Holiday Cheer

What gets you in the holiday spirit? I love hearing Christmas music. I went to a women's choir concert tonight that was an Advent concert, and it was such a great way to celebrate the season. The choir sang German, French, Italian and English songs. Some that I recognized were "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Carol of the Bells" (a version of this was in 'Home Alone'). There were German versions of "Angels We Have Heard on High" and "Silent Night" -- there was a sing-along for this one ("Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht"). I liked hearing the traditional folksongs in German -- they were new to me, but I'm hoping that I can learn more about them and recognize them next year!

I also love to see Christmas lights. We went into Basel for the Weihnachtsmarkt, or Christmas market this week. We had some Glühwein and browsed the market stalls. Everything was lit up, and these pictures don't do justice:

 
Sehr schoen! (Very beautiful!)

Finally, I love to bake Christmas cookies to get in the holiday spirit. This week, we baked a Swiss specialty -- anisbroetli. They are anise cookies that are similar to shortbread. We bought a mold at the market in the shape of a snowflake to stamp into the cookie as well. They were very yummy! The recipe that I used also calls for kirsch, which is a liqueur made in the Black Forest of Germany from cherries. (Kirsch can also be used in fondue or as a flavoring to go with champagne.) I was excited to successfully make something with local ingredients and tools. The boys were good helpers!

Speaking of holiday spirit and Christmas songs, you'll probably recognize "Last Christmas", by Wham. (If you're in the US, you're probably hearing it daily.) Landon has been singing it a lot, and we just found out that the video features Saas Fee, Switzerland. That's where we're headed next week, so here's a preview of the mountains:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8gmARGvPlI