Weihnachtsbaumschmuck (ornaments)

We made cinnamon applesauce ornaments for our Christmas tree.

We also wove our local newspaper into German paper stars, which we strung as a garland.

Weihnachtsmarkt: Stein am Rhein

This market included a Mittel Alter (Middle Ages) Markt, with artisans doing stone carving and iron forging. Annie wants to take up stone carving as a hobby now.

Candle making

The city sets up an area where you can hand dip beeswax candles. You pay by weight when you're finished. The secret is a lot of patience between dips!

Lazy day

A peek into the classroom

Zoë and Annie go to school in a small classroom together with seven other kids from all over the world. The class is meant to teach German to newcomers to Switzerland--so most everything in the class is done in German. It's a wonderful environment, with a Waldorf feel to it. The class is mixed age, ranging from first graders to fourth graders, and therefore often is broken into small groups for level-appropriate work. It's been quite an amazing experience for Zoë and Annie.

Nikolaustag

December 6th is Nikolaustag and the night before children leave their boots by the door hoping that Samichlaus will fill them with treats and small gifts.

It was a special day at school--the kids spent the day hiking with the teacher and some parents up to Käferberg, one of the large forested hillsides surrounding the city.

On the way, we passed a normal wanderweg sign, but below it was a special sign.

We found Samichlaus's hut and Schmutzli was there too, taking care of the fire and keeping things tidy. We got to have a nice chat with Samichlaus (who spoke Swiss German) and then the kids sang him a Christmas song.

Weihnachtsmarkt: Basel