Christmas Eve

Paris Marathon Training: Week 3 of 18
Today’s target run: 1 hour 28 minutes
Today’s completed run: 1 hour 28 minutes

Today is Christmas Eve. We are now kicking the holidays into high gear. Just as a sidenote, we’ve noticed some similarities as well as some differences in the day between Germany and the US.

Similarity: Yes, the grocery stores are open until about 2 pm, and they are packed.

Difference: While families gather together on Christmas Eve, this is the night of the big family meal in Germany, rather than on Christmas Day as we typically do in the US.

Similarity: Favorite family foods are in order at the family meal.

Difference: Many Germans serve fish (i.e. carp) or other fowl, whereas the turkey is the most common main dish entrée in the US…at least Southern US. (We did have some challenges finding pie crusts this year, but we hit pay dirt on chicken broth and cornmeal).

Similarity: In addition to the family dinner, there is also the unwrapping of gifts.

Difference: In Germany, gifts are usually opened on Christmas Eve, although in our families’ homes, we often opened gifts on Christmas Eve. Still, is iq quite common to open gifts on Christmas Day in the US.

Similarity: Many families conclude the evening by attending a midnight Christmas Mass. In the US, we often attend a Christmas Eve service.

Well, Budman and I had planned to cook up the big Christmas meal on Christmas Day for a party of two. We’d prepared the menu with the favorite foods (turkey, dressing, cranberry salad, swwet potatos, green bean/corn casserole, chess pie), as well as found all the ingredients at the local supermarket. Then, we received a late invite for Christmas Day lunch from some friends in southern Germany that quickly put all of that on hold. So we’re headed there tomorrow for a dinner with 14 others....

Never fear, as the food did not go to waste. We simply prepared the meal for Christmas Eve, sans Tom the Turkey (we’ll save him for a later date). And yes, there was much gift opening following dinner, as Deutsche Post made major deliveries today.