claud and Lars were busy determining how they were going to execute a plan that they had come up with weeks ago.

Once I was done packing, Lars asked me to do him a favor and run to the market to grab some extra vegetables. I politely obliged and headed out. When I returned 6 minutes later, I was greeted by Mariah Carey's, "All I want for Christmas," as I started to walk up the stairs to their apartment building. As a side note, this song is the favorite of Claud and I. We prefer to put it on repeat for hours. When I approached their apartment, the door was open, the lights were off, and candles were lit. As I entered the living room, I was greeted by both Claud and Lars and a decorated the Christmas tree. I will never forget the image of both of them standing in front of the tree and the gigantic smile on Clauds face. I was informed that as I was not going to be with them for Christmas that they felt it was necessary that they pre-celebrate Christmas with me. I immediately started crying. It still brings tears to my eyes as I recount this. I sat with amazement the entire night while we ate a three course meal, opened gifts, and laid on the couch drinking another fabulous bottle of wine, while listening to non standard Christmas songs. There is really nothing more to say except for the fact that this Christmas was by far the best Christmas I have ever had. I feel truly blessed and thankful for what the both of them did for me, not only for the Christmas they created for me but also for everything they did for me during the time I was there. It is a week I wont ever forget.