ashleylauren1289

Merry Christmas!
so christmas here is celebrated on the 24th and not the 25th. plus there is no santa claus but the christkindl….or the christ child. also you decorate the christmas tree on the 24th and no sooner! also there are no stockings.
so on the 24th we ate dinner…all of my hostfamily. we ate some kind of meat and rice and potatoes and my hostbrother….the one that has hardly ever talked to me…asked me all about christmas in america and the drinking age and all that fun stuff..then we sat around the table and lit the candles on the advent wreath and prayed. then my hostmom read a story about an advent wreath with 5 candles and in the end the 5th candle turned out to be the christ child. after that my host mom ‘’secretly” snuck into the living room where the christmas tree was and lit the candles on the tree….yes actual candles on the tree. and then she ‘’snuck out” and rang a bell to announce that the christ child had come. then we stood around the christmas tree and prayed again then took pictures and then we opened our presents. and to give out presents its not like one person just hands them all out. you pick up your present for another person and go give it to them. and shake their hand and give the 2 kisses on the cheeks. so my oma got me socks (which i asked for), kiwis, and m&ms. my hostfamily got me a daybook and hand towels. after that we drank sekt and cheered to christmas. then i went to bed because it was almost midnight.
the next day….my real christmas! i had lunch at my rotary presidents house. my hostmom dropped me off. and the only two people i knew were uli ( my rotary president) and her youngest son maxi who is 22. so maxi introduced me to everyone and then brought out the sekt….i dont know if we have sekt in america but its kind of like champagne. and then we sat around and talked for a bit. there were about 25 people there. all her family. so i felt a little out of it because i didnt know anyone. and then around 2 we ate lunch. first course- fish. second course- turkey, an austrian version of stuffing, and red cabbage. third course- dessert, which was two courses in itself. first dessert course- taramasue (cant spell) second dessert course- a light whipped dessert with mango sauce. and with all this more sekt and wine. after lunch we sat around and talked. everyone got more friendly with me so it just wasnt maxi and i talking. one of maxis cousins overheard us speaking english and asked me in very quick dialect german where i came from and maxis sister answered him in german that i was an exchange student and when speaking to me speak slower german. so he asked me in english. and i told him in german to speak german with me. so he asked me again in german. and im like ohio. and he goes ‘is ohio a state?’ im like giving him this dumb look like ummm hello of course! but i politely respond ‘yes ohio is a state. in the north’ (because people always tell me that i have a southern accent and ask if ohio is in the south) with maxis family i talked about myself, where im from, what im doing in austria, if i have done anything special…you know all the usual stuff. then someone asked me about american football. and i was like yes i love american football i miss it so much. and the cousin who asked me if ohio was a state says ‘the british think american football is the girls version of rugby’ and im like ‘ummmm okay…..’
after almost everyone was gone maxis aunt and uncle and little 2 year old cousin show up. little thomas was the cutest! although we didnt speak or play together when it was time for me to go little thomas wouldnt let me leave. he took my hand and dragged me away from the door and then when maxi told him i had to leave with him, little thomas through a fit. he insisted on walking me to the car while holding my hand and then giving me ‘bussi’ (the two kisses on the cheek). he was the cutest! and then maxi drove me the 5km home.
all in all i think i like the austrian christmas a lot but its still not the same as waking up early and opening presents on the 25th.