Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday, came and went with mixed feelings. I made a huge mistake by Facetiming my family on Thanksgiving day, because of course, it just made me feel worse. I kept it together as my sister carried the phone over the dessert table with my mom's pecan tarts, and as I said a loving "hello" to all of my siblings for the first time in months, but as soon as I realized I wasn't actually there with them, I couldn't hold in my tears any longer. It was my first Thanksgiving spent away from home. I decided to make my host family a traditional Thanksgiving meal--or as traditional as possible with the ingredients I could find at the grocery store--the Saturday after Thanksgiving day. My host mom, Cathleen, took me to one of the biggest supermarkets in Lüneburg to find everything I needed. As I pulled out my translated shopping list, her eyes grew as she gazed at the extensive menu. "How many things are you making?" she asked. "A whole chicken, green bean casserole, corn, Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes, salad, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie," I replied. She looked at me in disbelief and said "That's a lot." "It's Thanksgiving!" I said with a smile. We filled our cart with nearly everything on my list, and then headed home so I could start preparing dishes for the feast the following day. Saturday afternoon, I began throwing everything together, and seeing my need for help fi we were going to eat at a decent hour, Cathleen stepped into the kitchen to lend a hand. When everything was finally finished, Cathleen, Jule, Emma, me, Sandro (Cathleen's boyfriend), and four friends from school, dug in. Although the chicken wasn't cut by my dad, and the mashed potatoes didn't have the lumps left by my mom, it was still delicious, and everyone else loved it. (The photos below are extremely bad, but they are the only ones I got before all the food was gone.)
As Christmas approaches, I experience more and more German traditions. The Christmas Markets have opened, and they are completely wonderful. Almost every town in Germany has a market during the Christmas season with small booths selling wool socks and sweaters, leather goods, bratwurst, jewelry, and so many other festive goods and treats. One of the most popular refreshments at Christmas Markets is Glühwein, or German mulled wine. It comes alcoholic, or alcohol free, and Germans of all ages can be seen huddled together in the cold with steaming mugs of the spiced goop. My host mom convinced me that I just had to try some, even though I wasn't too sure, so I took my first sip at the Lüneburg Christmas market a couple weeks ago. And...it tastes exactly how you think hot red grape juice with cinnamon and nutmeg would taste. In other words, it's pretty terrible. However, there isn't much that can ruin a Christmas market. The lights, music, vendors, and general happiness of everyone around is absolutely blissful.
So as I think of what my family and friends will be doing without me this Christmas, or what I will be missing out on, I have to remind myself of all the extraordinary sights of Germany. After all, not everyone can say they spent the biggest holiday in the world, in the country which celebrates it the best. (Pictured below: Hamburg Christmas Market which I visited last weekend)
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