Welcome December. I have always enjoyed Christmas as a child. But the biggest holiday of the year growing up was not Christmas but St. Nikolaus Tag. And now as an adult, I carry that holiday over to my child and get super excited every year it comes around.

Tomorrow is St. Nikolaus Eve I guess you could put. And I can’t wait to get started. Growing up in Germany, I do not do all the American holiday traditions but rather the German ones because of my up bringing and I really miss living in Germany at this time of year for these celebrations.

So of course, I said I wasn’t going to put up our Weihnachtsbaum {Christmas Tree} until next weekend but because of some plans being changed, I gave in and put it up last night. Lots of stress, screaming, yelling, cussing…. all because I have to have it done my way and no one else is allowed to touch it. Of course, the cat pretty much broke that rule and is now on punishment outside until the damn tree comes down. Damn you cat and your tree terrorizing!

Here are some photos of it this year. I was a lot more happier with it last year, because I had a lot more time I put into decorating it. This year, I did it at night and was cranky and like I said, it was chaotic. So the theme I use it copper and gold:

Since we live in a townhome with the upstairs hallway overlooking the living room downstairs, my husband thought we would have a lot more room if we just set it up there. So you can see the second bedroom door for upstairs in the photos and the last shot is from where I am sitting on the couch in the living room. It really lights up the place because our space is so open. We didn’t have any room downstairs for it so this worked out perfect. It is out of the way and yet can still be seen when you just look up.

So tomorrow evening, I am going to pull out my daughter’s St. Nikolaus gift. She gets excited every year to wake and and see what {he} brought her. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this holiday, it is the children’s biggest and most popular holiday throughout Germany. Every year on the night of December 5th, the children leave their shoes outside their door before they go to bed. While asleep, St. Nikolaus comes and fills the shoes with candy and small goodies for those who have been good. And for the children who have not been so nice, St. Nikolaus doesn’t travel alone. He brings along Knecht Ruprecht who wears a grim-reaper-style hooded cloak and carries a switches and a large burlap sack.  Knecht Ruprecht's job is to punish the naughty children by leaving them a switches for their parents to beat them with, or if they were particularly bad, haul them away in his dark sack. {Yea, every story always has it’s dark side}

Luckily, I always got candy :) However, as I got older in high school, I got more awesome gifts like music cds and jewelry and makeup. Totally awesome. It is tradition that the shoe being left out is a red boot and they sell them everywhere in all stores this kind of year. Even pre-stuffed with candy too. Although, it is tradition to leave fruit in the shoes. Since I no longer live in Germany, they are not as easy to come by here so I have my daughter leave her shoes by the door and find little things to fill them up with.

So on December 6th, the children wake up and have so many things to share and brag about at school that morning. Its so fun and I just remember doing so many activities and parades and everything at school for St. Nikolaus Tag {St. Nick’s Day}. Oh, the memories and these are the times I really miss my childhood growing up over there. I really do miss it very much.

But since it can’t come to me anymore, I bring it into our family’s traditions and its one I never miss. I have been doing it with my daughter since she was born and I hope the tradition can continue to her children someday as well.

So next post, I will be sharing my photos of our St. Nikolaus Tag. I can’t seem to find any photos in the past from it. I think they are on cds packed away in boxes still. But none the less, we are excited and my daughter has been keeping track with a countdown calendar of when St. Nikolaus is coming!