27
December
2006
I am not ready for Christmas to be over again! It’s amazing how every year it seems like Christmas seems to be coming around faster and faster, and then when it’s finally here, it’s over with a snap of the finger. “Don’t save it all for Christmas day, though, find a way to give a little love everyday.” (I love that song 
)
Anyway, I was wondering how different my Christmas is in comparison to the traditions around the world. My mom is German, so I’m accustomed to the German traditions during Christmas time. I’d like to share them with you, and gladly read any of your comments explaining your traditions.
First the basics. In Germany there are three days of Christmas celebrations (Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Dec. 26). We also have small family get togethers recognizing the advent (the four Sundays leading up to Christmas). My mom makes an advent wreath each year as the centerpiece of the traditional “coffee and cake” get togethers. One more candle is lit every Sunday- at the get togethers- leading up to the birth of Christ. Lit candles can also be found on the trees of traditional German households. I remember when I was younger, we celebrated Christmas at my oma and opa’s (grandma and grandpa’s) house, and I was so scared of being near the tree!
December 6th, St. Nicholas Day, is also a day of celebration. The night before, my sister and I put out shoes- yes actual shoes, not stockings- in front of our door for St. Nicholas to fill (usually with candy, chocolate, and a small present). I’m not exactly sure how this tradition came to be, but I know that St. Nicholas was a follower of Christ and known as a giver during his lifetime (and now!). He led a life in which he carried out many notable acts of generosity- especially to those in need, sailors, and children. His life offered many stories which were passed on from generation to generation. December 6th, his death day, became known as St. Nicholas Day- a celebrated holiday throughout Europe. Many children like to think of him as the uncle or cousin of Santa Claus.
Christmas Eve is family time. We have a nice family dinner, complete with festive dinnerware, a table set for three courses, and mellow Christmas music in the background to set the mood. A traditional dinner could include zweibel suppe (onion soup- very good, but bad for my stomach), roter kohl (red cabbage- my favorite), kartoffeln (potatoes), and Ente (duck, but my family substitutes that for any other type of fleisch (meat)). Nachtisch (dessert) is usually my all time favorite ice-cream, heiss mit eis, a vanilla icecream topped with heated german cherries. MMM. I’m getting a craving just writing about it.
After dinner, we sit around the tree to sing Christmas songs and open presents from extended family, friends, and one from mom and dad. Before we open a present, we all have to sing a song together, play an instrument, or perform a dance. It’s a very special tradition that I couldn’t imagine my Christmas ever without. I think I’m going to carry this tradition on to my family, when I have kids.
After all presents are opened, we usually take a walk around the neighborhood to enjoy the lights our neighbors have to offer- which let me tell you, they offer A LOT. One street was even on the news for being the most lit street in the state. It’s amazing, this year someone even put a stage in front of their yard to play Christmas songs on their saxaphone. It really makes a great night, and we’ve made it a tradition to take that walk every Christmas.
At midnight we also go to midnight mass, which I know is a tradition for all Christians. After a fun and full night we roll into bed until we awake Christmas morning to my younger sister’s (and of course my) excitement to see what Santa left for us. We have a festive and semi-formal breakfast afterward, and then head over to our close family friend’s house in the afternoon. (We would usually spend Christmas day with extended family and friends, but we don’t have extended family here)
December 26th the celebration continues, with more food, more family, and more joy, laughter, and love.
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26
December
2006
I watched this movie the other day (The Pursuit of Happyness (intentionally spelled that way)), and Will Smith’s character said something in the movie that triggered my questioning. He said something like,
“How did Thomas Jefferson know to put in the Declaration of Independence that we had the right to pursue happiness? That happiness is never just handed to us. We can pursue happiness, but never really have it completely.”
I never thought of happiness being something that we could never fully have. When I thought about happiness, I always focused on the thought that happiness is the ultimate human desire, and it could be achieved. I never envisioned happiness as something we had to pursue, as if it is a life long battle to keep happiness consistent throughout our lives.
I struggled to discover why I was so drawn to this quote and why it sounded so profound to me, despite my initial disagreement with it. I came to a verdict that this quote is in fact true. Despite how “glass half emty” it sounds, it is true if you look at the world completely in a different way. We can achieve happiness (like I originally, and still do, believe), but we can never have happiness completely in our lives. I originally thought that this meant we could never have complete happiness (which I couldn’t bring myself to agree with). Looking at it in a different angle, I recognize truth and something I do believe.
There will always be times in our lives that we will not have happiness- it’s only natural- and we have to pursue it, to gain it back. We’re not just born with happiness. It is something we have to strive for. A common source of happiness comes from family and friends. We’re not just given family and friends, we have to pursue a family and friendships. Along with our happiness from these sources, there are times when they won’t bring happiness and they will dissappoint us- but it’s not because of them, it’s because of certain situations that challenge and face all families and friends at one time or another. However, in general- which is how I always looked at the achievement of happiness- I believe it is possible to gain complete contentment and satisfaction in life. Yes, it’s true we have to work to gain our desires, and sometimes it can be a long haul before we even feel any happiness in our lives. But even when we do achieve it, we have to protect it (just as how Will Smith’s character said about dreams “You gotta dream. Protect it.”) there will always be times where life just doesn’t seem to go our way, but we have to just see these times as challenges of our life long pursuit to keep satisfaction within us.
P.S. Watch the movie its was really good. There were some slow parts, but the overall the message was very inspiring, and the little boy was adorable!
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15
December
2006
Most people believe that if you want your child to be a STAR gymnast, enroll them into classes at an early age- like around a year or so after they start walking. I, however, don’t entirely agree with this idea. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen young gymnasts get burned out before they’ve reached the age of 10, including my sister.
There are a few parents who think that pushing their children to continue to become amazingly great gymnasts are doing their children good, and they are, if they know that their child really loves the sport and they just need a little extra sporadic motivation, every now and then. But there’s also the other case, where a gymnast just grows to despise the sport she once loved, and in this case, parents have to just learn to let go of dreams that they have for their kids. In this case, they should think- is it really worth my child’s happiness and childhood, if there’s no enjoyment coming from it?
My sister had a lot of talent as a gymnast, and although we (my parents and I) all wanted her to continue, we knew that once she started crying everytime she had to go to the gym, or conveniently falling sound asleep before gym practice, it wasn’t meant to be. She started toddler classes around the age of three, team around the age of five, and had enough of it by the age of eight. I think a lot of it came from fear and intimidation by the yelling and lecturing of coaches- problems that younger kids just don’t know how to deal with. That’s why sometimes I think that waiting to start gymnastics at a later age, and sacrificing the strength, flexibility, and skills that are more easily achieved at a younger age, can turn out to be a greater gain in the long run.
I didn’t start team until I was 12. I did recreation classes for about seven years, before I asked my mom if I could be on team. Building up my passion for the sport by having fun for the first couple of years gave me the drive to keep achieving and learning more once I started team. Of course, I’m never going to be the gymnast that you see on tv, but that doesn’t matter; I was happy.
I’ve gained so many more meaningful experiences from wanting to go to gym. It made me excel faster then what most people expected of me. I had to ask to try out for team, when usually you have to be invited. They accepted me for my unbelievable will to do the sport, not so much for my skills at the time. But with just two years of being on team, I went from having no backhandspring, to having them on beam. I skipped a level, and my coach gave me the nickname of ”eye of the tiger.” I went from level four to eight in three years before I decided to move onto another area of the sport (coaching and trampoline). Would I have been able to get as far as I did if I had started team at a younger age, like my sister? I don’t know, but I know one thing for sure- you achieve things faster when you’re hungry for it, and at younger ages you don’t really know what you want; you just basically do whatever you’re told until you hit an age of rebellion and vulnerability where you’re prone to quit, if you decide you’ve had enough. That’s why, in my opinion, children should enjoy being children before they start any sort of high-stress activity or sport. If they really want to do something, they’ll ask, and they’ll achieve much more if it comes from them.
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6
December
2006
I’ve been so stressed out lately. It’s nearing the end of school, before Christmas break, and I still have a mountain load of homework to finish, Christmas shopping to start, and not much time to actually enjoy the holidays. I actually had a breakdown the other day, because I just couldn’t see how I’d accomplish all of this. My perspective changed once I remembered the chapel we had last week.
Chapel that day was dedicated to raising awareness about the genocide that has been going on in Darfur. Many black Sudanese people are being driven out of their homes, abused, and killed every day in Darfur by the Arab Sudanese Government, simply because of their race. The black Sudanese have to fight to survive every day of their lives, with short or no food supply and every day torture. *
You may not see how I am connecting this with my stress, but hear me out. I realized that sometimes we get so caught up in complaining about the little things that we have to do- such as homework- and we don’t realize that there are people in this world that have much larger worries and justification to complain.
I replied to Sarah’s post on the genocide the other day. I said that we should really count our daily hassles as blessings. It’s a blessing that I even have the opportunity to go to a school, and have homework to do. It’s hard to realize this, because in our society it’s mandatory to go to school, but think about how many other kids in this world are dreaming of gaining a good education- including the children in Darfur. I’m sure they’d much rather “worry” about getting an assignment done on time then figuring out how they will survive every day they wake up.
Just a simple reminder to everyone, if you ever feel like complaining about something like having to wake up early every morning to go to work or school, or having a horrible meal, just think: Do I really have the right to complain?
* for more information on how to help the people in Darfur go to http://www.darfurgenocide.org/. Spread the word. These people need our help.
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