As mentioned, we didn’t travel this year for Christmas. It was, once again, just the two of us. With all the hustle and bustle around the holidays, I am sure that sounds nice to some, lonely for others, but we’re ok. We’ve been mastering the quiet Christmas over the years. Would I prefer to be with my family for the holidays? Absolutely. But I can definitely make the best of the situation.
CHRISTMAS EVE EVE
I started my long holiday weekend with a stroll through one of our local neighborhoods to see the “Christmas Lights”. I usually take this walk sometime during the week leading up to Christmas and I squeezed it in just in time. There are organized carriage rides through our neighborhood and people come from near and far to see the decorations. I put on a Peloton Holiday walk and had Christmas music in my ear while I walked around and admired all the festive houses.
I had just about an hour before the rain set in, but I had seen enough and was happy to head home. I had dinner to cook, and bread and (finally) some Christmas cookies to bake.
CHRISTMAS EVE
I got up on Christmas Eve morning and called our old family friend (and my substitute grandma) Ingrid. I knew she was going to be alone on Christmas Eve and I wanted to brighten up her evening. She was surprised, but very happy that I called.
The next order of business was to prepare Custard Royale (Eierstich) for our Christmas Eve starter dish. Have you had custard royale? It used to be a popular garnish in (clear) soups, and I remember that my great-aunt used to make it when I was growing up. I haven’t had it in a long time, but decided to make it this year in her memory.
Contrary to the weather forecast, it wasn’t raining and I could even see a little bit of blue sky and the sun poking through the clouds, and I dressed immediately to go for a run.
After a hot shower and some coffee, my sister called. My family was gathered at her house and they were just between the main course and dessert of their Christmas Eve dinner when Jon and I ‘joined’ them via FaceTime. I spent over an hour on the call with them and I must say, if it hadn’t been for the fact that I wasn’t able to get a taste of that delicious dessert that was passed in front of my face, it was almost like I was there. I am so thankful for the technology that makes it possible to virtually sit at my family’s dinner table.
I started cooking around 5 pm in the afternoon. My friend Kim from Germany called when I was just getting things out of the fridge. She had just come home from Christmas Eve dinner at her friends’ house and was taking the dog for a quick potty walk and decided to give me a quick call. We hadn’t been able to connect on the phone in a few months and I was thrilled to talk to her, if only briefly. She asked if I had opened her Christmas gift yet, but I hadn’t. It was still underneath my tree and I told her I would get in touch after I opened it.
I wished her a good night and went back to dinner prep. I made a pork pot roast as a one-pot dish in the oven with potatoes, onions, carrots, and mushrooms. It was easy (prep) and amazing (taste).
Our meal turned out great, if I may say so. Jon and I were both stuffed and skipped the desert. I only made a cup of hot chocolate later. You know, the real kind, on the stove with real milk and baking cocoa. It was delicious!
I opened my present from my Secret SANta (but you’ll have to wait for the reveal post to learn who was my Secret SANta and what they sent me!) and the one from Kim. I screamed a little when I saw what she got me. You must know that we both love “FRIENDS” and I adore this t-shirt so much. The funny part is that we had just been quoting “Friends”- Christmas episodes when we were on the phone earlier! Haha.
Jon and I had a very peaceful and cozy evening in front of the fireplace and watched the film adaptation of “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” by Dylan Thomas. Do you know the movie?
CHRISTMAS DAY
I slept in on Christmas Day and then later made cinnamon coffee and crescent rolls for breakfast. I puttered around the house in the morning, texted with my mom, and spent some time on the couch reading.
In the afternoon, I watched another one of my favorite holiday movies, “The Holiday”. A MUST-WATCH every year. I love the soundtrack. It makes me cry every time.
I sipped hot chocolate (again) and had some cookies from my Christmas platter (some of the goodies are from Germany and my mom brought them with her when she visited in the fall. Yes, even in Germany you can buy Christmas stuff in September now.)
After the indulgence, I decided to move a little bit and did a yoga and a stretching session, but that was all the exercise I could muster on this holiday. I purposefully didn’t schedule a workout today.
2nd CHRISTMAS DAY
… or Boxing Day, as it is known in the UK and other Commonwealth places, or Saint Stephen’s Day, which is considered the second day of Christmas in Germany (and other European countries). Either way, it should be a holiday in the US, is what I am saying.
This year, December 26 was an official holiday (for us federal workers), but also a normal work day for mostly everyone else. I decided to work out with my friends Lindsay and Sherry, run my usual errands in the morning, and also got a quick run it, but then treated the rest of the day as if it as another holiday.
I watched “Sissi” (the first movie in the trilogy of films about Empress Elisabeth of Austria) in the afternoon, as I do every year. It was especially significant for me this year. My best friend from home, who passed away in July, loved the trilogy and we both always watched it every year (and had watched it together many times in the past). Watching it made me feel close to her this holiday season. I also talked to her mom for a bit on Christmas Day, which was really nice.
And with that, Christmas 2025 is in the books. It was peaceful and quiet and we made the best of it. In the end, it went by quickly, didn’t it? (It kinda always does.)
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