Christmasy Things - Sharing

Once again many of my blog buddies are posting items special to the time of year - oh hell let's call it what it is: Christmas. Its not the Holiday Season, its not the Festive Season, its Christmas damn it! C*H*R*I*S*T*M*A*S!!!!! Okay sorry I promise not to rant but this bloody PC attitude to my religious (and secular) traditions is really starting to get to me. Anyway as I was saying quite a few friends are posting some great Christmas memories and items and I'd like to share them - plus it gives me an excuse to post some of my Munich Kristkindlmarkt photos.

Unfortunately the rain made photo taking a bit difficult without magical settings and an expensive camera but the entrance to the fair in the Marienplatz at night was quite magical.

Though only one of the 16 or 17 Christmas Fairs throughout Munich, the one in Marienplatz is the most well known ... and photographed. We also managed to see the Airport Kristkindlmarkt, the charming childs market in the Residenz Palace, the Medieval Market in Wittelsbacher Platz and the wonderful Creche market in the Ridderplatz. We missed the Gay Christmas Market but that will have to wait until next year.

You want decorations? They got decorations! Cookies? Yep! Candies? You betcha! 1/2 metre long hot dogs? You should ask! And while you're shopping have a hot spiced wine. Sorry guys but Walmart just ain't the same.

• Some of you may have met Doris before - she would be EG's mother and to quote him, " Just remember though, Doris is only funny when she isn't happening to YOU!" One of my favorite Doris stories involves the Christmas tree, a gin bottle and some nails. But don't let me spoil it, just go over to EG and read all about Doris and Oh tannenbaum!

And of course the many shops and department stores have their displays and windows. How about a lego Santa? Why not Neiman-Marcus is selling life-size lego statues as their His and Hers item this year.

There may not be quite the same flair up North as we see in Italy but every so often a window would jump right out at you!

And there was the occasional display that suggested there might be, what could be thought of as, an Italianate influence.

• And another Boston buddy RG has once again shared his story of the first Christmas he and his mom, Justine, were on their own. As I said to him: good stories are worth repeating, great stories are worth repeating again and again. Between EG and RG they've given us two great stories.

One of the market stalls had every type of mold you'd want for stamping Springerle, those wonderful sugar dusted cookies sometimes scented with cardamon other times with anise.

They even had one for Struwwelpeter (Shockheaded Peter) - that slovenly anti-hero of German childrens' books. Laurent had never heard of him and the punishments meted out to misbehaving children. Good solid lessons to be learned by good boys and girls.

But most of the wood carvings were of a religious nature and meant for home creches.

• Jeff has been posting a riot of Santas over at his world. There's a sackful of great videos, songs and proof that Santa's a Meany. ; There's so much I can't single out one so just go over to World o'Jeff start at the top and work your way down - sort of like Santa coming down the chimney.

Laurent seems to have a thing for bears and 1/2 metre long rotwurstl!

13 dicembre - Santa Lucia da Siracusa

Sharing

Though things have been a little off kilter here the past week or two doesn't mean I haven't been following my favorite bloggers. Though in many cases I haven't been commenting a great deal - imagine me keeping my mouth shut - I still found so much to enjoy out there.

• The doyenne - so young and she's a doyenne already - of Opera here in Italy if not all of Europe, the beloved Opera Chic has been featured in Classical Singer magazine. Interviewer Amanada White, rightly IMHO, calls her the world's foremost opera blogger.


• My darling Auld Hat is back in full force after a brief sabbatical and is as wise, witty and talented as always.


• Sageweb went on a trip and gets tripped up at Ikea. And then she goes and gives us the cutest damn puppy and puddy picture around. And you all know how I feel about puppy and puddy pics.


• RG has totally ruined The Wizard of Oz for me, I'll never look at getting back to Kansas the same way ever again.

• Once again Tater writes from the heart and reaches our hearts with a memory profile of his beloved Jimmy.


• Lorraine is touched by grace at a time and place she least expected. And in the telling proves that grace can be in the written word.


• And Elizabeth muses on the nature of friendships and the kinship of being an outsider.

And that just a random sampling of what I've been reading from my blog buddies - all of them more than worth a regular visit if they're not on your list already.

These pictures where taken on a back road in the Reiti plain in November. That old dog was very concerned when we separated him from the flock. The shepherd had given us the all clear when there was a break - but that old boy kicked up quite a fuss.

25 gennaio - Conversione di San Paolo