Familien Weihnacht.

Familien Weihnacht. 

“There here mum.” Pete shouted from facing the window. 

“What Pete?” as his mum was looking through the family photo album ready to show Amy. 

“There here mum” Pete shouted louder. 

Amy and Yan were the last of the family to arrive for the Christmas holidays travelling from England. Yan had moved to England two years ago to study at university in London, had fallen in love with a Southern red head English girl named Amy. It was going to be Amys first time visiting Germany and to experience a German Christmas. 

“So good to have everyone, Wilkommen Amy.” Barbara commented as she hugged them both and ushered them to take their shoes off and put on some house slippers. 

“Danke” Amy replied one of the few German words she could muster up. 

Yan's parent's house was in a lovely olden German village with cobble streets and thatched roofs, it was picturesque. Snow had layed on the ground overnight, it was considerably Christmas time. Amy and Yan had arrived two days before Christmas eve, along with his brother Peter, wife Alexander and children Chloe and Marti. 

“We have to give Amy the full German experience.” Peter smiled to his brother. 

“Should I be worried?” laughed Amy. 

“First up is a German Christmas market.” he gave her an enormous hug. Yan was delighted to have his girlfriend with him for Christmas and be home with his family. 

Barbara fitted Amy with warmer clothes, a red bobbly hat, scarf, gloves, a waterproof coat. Dress like a German, you will appreciate it when you're out in the cold.  

“I look like I am going hiking” she laughed. 

The market exceeded what she had imagined, the smell of sausages, roasted nuts, fairground rides and people standing round fire pits with hot glühwein. The servers wearing traditional German dress. The air was fresh she could see her breath, she was grateful to have layers of clothes on even for the under Hosen. Yan held her hand round the market the whole time apart from when they were hugging their mugs of glühwein. 

“It's exactly how I remember it.” Yan commented as he slurped his glühwein. 

They returned home and Barbara layed out a buffet of fine meats, a variety of sausages, cheeses and an array of breads. There were sitting round the table munching on their breads chatting. Yan started to giggle to himself.  

“Mama do you remember that time you hosted a Christmas party and you put too much alcohol in the glühwein? our neighbours went home so jolly that night.” 

“Well, I have a story about Yan Amy” Pete uttered. 

“He must have been around five years old, Yan was so desperate to meet St Nicholos, he crept out of the house at night took a ladder and sat on the roof with binoculars waiting for St Nicholas.” 

“Go on, did he see him?” Amy asked intrigued. 

“Of course, no.” He stopped realising his kids were listening in. 

“I think he just missed him.” He winked over at Amy. 

“I fell asleep on the roof, Mum and dad came looking for me the next morning saw the ladder and brought me down. I was sick all of Christmas with a fever.” 

Barbara grabbed the photo album and passed it to Amy. 

“They are so cute said Amy.” 

“Mama don’t embarrass me.” 

 “Every mum likes to show of her boys”. 

Look at them dressed as Elfs; you both look so cute. 

Yan had had a great childhood growing up in Germany, he was thankful to think back at some of his childhood memories it was fun.  

“I still have your lanterns boys; the Christmas Lantern walk around the village is tonight”. Barbara excitedly commented. 

Yan hated to admit it but he was fond of the lantern walk a sense of bringing the community together. 

“I would love it.” Said Amy as she was still looking through photos of Yans childhood. 

They all loved the lantern walk, walking around viewing the village in the cold night air, singing in and out of tune. Mainly out of tune. 

“Lantern, Lantern, 

Sun, moon and stars, 

Burn, my light, 

Burn, my light, 

But not only the light of my dear lantern.” 

“Pick a note any note, we aren't the most musical of families, our talents lie elsewhere ha.”  

They passed a farm on the edge of the village. 

“Does Mr Felix still live their Mama?” 

“He passed away last year.” 

“How sad I have so many memories of that place helping on the farm in the summer holidays.” 

“Not everything stays the same Yan.” 

They finished their walk, there was a stall selling hot waffles and hot Apple cider. Amy was enjoying the eating outside experience more of a culture in Germany than in England. 

“This is what life is about in Germany, community and maybe an alcoholic drink” smiled Yan. 

“You like it here, don’t you?” 

“Yeh, I do miss it, London is nice and I like studying there but my heart and my memories are here”. 

The next morning Yan took Amy to a bakery, the smell of delicious warm bread hit both of them.  

“How I have missed this smell, it does seem to make you happy, that with the smell of coffee beans, your set up for the day.” 

They took their pretzels and coffee cups and headed down to the village. It was cold but they were once more wrapped up with layers of clothes.   

“Let's move here next summer after we have finished our studies.” 

“Really Amy you would do that for me?” 

“I would do it for you and I would do it for us, I see how happy it makes you being here with your family. Germany is steeped in so many special traditions.” 

Yan put down his coffee and spun her around. 

“Ich bin Sehr glücklich.”  

“And that is?” 

“I am so happy, you will start to pick up German, we can get you some classes.” 

“Sure, why not.” 

Next summer: 

Yan and Amy both moved over to Germany after finishing their degrees, Yan got a job as an apprentice in a finance company in Frankfurt and Amy started on a German course. They found a nice apartment to rent in the same village as their parents. 

“I have lots of memories here” said Yan as he cooked up Amy a plate of meatballs on their first night together in their new apartment. 

“But they are nothing on the memories we are going to create.” He raised his wine glass. 

“Here is to making memories together.” 

“Our memories.” Amy raised her glass to Yan`s and Yan leaned over to give her a kiss.

The End.