Christmas Eve

 

Today is Christmas Eve! Are you all excited?? For me, Christmas starts today. In German,y we get our gifts on Christmas Eve, and it was always so special. 

Growing up, our tradition looked a bit like this: 

I would sit by the window and sing snow songs, in the hopes of calling on the snow for Christmas, then I would also wait for the first star to pop up, as that would mark the time we were able to eat. 

My family didn’t eat meat on Christmas Eve. Our dinner would always start with a mushroom soup, which was always incredibly delicious, and we would only eat this soup on Christmas Eve. Following, we would eat homemade Sauerkraut, which we started in late summer/fall, if I remember correctly. We would always have carp and mashed potatoes. Carp, we would also only have on Christmas Eve. Sometimes my uncle would fish and bring us fresh caught carp, other years we would have to buy them at the store. I remember vividly how my mom would clean and fillet the fish and then fry it up in a pan. I would always watch her do it and just spend time with her on such a big day. 

After we were done eating, my brother and I had to help clean up and wash the dishes. My mom would always close the door to the kitchen, and I would never know why. However, after we were done cleaning, we would go to the living room, and there the gifts were sitting under our tree. The Christkind brought the gifts while we helped. Before my uncle got married, he would often spend Christmas with us, and I have such fond memories of him playing with my dolls and me, or helping me set up my toy kitchen that I got one year. 

Every year, we would go to the midnight mass at church, which was always incredible as they had dimmed the lights and lit candles were everywhere in the church. Of course, it's also special to be able to stay up that late when you are little, so that just added to the magic. 

There are just so many incredible memories I have of Christmas Eve. 

Christmas Eve is still so very special to me, and I hope you guys have some traditions for Christmas Eve. If you do, I would absolutely love to hear them :)