It’s Friday and I meet with many fellow writers over at Kate Motaung’s Five Minute Friday.
Today’s prompt is ADORE.
This feeling of awe in light of what we celebrate at Christmas.
This sensation of joy as we recall childhood memories.
Pure adoration for Christ in the midst of gift shopping and endless loops of annoying Christmas tunes is a piece of hard work.
It’s so easy to just fall into routine and leave our heart’s response to all of this behind.
Traditions can help us to focus on the important things again. Treasure the little steps of preparation. Feel the excitement and joy building.
Leadings our hearts to adoration.
As a Christmas treat I have a guest on my blog today.
Sophie Kröher is a dear friend of mine and she shares a few of her favorite Christmas traditions from the Eastern part of Germany with us. She is also a very, very talented photographer, so of course, you’ll find a bit of her work in here, too. 🙂
Her thoughts are in German; I have attempted to translate it below.
Von Würstchen in Mehl
Der Schatten der sich drehenden Pyramidenflügel an der Wand.
Feine Nebelschwaden der Weihrauchkerzchen in der Luft.
Leuchtend gelbe Punkte der Schwibbbogenkerzen, die sich im Fenster spiegeln.
Das Kinstern und Knacken einer Schallplatte.
Männeln wecken.
Mamas zerstochene Hände vom Bögenbinden.
Stollen buttern.
Heimlich die Butter mit Puderzucker an einer Stelle abkratzen.
Und dann, nach schier unendlich langem Warten: den Tannenbaum schmücken, Linseneintopf löffeln, Würstchen in Mehl wälzen, die nach Braten riechenden Haare waschen, in die Metten gehen.
Weihnachten im Erzgebirge.
Mein Weihnachten.
Beim Männeln wecken, Bögen binden und Stollen buttern bin ich leider schon seit einigen Jahren nicht mehr rechtzeitig dabei.
Pyramidenflügelschatten, Weihrauchnebelschwaden und Schwibbbogenkerzenspiegelungen habe ich mir wenigstens hergeholt.
Aber morgen geht’s heim, rechtzeitig zu Mamas Linseneintopf – dem besten der ganzen Welt und des ganzen Jahres.
Und um mit Papa Würstchen in Mehl zu wälzen.
Mein Weihnachten.
Daheim.
Sausages and Flour
The shadow of the pyramid wings moves along the wall.
Fine mist of the frankinscence candles in the air.
Bright yellow spots of the light arc are mirrored in the window.
The cracking sound of a vinyl.
To wake up the Männel (German tradition to put up the traditional frankinscence candle men).
Mom’s pierced hands while making the bows.
Butter the Stollen (Eastern German traditional Christmas loaf).
Scratch off the butter with powder sugar when no one is looking.
And then, after a long time of waiting: decorate the Christmas tree, eat lentil stew, roll sausages in flour, wash your hair smelling of meat, go to church.
Christmas in the Erzgebirge (Ore Mountains in the East of Germany).
My Christmas.
I haven’t made it in time for years to wake the Männel, make the bows, or butter the Stollen. A few things I managed to take with me, though – pyramids, frankinscence, and light bow.
But tomorrow I will go home, just in time for Mom’s lentil stew – the best stew in the world and of the whole year. Just in time to roll sauages in flour with Dad.
My Christmas.
At Home.
thisiskatha.com 
Thank you for visiting!
What lovely traditions! Seeing her talking about buttering the stollen made me think of my husband's family tradition of having holiday raisin buns with coffee on Christmas morning while opening presents. 🙂 Lots of happy memories. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks, Anita! This sounds like fun…:)
What beautiful photos and words to go with them! I spent a Christmas in Germany in the 80s with a lovely family who opened their home to a group of traveling Americans–it was a very special Christmas (even if I didn't speak German and didn't know what was going on all the time 😉 ).