Luck of the Draw

My most favorite time of year is Christmas.
I have so many wonderful memories of it from my childhood.

The food ...
My mom's baking!!!
Chocolate covered gingerbread, chocolate Santas and everything else sweet and sugary.

In Germany you eat at Christmas like people do here on Thanksgiving for three full days!!! 

Day 1; you eat until you fall over and can not move anymore. 

Then you go to sleep, wake up and do it all over again and then the day after again.

Goose one day, wild rabbit the next, roulade the third day and LOTS of Stollen, chocolate covered everything and cookies in between.

Yes, food was a big thing.

The tree ...
My parents would not set it up until the 24th of December (and it'd stay up until New Years day ... that was it).
Always a real tree, smelling like it just came from the woods (because it did).
It was covered in colorful ornaments and LOTS of lametta (these aluminum paper strips), and real candles (seriously, REAL ones ... in an old house, with wooden everything ... crazy!).

But most of all ...
I remember the anticipation, the secrecy, the sneaking and peaking (mostly not successful) and the hiding, making and planning.
Closed doors and locked cabinets.
People hushing by, covering things and disappearing in their rooms or the attic.

Then on Christmas Eve the bell rang, the doors opened and you could see the tree, all lit up and shinning, for the very first time.
And you'd just stand there in awe of it all.

I think that was and is what creates the real magic of this season.
The preparation and the joy of getting it just right, just perfect for that big moment, the big reveal.

And while I was searching cyber space last night, over and over, I just stopped in my own tracks and remembered these special times and thought:

"hm .... there has to be a better way than just ordering on Amazon and making sure you get it all and more to make sure they are really, really happy."

I thought about when I was young and what I remembered and it was most certainly not that shiny toy but the sweater my Omi made for me with a Fraggle (remember Fraggle Rock?) on it, hand knitted, with wool hair and a red, stuffed, puffy nose.

The doll house my parents had gotten as a hand-me down, restored and painted for me, with furniture and curtains (and then I lit a tea light in it, since the dolls needed to celebrate Christmas, and almost burned down the whole house after the curtains caught on fire.)

I remember my baby doll Wolfgang with a new knitted jacket and bonnet .... and LOTS of chocolate ;P

So to get the Ls into the spirit and hopefully, maybe possibly, hand down a little of the secrecy and the "old fashion way" we decided (last night at midnight, chatting after Pat came home from a LONG day at work) to do this ...

We wrote each family members name (the two legged ones) on a piece of paper and everyone drew one name.

 Et voila ... your "Personal Elf" for Christmas is
Lucy for Mama,
Mama for Papa,
Lillie for Lucy and
Papa for Lillie

This "Personal Elf" is to create, make and fabricate a hand made gift for that SPECIAL someone in complete secrecy.

Little people may ask for assistance with sharp objects or items needed but your lips must be sealed and nobody can sneak around and spoil the surprise.
... that'll be the hardest part for all of us!
Patience does run low in our quarters :p
We are known to open gifts as early as two months prior to Christmas or a birthday.

So let the "Elfing" begin ...
And I hope the joy of making and hiding things will overtake the wish to add yet another item on a very unnecessary gift list.