Giddy with Ornaments

So I went to the Weihnachtsmarket this weekend, aka the Christmas Market...now I remember why I love Germany. There is just something different over here when you stroll by the stalls, filled to the rafters with all kinds of goodies to eat and drink, traditional Gluehwein but also beer, wine and other liquid pleasures....not to mention Lebkuchen, Nuernberger little wursts, the ubiquitous crepes filled with everything under the sun and then some....and who can forget all the German pastries and cookies...and this time around, we stumbled upon a traveling Finnish section and indulged in elkburgers and smoked salmon...is this the life or what? The day was clear, bright and crisp...a traditional German day at the market with people bundled up but enjoying themselves. But food aside, I was on a mission...to find a traditional German Christmas ornament.

Tonight I am having the battalion ladies over for an ornament exchange. BTW, this is a low frills but entertaining and fun event. I like to do one every year. It's less labor intensive than a cookie exchange, and if you have everyone bring a dessert or appetizer...which also means minimal work for them...and you...usually....all you have to do is clean the house a bit and send out email invites...easy, right? Plus, it's nice to get to know more of the ladies in your unit, who may not otherwise come to the FRG meetings. It looks like we'll have a nice turn out, and one of our ladies already told me she was going to bring some special eggnog....uh oh.

So, let me end here...so I can finish cleaning the house. Luckily, I chose to put up Christmas decorations last weekend....still no tree...but the rest of it should make up for it. Oh, and my ornament...I found a beautiful handblown glass ornament, painted with a typical German winter scene....hope I can keep my hands off it long enough to give it away....sigh.