An Italo-German-British Christmas

One of the problems of international families, in addition to the obvious one of living in different countries, is combining national and family traditions, for example at Christmas. 

In our case one of the main dilemmas is establishing when Christmas actually begins and when is it appropriate to wish someone a Happy Christmas?

These may seem like simple questions, but after years of discussion we're still nowhere near finding an answer that satisfies us all.

The German side of the family believes that Christmas begins at some point on the afternoon/evening of the 24th of December. It's not clear when exactly, but over the years I have learnt not to wait until the 25th to wish my husband a Merry Christmas. The answer would be: "That was yesterday".

While the Italian and British sides of the family also celebrate Christmas Eve (on the 24th), their Christmas is actually on the 25th.

The other problem is deciding when to exchange gifts and who brings the gifts.

Is it Nikolaus, is it the Christkind, is it Father Christmas, is it Babbo Natale, or perhaps the Befana?

I've managed to convince my husband that opening the presents on the morning of the 25th makes more sense than on the evening of the 24th, especially if you're four years old and get very excited about Christmas. I'm not sure that my mother-in-law was persuaded though... I noticed that she didn't put any presents under the tree.

On the positive side, we did have a rather large variety of Christmas desserts: Italian Panettone, German Stollen and British Mince Pies, Christmas Cake and Christmas pudding. 

By the time we got to the 26th of December (Boxing Day in the UK or Santo Stefano in Italy), I thought it was safe to say that Christmas was over. But, no I was wrong, the German side was quick to point out that the 26th is called the second day of Christmas in Germany. But wasn't Christmas on the 24th? Oh well we've got another 360 days or so to work that out. Until then Happy New Year! Buon Anno! Frohes Neues Jahr!

There is only one response

I was at home in Berlin yesterday evening. My son hadn't been feeling well all day and I'd just finished putting him to bed. I finally sat down to check my emails: one from Amnesty International about the evacuation of East Aleppo caught my attention. So I turned on Twitter to send a tweet about Aleppo and I happened to notice a tweet about a truck seen driving into a Christmas market by the Gedächtniskirche, the memorial church in the centre of West Berlin.

My first reaction was: "It must have been an accident". I couldn't believe in an attack, but as more news emerged and the WhatsApp messages from anxious friends and family arrived, the reality started to sink in.

After the recent attacks in Paris, Brussels, Nice, etc. an attack in Berlin wasn't totally unexpected. Nevertheless, it was shocking and I'm still struggling to believe it really happened.

Berlin is a welcoming and tolerant city. It's the city of artists, free thinkers, LGBTQ+, liberals... everyone is accepted in Berlin. I've never felt like a foreigner since I moved here. As far as I can tell, it's trying its best to be a welcoming city for refugees. I know so many people who help or have helped in refugee centres here. 

So the day after this awful, cowardly, horrific act there is only one possible response: Berlin must remain a free, welcoming and tolerant city. It must remain a haven for artists, free thinkers, LGBTQ+, liberals, refugees. Those who have criticised Angela Merkel for welcoming refugees in Germany and who are blaming her for this vile attack should be ashamed of themselves.

Today we are all Berlin.

Advent - Berlin style

Advent in Germany is a special time. 

It's the time of the year for lighting candles on the Adventskranz (advent wreath), for baking Plätzchen (cookies), for drinking Glühwein (mulled wine) and heading to the Weihnachstmarkt (Christmas market).

If you're looking for traditional-style Christmas markets in Berlin, the ones at Gendarmenmarkt and Schloss Charlottenburg are worth seeing.

However, if you're looking for a more "Berlin" experience then head to one of the alternative Christmas markets. Always hosted in amazing locations, with tasty quality street food (pulled pork anyone?) and DJs, you'll find lots of original gifts: pictures, clothes, jewellery, handbags, lampshades, works of art (and much more) made by local designers and often sold at bargain prices. Don't expect pretty candles, traditional Christmas decorations, felt hats, Christmas carols, Bratwurst, Kartoffelpuffer (fried potato cakes) and the Christmas traditional market fare. 

Holy Shit Shopping - for one weekend only (3rd-4th December), but if you missed the one in Berlin you could still try Stuttgart or Hamburg. The location for this well-established indoor designer market this year was the former power station Kraftwerk Berlin.  

Weihnachtsrodeo - on the weekends of 10th-11th & 17th-18th December. The location this year is Postbahnhof am Ostbahnhof. Expect plenty of designer stalls, yummy street food, hip music and of course hipsters.

Holy Heimat - open from Thursday to Sunday during the entire advent season, this alternative Christmas market offers both indoor and outdoor attractions. 
The location is Haubentaucher (RAW Gelände) in Friedrichshain. As well as street food and designer pieces, there is also an ice skating rink, kid's wonderland and live music.  

For a non-shopping experience, head to the Christmas Garden Berlin at the Botanical Garden in Steglitz between 5 pm and 10 pm for a magical after-dark walk in a beautifully lit park. There is also an ice-skating rink.

Whatever you do, avoid Alexanderplatz at all costs. It's a tourist trap and possibly the ugliest place in Berlin.