My Childhood Christmas

I remember many Christmas traditions from my childhood days. What I loved best about Christmas day (which is 24th of December in Germany) was the joy and excitement, before I could see the Christmas tree.

First we went to a shopping tree market not too far from our flat, which was really tiny. So maybe this was the reason that I always had the feeling, Christmas trees were so tall. I still don´t know how my uncle managed to get the tree on the top of our car, but in the end the tree was safely home. My father and my uncle carried it up to the fifth floor, trying not to lose too many needles. When the tree was in the living room, the mysterious part started. I wasn´t allowed to see the room, before it was completely decorated. This means for me many waiting hours.

While my father and I joined the children´s service at church, my mother and my uncle decorated the living room for Christmas celebration. This included, of course the decoration of the tree. It was always a nordmann fir, which kept it’s needles for a long time.

My mom went to prepare Christmas dinner. This was most times a goose filled with apples and spices. The smell of it greeted my father and I, when we returned from service. The door to the living room was still closed, because my uncle decorated in there alone.  It took him hours.

My mom took me to the kitchen to keep me busy. I normally baked some funny cookies and made a mess in the kitchen. So I forgot about the tree for a while. When nobody looked, I went to look through the key hole. The door of the living room had one of these really big old keys, so the keyhole was really enormous. But the only thing I really could see were the lights  of the Christmas tree, which were blinding me. It seems that a lot of angels were dancing  around the branches leaving glittery dust on it.

After finishing all preparations we all eat together. At this time my older brother has arrived. He is 16 years older than me, so he lived at his own flat at that time already. Christmas was the only time in the year when we were all together.

I couldn´t really sit still, because I was waiting for the moment when the grown-ups told me it was time to see the tree. And, finally ,  it was time. My uncle opened the door to the living room. It always was so beautiful. There were all kinds of ornaments at the tree, so many lights and sweets for me to pick over the next days and under the tree of course were the presents for the whole family, lovely wrapped.

I can still feel the excitement and joy, it was overwhelming. I still try to keep a part of the tradition, but with my parents old and ill, it changed. But we often look at the pictures we took on some of the Christmas evenings and I can still here the laughter of the little child I have been and see the glittering lights dancing around the tree. This is my best December memory. Words: 552