Advent Calendar ~ Day 3 ~ Christmas Tree Ornaments

Please note: This post originally ran for the Advent Calendar of Memories in December 2009 ~


Our tree always had traditional German ornaments, the most beautiful kind. Some glass, some handmade and very delicate. Mom still has many from close to fifty years ago. I have several heirloom ornaments that have a very special meaning to me so I have chosen a few to share with you.
  2010 Update: Since this post last year, my Oma passed away the 5th of April 2010...these ornaments are truly a treasure more than ever.

My Oma, Lieselotte Haf, who is ninety-six years old, alive and well and living in Germany, made these walnut ornaments. Oma traveled every few years to California to visit us. During one of her visits she wanted to make some traditional walnut ornaments, the kind she made back home during tough times.

We bought a bag of walnuts, red yarn, and gold paint! Oma and I sat and carefully cracked open the walnuts so that we could glue the string inside, glue the walnut back together and paint them gold. That was 29 years ago this Christmas. I will never forget sharing this time with her, laughing as we would try not to crack the walnut shells into pieces! In mom's own words, German's like handmade ornaments, nature type ornaments. I have cherished the walnut ornaments Oma made me and proudly put them on my tree each Christmas.

My aunt Gitta in Germany is an expert at "Kloppeln". It's not embroidery, it's not needlepoint, or cross stitch - it's German Lace Making. Aunt Gitta has her own style, but I can tell you it's amazing. Aunt Gitta has spent many hours making these beautiful heirlooms and I cherish each and every one of them she has made for me.

She has made several items for me over the years, the Christmas tree ornament is truly beautiful along with this Kloppeln doily that I use under my mini memory tree in my kitchen. My mini memory tree has photos of loved ones and ancestors passed. I always have a mini tree in my kitchen, it use to have Christmas cookie cutters on it, now it holds photos as ornaments of those we want to remember and we miss so much.

    Advent Calendar 2010

Advent Calendar 2009

Advent Calendar ~ Holiday Foods

Advent Calendar ~ Day 2 ~ Memories of our Holiday Foods~
Please note: This post originally ran for the Advent Calendar of Memories in December 2009 ~

Some of my favorite memories are of mom baking a ton of cookies. I remember that she would start baking early in November and then store them in tin containers until the Christmas holiday.

Cookies~

My favorite are mom's Spritz cookies - they are so good! In the last few years mom has added a few variations to the traditional spritz cookie. Knowing how much I love these cookies and chocolate, mom combined the two, dipping half of the spritz cookie in chocolate. Not only does it look good, but it is to die for!

Mom also made a moon shaped hazelnut cookie with powdered sugar on top, everyone in my family loves the hazelnut cookies. Another cookie that comes to mind are her buttery sugar cookies. All of these recipes and more are in German in her own handwriting. Slowly, mom is translating the recipes from German to English so that not only will I have them, but our holiday food traditions will continue to be handed down. Eventually I will be posting these wonderful recipes, they played such a large part of my childhood holidays, I want everyone to enjoy them as much as my family and I do.

Breads and Cakes~

Mom also made a German bread called "Stollen" which consists of: candied fruit, nuts, raisins and marzipan. Sorry, not one of my favorites but very traditional. Of course there is my most favorite, great Oma Margarete's 'German Marble Cake'.

Christmas Packages from Germany~

Once mom and I were here in the states, my oma would send us a Christmas package every year. It was always exciting because she would send foods that mom was used to and what I loved. Oma always sent the kidney shaped chocolate liquors which is a hard dark chocolate shell on the outside, filled with brandy on the inside, these are now available at stores like "Trader Joes". You had to pop the entire candy in your mouth or brandy would drip all over. As a child, I was only allowed one or two of these and I still remember how good they were.

Dinners

I don't recall this dinner, however, mom said that the traditional holiday dinner that was cooked was a goose. What I recall of our holiday dinner was a roast with potato balls, smothered in her German gravy. For as far back as I can remember, mom has made the potato balls from scratch. Potato balls are very labor intensive so she now uses a German packaged potato ball mix named "Phanni". They are still very good, but not as good as mom's homemade. The store bought mix method is much easier on mom, this allows her to spend more time with family and I am all for that.

Even today mom still cooks this holiday dinner and bakes all of her wonderful cookies for all of us to enjoy, making our holidays memorable.                   

                                                                                            

            2010

Advent Calendar 2009

Advent Calendar ~ Our Christmas Trees

Please note: This post originally ran for the Advent Calendar of Memories in  December of 2009 ~

Each and every Christmas tree I have ever had in my life has been decorated in true German tradition and always beautifully done by my mom!

Until mom and I came to the U.S. we never had our tree up until Christmas Eve because that was the German tradition, the tree is not put up until then. The "living room" in German homes is usually seperated by doors. On Christmas Eve, mom and oma would be up late decorating our live tree to have it ready for Christmas morning. Back then they even used real candles! Can you imagine doing that now. Once the tree was complete, the doors would be locked and not opened until Christmas morning! Sadly, I do not have any photos of those trees.

Once here in the U.S. mom became "Americanized". She would always put up a beautiful tall full live tree just after Thanksgiving and to this day this ritual continues. Mom is a master at decorating the Christmas tree as well as the entire house, her trees are amazing!

Until recently, we both have always had live 'Noble Fir' trees in our own homes. Now both mom and I have artificial trees, to see them you can not even tell they are fake, especially with mom's touch.

Mom's Artificial Tree and enchanting village 2008

Mom has German ornaments that are close to 50 years old. Now they have been passed down to me and they are on my tree today. I have the last of the real lead tinsel from Germany. I don't use it on my tree because of our little grand kids, but the individual strands are very heavy! Each tree would have over 2000 lights with angel hair in-between the branches.

My tree this year 2009, not as pretty as mom's but still pretty - looks better in person than in this photo!

This year, right after Thanksgiving, mom and I put up my tree. I learn more and more from mom on how to decorate the tree, but I know my tree will never be as amazing as hers. Each year mom gives me more ornaments and my tree gets prettier and prettier! I will proudly be the 'keeper' of these heirloom ornaments. I do miss a real tree smell, but my artificial tree is just as beautiful and I can leave it up as long as I like. I don't have as many lights on my tree as mom has on hers, but that's ok, less to take down! We are all decorated here, ready for Christmas and enjoying the beauty of my Christmas tree.

I love going home to mom's for Christmas . She has two trees, one in the family room and one in the formal living room, I cannot wait to see them. Christmas is always special at mom's it makes me feel like a kid again and it's as if you are walking into a living room in Germany.


Advent Calendar 2009