Belgian Christmas Markets

Since our arrival here this past summer, I've heard at least a dozen times, "Christmas markets in Belgium are not like Christmas markets in Germany" or "to see a nice Christmas market, you gotta go to Cologne or Aachen".  Well, the season has finally arrived, and I L-O-V-E Christmas markets!  Of course we had to get our German fix and visited the wonderfully festive Cologne Christmas market, or should I say many of the Christmas markets scattered around the city.  But of course I had to visit our local markets as well.  I like to support home-grown, plus, I wanted to see how the Belgians celebrated.

All in all, Belgian markets are nice.....I'm still trying to figure out where or how exactly they fall short, because unfortunately, I keep comparing them to the German version.  For example, a large city like Mons only had about 50 booths downtown, mostly food and liquor....now, there is nothing wrong with that, I was just hoping to find more handcrafted local items.  There was a nice skating rink though and the atmosphere was very festive with piped-in Christmas music and a beautiful tree with lights.  The downtown vendors had also decorated very nicely, so I would recommend visiting there as a nice family outing.

Another local Christmas market we really liked was the large tent with about 100 vendors in the old Havre moated chateau.  The destroyed chateau is more in line with Halloween-viewing, but they did try to spruce it up a bit for a Christmas atmosphere, and the mood inside the tent was definitely festive.  Entry was one euro per person, which did go to benefit charity.  This market was a little different in that we saw many locally produced foodwares, but again, not so many crafts...unfortunately, quite a few "Made in China" booths as well.  We could've loaded up on all kinds of sausage, cheese and wines!  The kids also had their fill of frites (fries) and escargot (we saw a lot of these express stands at  many of the markets)....in fact, I talked to one vendor, who raises a farm of snails for his business and will even deliver to your home.  It was also nice to sit in the renovated restaurant in front of the roaring fire and enjoy some of the local goodies.  I am a recentconvert to the benefits of smoked garlic....no more regular garlic for me:-)

The other markets we visited have been a blur....nothing really stood out unfortunately....even the Brussels market is so-so, and the Belgians do a better job of showcasing some of their other festivals throughout the year.

But, with all that being said....get out there and enjoy the season!  Some of the markets continue through the end of December and even into January.  You can see some of the schedules here or read about the upcoming events in the Gazette (a magazine for the Brussels/Chievres garrisons), which also lists many of them.  Which market was your favorite?  Did anyone visit the Bruges or Antwerp markets?

It's gifts from the heart...and not the wallet...that count!

Have you been struggling with gift ideas for family and friends?  Have you been staring at the store displays, trying to figure out what to get Aunt Sally or Nephew Timmy?  It takes the fun out of the season, doesn't it, as you scramble to try to find something suitable for everyone on your list.  Especially in light of today's economy, we just don't need more stress.  I hate to admit it myself, but even I have gotten into letting it drag me down a bit, and for the first time this year, my one big change will be not sending out paper Christmas cards, except  maybe to our older relatives who do not do email or do anything else computer-related.  It's the thought that counts and not the money spent, so here are some ideas of how to spread the holiday wealth and cheer this season without digging too much in your pocketbook.

• Take the time to create a beautiful holiday family website, where you update your family and friends on what you have been up to all year.  Upload photos and even video to share.  You can even add some Christmas music.  You can do all this for FREE, as there are many free webhosting sites out there, as well as free Christmas music to download and play.  Most website editors have the ability to add music, and you don't need any real know-how to put it together.  In the interest of family security, I never use our addresses, work information, real names (use nicknames) or anything too identifying.  It can be done.  Also be sure to put a guestbook on the bottom to encourage entries.  We use the same web address every year, so family and friends always know where to find us!
• Those homemade mixes.  My local library is full of books that show you how to make the layered mixes for cookies, cakes, brownies and soups.  You can easily dress them up with ribbons, homemade tags and raffia.  I absolutely love getting them for Christmas and always save the recipe for later. 
• Homemade Christmas ornaments that are unique to the person or family you are giving it to.  Is the person a teacher?  How about a family that lives on a farm?  Get some ornament ideas here.
• Food.  Food can be more inexpensive than junk.  That's the great thing about being overseas.  My family loves getting a box of the different kinds of snacks, cookies and other goodies from Belgium and Germany.  At least you'll know good use will be made out of food instead of yet another gadget or piece of junk.  I used to collect old baskets from my local Goodwill throughout the year while we were in the US, just to make food baskets during the holidays.  Look, anything looks fantastic wrapped up in gift plastic wrap tied with a bow!
• Photos.  Do you have a great photo of the person you are gifting?  Perhaps a photo of them doing their favorite thing or with their favorite person or animal?  You can make your own picture frame to go with it or purchase a nice inexpensive one.  I saw some really unique ones at IKEA recently.
• Do you sew?  I still treasure the quilts, napkins and table runners I've gotten from friends who sew...amazing!  One quilt even has an appropriate poem for the season written on the back....something I will surely continue to treasure.
• Do you bake?  I love to get plates of Christmas cookies and goodies from neighbors.  I hope my neighbor is reading this.
• Holiday centerpieces.  Look, before you skip over this idea....I am artistically challenged when it comes to making stuff, and my house WAS full of centerpieces until I gave some away cause guests just had to have them!  Yes, I gave some away.  Get the kids to go out in the woods with you and collect chestnuts, pinecones, acorns...any kind of nuts, evergreenery and hard red berries.  Get an inexpensive cheap vase from the local dollar store.  Fill it up with this stuff...to add more color and smell, add dried sliced oranges and cinnamon sticks.  Fill it level and then put a tea light in the middle of it....just beautiful and festive!  If you can't find enough stuff to fill the glass vase, then put a drinking glass, upside-down in the middle to take up some of the space, and fill around it and on the tip....no one will ever know!  You can also try your hand at evergreen wreath making.  Again, many sites out there to google. I cheated this year and did not make my own (I have a wire form where you can just pile on the branches)...but bought a very nice and inexpensive one at our local yearly German Christmas market on SHAPE put on by the German spouses every year.  Almost every nationality hosts a Christmas market in December...yet another benefit to being stationed with NATO:-)
• A unique Christmas ornament from one of the many Christmas markets in the area.  A great thing about being overseas is that you can get some wonderfully nice ornaments for 1 to 2 euros each...I can guarantee your friends and family won't find these wonderful examples in the US.  Put them in a nice pretty recycled gift box and tie with a pretty bow.
• Buy expensive chocolates in bulk and divy them up into individual packages to give away.  I went to the Neuhaus Chocolate Factory outlet, one of the top chocolates produced in the world but typically very expensive.  Go to the outlet outside of Brussels and buy a few bulk boxes.  Since there is only one type of chocolate per box, you are going to have to mix them up later to get some variety.  I bought inexpensive giftbags, made my own Neuhaus sticker on the computer and mixed and matched the different kinds of chocolates into the bags tied with pretty ribbons.  Those little Chinese food containers work great too instead of the bags.  Be sure to wrap the giftbags very well in bubblewrap before sending them through the mail!  Also include some Neuhaus Chocolate brochures as well to complete authenticating the experience!  If you are not here where I am, check your own area.  There are many gourmet food factories and their stores scattered throughout the US.  
• A service or booklet of services.  This is something great for kids to give out.  They can color their booklet or homemade gift coupons to their liking, enhancing them with glitter and bubble gluepens....yarn or whatever....how about 1 hour of yard work?  Or a 20 minute massage for mom?  Kids, there are lots of ideas out there, and this is one of my favorite gifts...I'm telling you this as a mom.  You can even give this to an elderly neighbor and make her feel like she is not always expecting your help or asking for it.

Do you have any lowcost gift ideas to share?  Also be sure to read some of my previous gift ideas on this blog.

Please be sure to visit the Carnival of Personal Finance this week to read other great money-saving tips!

Cologne Christmas Markets do not disappoint (and other tips to visit)

As I walked out the door of the main train station and looked up, the view of the Cathedral...just absolutely stops you in your tracks.  It has the distinction of having the largest facade of ANY cathedral in the world!  It is absolutely breathtaking!  It takes up your whole view!  Just beyond the steps, you can already see and smell the beginnings of the most famous and colorful Christmas market on the steps of the Dom (cathedral).  After I took in a huge whiff of roasted nuts, flammkuchen, glazed ham and even Brussels waffles, we made our way through the crowd, looking at all the booths of vendors, all neatly labeled with their wares lovingly displayed.  Only in Germany are things this organized!  We decided to do a one overnight trip to keep costs down and drove from Mons, Belgium, which is only 2-1/2 hours away in good weather.  Here's how we fared.

I always use booking.com and hostelworld.com in looking for lodging if I already don't have my own recommendations.  Even though I started looking two weeks out, the lodging close to downtown was overpriced (for my pocketbook), and I was also looking for a place where there would be cheap or free parking nearby...that narrowed the field considerably.  I decided to test out the four star Holiday Inn by Bonn/Koeln Airport.  I chose it because parking was included in the room rate, and the S-bahn (metro) station was only a 10 minute walk or 2 minute free shuttle ride from the hotel.  The hotel is right on the airport grounds and even offers special hotel rates where you can leave your car up to 15 days, so a great jumping-off point for your vacations that involve a flight.  Plus, there are lots of last minute and lowcost vacation packages leaving out of Cologne...and don't forget the lowcost carriers like German Wings.  Find these deals on lastminute.de or travelzoo.com.

So, we arrived Saturday morning, just before lunch.  Since our room wouldn't be ready for another hour, I had already mapped out my favorite German superstore nearby, the REAL....allowing us to load up on German Christmas goodies and just great German shopping....can you tell I've been missing Germany?

Once we settled into our room and changed into something warmer, we headed downtown.  One great thing about staying overnight, is that you get to really relax and enjoy the evening ambiance.  We made sure to do that, and I think we ate our way through at least every other stall at the Christmas markets, along with a visit to one of the more famous beer pubs in Cologne.  I say markets, because Cologne has SEVEN  Christmas markets.  We only made it to half of them in the two days....honestly, you do see a lot of repeats and the farther away you get from the Cathedral, the cheaper the items become.  But of course you knew that!  Same goes for souvenir shops and other such shopping.

Also be sure to visit the tourist bureau, which you will see to your right, after exiting the train station on the cathedral side.  It is the modern building with the big red "i" on it.  All city and town tourist bureaus are marked the same way.  The advantage of going to the tourist bureau, is that you can find out about special events.  We picked up free brochures on special exhibits and museums, as well as one detailing the locations, hours and prices (a few were not free) of the Christmas markets.  City maps cost 20 Euro cents, but that was fine by me...it was pretty detailed and also had the transit map included.  Tourist bureaus are also great for hotel reservations, IF you know ahead of time what price range you are willing to pay.  Some even track the local B&Bs.

More on the hotel....the hotel restaurant was very fancy and expensive, so we didn't indulge, but the room service was very reasonable with the biggest burger I've EVER seen in my life and fries costing only 10 euro.

All in all, a wonderful trip.  Since we were a few weeks early for the Cologne shopping Sundays, we window shopped on Sunday instead, enjoyed our morning in a local coffeehouse and then shopped at yet another Christmas market, which opened at noon.  I definitely recommend you take the time to head out to Cologne and enjoy.  FYI, if you are interested in crazy Karnival Season (like Mardi Gras in New Orleans and just as wild), make your lodging bookings NOW, before things fill up.  Of course, some of the lesser known Karneval events have already begun, but the BIG parade on Rose Monday is on 7 March 2011 this year.  Be sure to check out the latest Germany travel guide from your library and note the local must-see sights too before you go..the Chocolate Museum and Germanic-Roman Museum do come to mind.  Do you have any recommendations on Cologne?

Tis the Season - Our Christmas Traditions

Wow...it really is the season. We were lucky to all be together this holiday season...and this year, instead of hectic running around from one event to another, we chose to stay home. I did go mid-morning to see one of our battalion newborn babies at our local hospital...it is always wonderful seeing a Christmas baby...but otherwise, we stayed home and enjoyed each other's company. Here we are in Germany...and no snow this year for Christmas! The sleds stayed parked where they were.

Last night, we stopped by our neighbors for dessert and good cheer. It is always nice to catch up with our stairwell neighbors, and we are extremely lucky not to have the in-fighting and passive aggressivity that some of the other stairwells have. Of the five out of eight families who were here, two of those will head out skiing for New Year's and one family had a total of 14 guests visiting from out of town and planned to stay in. I couldn't imagine the logistics of them going anywhere as a group anyway. We wrapped up coming back to our apartment, checking out Santa on the Norad Santa Tracker, singing a few songs, reading the Christmas story and then leaving cookies...and in a new German tradition...beer...out for Santa. Each child also left a note...how sweet.

I retreated to the guest room to do my frantic wrapping, under the auspices that I had to wrap some of dad's gifts. I am happy to say that more was not best this year...we REALLY toned down the giftgiving and materialism. Each child had about nine gifts, mostly books, and my husband and I...just a few. As every year, both the dog and the cat each got a gift too. Then...exhaustion and into bed and sugarplums dancing in my head...this is the first year we decided to bypass the Nutcracker Ballet...but that is yet another story. It must've literally been on my mind.

Since I had planned ahead and baked our traditional Christmas Stollen a few days ago, we were able to have that for breakfast. One day I will have to post the recipe...it tastes MUCH better and is more flavorable and more moist than the ones you buy in the package. The recipe was handed down from my husband's grandmother, who migrated to America from Cologne. It's nice to think about those who came before us, while I prepare this decadent treat.

Once every one is dressed, beds made, full breakfast tummies, out comes the camera and video camera and the unwrapping commences! It's always fun to watch the facial expressions when gifts are opened...both the good and the bad...and mmmoooommmm! Come on! We always save the gifts that came in the mail for last, and my father did not disappoint with some out-of-the-ordinary books and of course a wii. I resisted for so long....guess I need to enter the gamer world now too, to an extent. It'll be nice to see what all the hullabaloo is about.

Since dinner last night was lowkey with some pasta with cream sauce and some smoked salmon...a Christmas Eve favorite, today's menu was more robust and included prime rib with horseradish sauce, creamy mashed potatoes, crispy grilled asparagus, a vinaigrette German green salad and sparkling grape juice in the "nice" crystal glasses. I am still full as I sit and write this. I honestly think that this year, I won't get an opportunity to eat my Walker's Shortbread, which my husband religiously gifts me....every single year...is he trying to get me to go fat?

And tomorrow...we'll try something different. We decided to take a trip down to Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangua, two of Mad King Ludwig's castles....just for the day. Otherwise, more hanging out and enjoying the holiday before the big New Year's Eve Party we plan to attend...again, as a family. Let me just bask in it for now....as next year promises to be a whirlwind. Good night and happy holidays to you all!

What are your family Christmas traditions?

Don't Want to Forget

Here we are up to our ears in Christmas cookies, garlands and in my house...pine needles from a tree that is obviously not getting watered enough. As I sit here wrapping gifts and mentally going over my Christmas Dinner shopping list, I am thinking of our extended family...the soldiers.

Please take a break from your hustle and bustle and stop by Great Americans to see where ordinary Americans are doing extraordinary deeds....and a reminder to say a few blessings for all our men and women who will not get to spend the holiday with their family but are determined to carry out their jobs so we can enjoy the season.

One Soldier's Sacrifice - watch more videos

I Can't Imagine Being this Lazy....BUT....

I really can't imagine being this lazy....I dream about it sometimes, but....I just can't make myself do it....at least at this point in my life. What am I talking about?

It's having someone else do the work....your work...when it's someone's birthday, or a holiday or any other special event. Yeah, I know our lives get busy, busy....mine too...and somehow, I always pull it out of nowhere to recognize that special someone with something I think they would treasure...or at least I think they would like. I used to let my life get in the way and gasp.....I actually forgot someone's birthday once....it was embarrassing, and I will truly never forget it. So, now I signed up with Amazon's free gift service. I put in everyone's birthday and all the other holidays and get an email reminder a few weeks out....just enough time to get a card or gift out in the mail....and not necessarily from Amazon. Then I get another reminder the day of the event, so I can call. I'm on email twice a day, so this works out perfect for me. I've also used Memo To Me in the past with good success.

But should I ever get lazy...or just overwhelmed, in addition to gift baskets you can send out from a variety of websites, I like these other options too:

• Jacquie Lawson personalized cards. I finally broke down and got a subscription to a full year's worth of personalized interactive cards....many hilarious, cute and thoughtful. These are not your run-of-the-mill e-greeting cards. Be sure to check them out.

• Fairy Tale Memories Deployed Designs. These ladies must be master scrapbookers. They will personalize cards for you....using a variety of materials, stamps and ideas...to make it look like it came from you....actually....better than you! I like that you can sign up for their subscription service and have all your holidays and birthdays taken care of for the entire year. I bet you need deep pockets for that particular option....but it is a fleeting thought. Maybe when my husband becomes President, and I have a list that spans twenty pages....that would be a viable option.

Anyway, I know I am making fun of this, but I just wanted you to know that it IS okay to farm out making someone feel special and happy on their birthday or another holiday, when the stress of doing it yourself is making your life miserable. It IS the thought that counts, and if you take at least a few minutes on that special day to call that special someone, then you have at least my seal of approval for whatever that's worth!

What do you do to keep track of those special events and to celebrate those special days?

Things I Learned at My Unit's Last Holiday Party

Our annual holiday party is now over for the year. It was a party for most who attended, but for a small handful of us...it was some serious work...that started about a month ago. We opted to rent a community club...a nice large room with a bar area, plates and flatware provided, along with a sound system and a stage for Santa. We had it catered by a favorite restaurant and had everyone bring their favorite dessert. We provided sodas, water and juice boxes, along with some traditional German hot drinks set up in crockpots. Our teenagers set up craft tables along the side to keep the little ones entertained and busy. We also had a door prize type of raffle, a raffle for a donated $200 statue and sold limited edition ornaments and some we made ourselves on CafePress. We ended up with a very tidy profit, tired feet, but many happy partygoers. In looking back, here are some tips I can share that we'll keep in mind for next year.Ideas may include:

• You can't do it all. Delegate tasks and do it early. A holiday party committee with regular meetings in the two months before the event is a stellar idea.
• Email invites are great but also budget for snail mail invites and signs around the battalion, company and barracks areas. Also make sure First Sergeants put the information out in formation and at staff meetings.
• Sell ornaments with your unit crest or insignia. This can be a huge moneymaker. We spent about $4 per ornament (we had a bulk order plus a shopowner discount) and charged $10 each. We uploaded our battalion crest and wrote in the name of the unit below on one of Cafe Press' oval ornaments. It was a big hit and a great memento from our unit. We set up our one shop and our one product (this keeps it free) and ordered our items early. Even though we had a small handful of defective ornaments, Cafe Press immediately sent out replacements and told us to discard the defectives...great customer service. Turn around time to our APO address was only 10 days.
• Secure donations to raffle off...or sell opportunities to win (whichever is legal in your area). We had a soldier's mother donate a Michael Garman statue. We also got some items from our local USO and other generous donors to raffle off. Someone's father was the member of a military organization, and they sent two checks to buy items. We had a separate raffle for the statue and another one for the door prize items. We used regular raffle tickets for the door prizes and for the Garman, we used a deck of cards. We cut each card in half as a person purchased a "ticket", we kept one half and they kept the other.
• Identify who will set up and clean up. We did ask the company First Sergeants for help and details to do the heavy lifting and work...but the spouses were also knee deep in the work as well. The most labor intensive work was bussing the tables and running the commercial dishwasher in the back...keeping the plates and flatware coming. We were willing to do this because it gave us a huge break on the rental of the facility. Had we gone with another facility that provided this service for us, we would've spent twice as much. Also, let the companies know, we need a detail of x number of spouses from each company to help out.
• Be creative at your party. Try something different this year, see below.

How about...

• Potluck rather than catered (assign each company a type of dish)
• Use FRG funds to purchase juiceboxes, ice and sodas
• Have each company responsible for setting up and running a craft table
• Have the unit bring a laptop and projector for a slideshow. Start soliciting early, through email, for photos or have people mail in CDs. Have one person in charge of putting that together.
• Identify a sound system and microphone so that everyone stays informed what activities are going on and are upcoming; it may also help to have a whiteboard posted with times of all the scheduled events
  
• Fundraise by selling holiday themed items specific to the unit (like ornaments) and sell raffle tickets for donated door prizes
• If you opt for catered food, have people bring desserts to share
• Reserve a location early (at least 6 months out or more)
• Reserve a Santa suit as early as you can or consider paying $300-500 for a rental quality suit you can then rent out to other units every year
• Instead of having people wait in line for Santa, give out numbers or have people sign up on a numbered list and call out the numbers in groups of five or ten

Even with our success, I would've done a few things differently. That is why our committee is having an AAR on Friday...just like the greensuiters do...after every event we plan and run, we look at the event afterwards...what went right and what went wrong...what we could've done better and what we'll keep for next time. It'll make it that much easier the next go-around, even if you have all new people doing the arranging. Next year, we may consider doing an event just for spouses...perhaps a dining out. Maybe we can set up "Photos w/Santa" for the kids or a kids' holiday party separately. We would also have a back-up microphone and send someone over to the place, early the morning of (the unit who had the place the night before, for lack of a better word...trashed the place and lost the microphone and there was a bit of scrambling as we got them to come in and help clean up...although we never found the microphone). But otherwise...it was a fun party....now...looking forward....we have to concentrate on our PX giftwrapping fundraisier and baking cookies for our single and unaccompanied soldiers...

How does your unit do its holiday parties?

Loser Gifts that are..hopefully...not on Your Giftlist

I just can't believe how anyone would pay good money on any of the gifts on Dave Barry's Annual Christmas List. I guess that's why they are on there...because we just can't believe it. Get a good belly laugh or two by reading these.

I think I have a few of my own I'd like to add as well:

That thing in the photo. My first thought was...wow, her head and arms exploded...but then again, maybe it's meant to hold jewelry...earrings? Is this something you give someone you don't really like? Where would you even find such a thing?

The Peticure. This is apparently crap, like most of the other as-seen-on-TV items. This thing is supposed to work like a Dremel and grind down your pet's nails and file away the dust in a cute little vacuum-like container. Doesn't work..it's flimsy...barely works on a Chihuahua and is made of the cheapest materials possible. Learn to use a Dremel instead.

The Moo Mixer. This thing will last about a day...it creates some kind of a vortex to mix your chocolate and your milk, directly in the drinking container. Also add that your kid will make an absolute mess in the kitchen as they learn about centrifugal force and what it can do.

Twirling Spaghetti Fork. How lazy can you get? Another battery-operated gadget that will end up in the trash. Watch your kid spray bright red spaghetti sauce all over your white walls with this one...forget it..and quickly...

The Peter Petrie Egg Seperator. Look...you will terribly upset the cook on your list if you get them one of these...it is not funny and not comical but just nasty. This is not funny...might be mildly amusing for the non-cook, but what do they know about separating the yolk from the rest of the egg anyway.

Edible Underwear. I know you're trying to be sexy or your significant other wants you to look sexy...this won't do it. Do you really think this stuff will stay up...where it's supposed to be? It'll be down by your ankles and not because your significant other made 'em go there. Or it'll disappear in your crotch as you walk from the bathroom to your bed.

Anything you think is artistic to anyone artistically inclined. They know art better than you...plus they have more than you'll ever know. Stick with things you know. And no...things from Hallmark and the Franklin Mint are not considered art items.

And lastly, my favorites....regifted items that are clearly regifted. I have no problem regifting items that may be of use or joy to the next person...but please don't regift items that have been used or are so well worn to be noticeable...unless it's an antique...Merry Christmas and happy shopping.

What have been your "favorite" gifts throughout the years?

Thank God for Little Black Dresses

I can't believe this week is getting away from me! I hosted an ornament exchange for the ladies yesterday...which was a lot of fun...then today is my Christmas Party for work, tomorrow is a community coat and tie event and Sunday is our battalion party, Sunday with Santa! I don't think I ever had the beginning of December so jam-packed! And I am just now thinking of what in the world am I going to wear tomorrow? Coat and tie means I have to wear a halfway decent dress! Argghhhh! I haven't even gone shopping...and won't have time either....I have another baby to visit, at a hospital on the other side of town...and a dental appointment today...not to mention when are we going to go get a tree??!!! And what about the centerpiece of I have to somehow come up with between now and the time of our party on Sunday? Why am I doing this to myself?

Well, there is at least one thing I can control and cross off my list right now...what I am going to wear. Thank God for the little black dress. I actually have two of them. One is a very basic A-line dress that I can wear at a funeral or dress up with a necklace or fancy scarf and wear it in the evening. The other is a little more lowcut and out of some kind of silky material...but if I wear that...I'd better wear some extra support hose to "hold it all in". So, in the next hour, I will pick one of those, pick a necklace and earrings and some basic black pumps...and be done with it. Don't you love little black dresses? Which one is your favorite?

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.

Revisiting this Holiday Gifting Thing

Now we really have to be creative. Remember last year? Most of us had oodles of money at our disposal in our credit card limits and an unlimited stash of cash in our homes...life was on the up and up in 2007....fast forward to 2008...and many of us have less money and less options. Remember when I blogged about lots of interesting gift ideas then? How about a few more that you can assemble just by rubbing a few pennies together? I'll throw those in with a few that do cost a bit more...but are worth every penny (they're useful, and that's what matters in my book).

Here are my old standbys from last year.

Here are some more for this year:

• Homemade candy, wrapped in cellophane and tied up in a pretty bow. Believe it or not, these candy items are MUCH easier to make than cookies and baked goods. Give it a try. I like the turtles and the caramel corn.
• A pretty mug or other container of Polish pottery (we have huge mugs for $9 at the PX). Fill it with some interesting candy or chocolate...in my case, it's going to be specialty flavored gummi bears or German chocolates. Lay a cut-out piece of Saran Wrap on top to keep it sealed and fresh. Then wrap the whole container in cellophane and tie with a colorful ribbon. You can even add a nametag.
• Tervis tumblers with a lifetime guarantee. These double sealed plastic drinking containers...one is even 24 oz large and fits in your vehicle cupholder...and they last YOUR lifetime...and if they don't, you can send them back to Tervis, and they will replace them, no questions asked. I was once in their outlet store in Florida where a lady brought in a bag full of glasses from the 1950s...yes, that's what she said and that's what they looked like...and they gave her a ticket to go pick out 10 new ones..no receipt and no explanation needed. You can do this thru the mail too. My brother is always re-using those cheap 7-11 plastic cups..which for all I know, are made of unsafe plastic...so this would be right up his alley.
• A handmade nutcracker. This guy makes handcrafted nutcrackers...even military ones. You send him a photo of your loved one, and he does it exactly right...he has tons of military nutcrackers on his site, plus tons of others...including some Civil War generals. He pegged my husband just perfect. You'll pay anywhere from $40-50 for one. Sorry ladies, this offer is only good if you live in Germany. I'm thinking this will make a fantastic gift for his proud momma.
  
• We talked about assembling jars of cookie and soup mixes. How about jars of bath salts?
• If your significant other travels a lot...how about doing an mp3 book for him or her? Read his favorite book....with feeling...put it on his iPod or a CD and give it to him...especially if he is ready to deploy anytime soon. He'll love to hear your voice...it's not just the little ones who love being read to.
• Those instant recipe packets. You know the ones I'm talking about...instant gravies and ready-made spices for pork chops, chilis, meatloaf and whatever else, ala McCormick. You can put a slew of these in a little basket, or tie them up with ribbon and of course wrapped in cellophane (can you tell I love cellophane...you can wrap trash in cellophane, and it'll look nice). This makes a perfect gift for someone who just doesn't cook.
• "I Am Not a Papercup" Mug. This is perfect for my style-conscious, Starbucks-drinking stepmom. Now instead of a papercup that falls apart and smells funny, she can have a beautiful white porcelain cup that is both eco-friendly and clean (who knows where those papercups have been?). Starbucks and most other coffee shops will even fill their coffee drinks into your mug...it looks just like the papercups w/lid...just much nicer, much sturdier, and you won't need that stupid piece of cardboard to keep your fingers from getting burnt.
• Super Strong Magnet Wrist Thingy. Okay, so I had to include something for guys specifically...although when we had a house, and I was crawling in areas I normally wouldn't crawl in, this would've come in handy.
  

Let's hear some of your ideas this year...

There's Nothing Like a German Christmas Market to Start Off the Season

It's almost the season. I've seen a Christmas tree or two in the stores already, but that is nothing compared to walking through a German Christmas Market. I love Christmas markets! Many open up this week. And we have all kinds here...from the small 20 vendor markets in a little village tucked in the hills, to the world famous Nuernberger Weihnachtsmarkt and everything in between. Not only do you find all kinds of authentic food vendors, but it is the season of Gluehwein on cold winter nights...and days...and unique Christmas gifts, wooden handcrafted items, Christmas ornaments and decorations and even the German version of "as seen on TV" items. The Christmas Market is a great place for a family outing, and every year we are in Germany, I find myself scouting out new ones. Now you can find them all in one place.

See Weihnachtsmarkt Deutschland for a list of ALL the German markets. Many even have their own websites. Before you go, you can find their operating days and hours, any outside entertainment and festivities as well as vendor information. Be sure to check it out.

Which market is your favorite?

New Year's Resolutions in Reality

Here we go again...New Year's resolutions. Along with sending out New Year's Greetings instead of Christmas ones this year, I decided I was going to continue that trend with my New Year's resolutions. My resolutions this year....is that I won't have any resolutions. Yes, that's my resolution. I refuse to beat myself up over these things, so this year, I specifically won't have any. That doesn't mean I won't have any goals. You gotta have goals...they just won't be called resolutions...and I don't have to get them done by the end of this year either. If you do decide to take the plunge and write up some resolutions, keep these thoughts in mind:

• Be realistic. If you are 50 lbs overweight or dream of being an astronaut, make sure your goals are attainable in a year...or else you are just setting yourself up for failure and a blow to your self esteem.

• Think outside the box and be specific. Let's not hear the usual "lose weight", "be a better person" or "stop drinking myself into a stupor". These are all noble goals but require more than a resolution. They require a plan and a LIFESTYLE CHANGE. If you are not willing to change your lifestyle, then you are just wasting paper writing this stuff down. Let's hear about more specific goals you can really wrap your arms around...or sink your teeth into...such as "take a college course in x" or "finish a 15km run" or "volunteer at my church doing x".

Got some ideas now that are fresh and exciting? Okay, then go for it! Care to share?

Traditions to Reflect Upon On This Christmas Eve

Perhaps you already have some nice Christmas traditions in your family. I was talking to a young mother the other day at the post office. Yes, I did wait til the last minute on a few things...I guess none of us can be perfect! Since the line was a bit long, I chatted with a young girl in front of me. Even though she had her hands full with a toddler, and a baby, she still managed to balance a package and some envelopes. I offered to hold either one of her children or package, and she gave up the package. So, we talked.

This was her first Christmas alone. Her parents were on the opposite coast...of the US that is, not Florida. Her grandparents just recently passed away in her small hometown in Louisiana. And to top it all off, her boyfriend had recently left her. But, she was determined to make this Christmas extra special for her two kids. I think she must've noticed my "deer in the headlights look". You see, just that afternoon, I had ordered a few copies of the Cajun Night Before Christmas, a very special book in our family, as it was one of the first Christmas books my children enjoyed, loving the way you can read it, with Cajun accent and all. We spent a few years stationed at Ft Polk, Louisiana, and that is where we stumbled upon this book. I had miscalculated my Amazon order for giving to family and friends and had an extra copy..and I happened to have it in the car!

After we got through the line, we walked out to my car, and I gave her the book. She leafed through it....and cried. The words are written in a way that a Cajun would speak them and were very familiar to her. Not to mention, Santa Claus is hilarious out there in the swamp with his alligator reindeer! Before we parted, she said that she won't forget this, and that this was something she can do with her kids every Christmas from here on out. She can read them this story and share with them some of their Louisiana heritage....and she can at least do it with a real Cajun accent!

Wouldn't you know this got me thinking. What traditions do I have in my family? What do I do that my parents and grandparents did? What about my husband's family? What ideas have we started up on our own, or read about or heard about?

Here are some of ours:

• We like to get out the Christmas decorations and decorate the tree the weekend after Thanksgiving.

• Almost every year, we get a family photo done. We like to do this ourselves or get my stepmom, who is a professional photographer to do one for us. This ends up on our family Christmas card.
  

• When I do remember, we like to celebrate St Nicholas Day, which happens on the 6th of December. The kids put out their little shoes and get rewarded with goodies.

• We have a basket of Christmas books that gets set out when we decorate. Almost every evening before Christmas, we get out a book and read it together. The kids especially love Cats' Letters to Santa and the Cajun Night Before Christmas.

• We like to buy a new ornament every year that signifies something we did that year as a family. We also like to buy an ornament from a trip to a foreign country if we've been to one that year.
  

• I bake a slew of Christmas cookies in the weeks before Christmas. I always make the old favorites and every year, I try at least one new recipe.
  

• When we set up the tree, we set up our Lionel Train Set around the base. The boys just love playing with it!

• We have a cloth advent calendar and move the pieces as each day goes along. We also like to get the German chocolate advent calendars - a new chocolate for every day!
  

• I bake the traditional family recipe for German Christmas Stollen, a yummy treat! We eat it on Christmas morning.

• To celebrate our German heritage, we like to open up one gift each on Christmas Eve (like they do in Germany with all their gifts) and save the rest for Christmas Day.
  

• Christmas Eve usually means smoked salmon, Christmas Day is a delicious prime rib and the roasted duck gets saved for New Year's Day.

• On New Year's Eve, my husband also insists on his pickled herring for good luck, another German tradition from up North.
  

What traditions do you have? What traditions have been carried down through the years? Which ones have you started up on your own in your family?

Christmas Craft: The Snowman Family

I am not going to admit I came up with this idea myself. I did not. But, I figured this would be something you could somewhat easily put together for your family and friends. They can make great inexpensive gifts that will be treasured rather than thrown away. I bought this item at a craft show a few years ago. The man selling them, had a line 10 deep to get at these things! It was unbelievable! Here's what you need to know to make them yourself at home.


Obviously, look at the pictures carefully. I've taken photos at a few different angles to help you out. I am not going to take apart my small treasure, but I will walk you through how I think it's put together.

• Each snowman is made individually in different heights and sizes. The craft guy had all kinds with different faces, scarves and clothing, all in holiday colors - adult male, adult female, male child, adult child, dog and cat. The scarves, hats, clothing and pet ears were hot glued on. The people also originally all had carrot-like orange wooden noses. Some of the hats also have white pom-poms glued on top.
  

• The figures are made out of white felt, sewn into a cylinder, the bottoms filled with sand and then cotton batting on top to fill up the inside. The tops are gathered into a knot and sewed up. The small dog and cat have white yarn looped out of the top of them.

• The eyes are drawn on (not with a regular marker that would bleed, more like a paint).

• The dog has a big nose drawn on, the cat has whiskers and his mouth made with black yarn.

• Each figure has a wooden painted nameplate. These were blank, already attached to each figure and the crafter had each customer fill out their order form with the names of each person. We browsed around the rest of the fair while we waited for our order to be completed. These names are written in black marker.
  

• The Christmas tree is one of those standard little 13" trees you get in craft stores. Instead of the burlap on the bottom, it has Christmas colored cloth tied around it instead.

• The wooden nameplate on top of the Christmas tree is hot glued on, as are all the others.

• Depending on how many are in your family or whether you want the tree or not, the crafter can stage the figures in whatever order he decides looks best. Most had the small figures in front and large in back. I also saw some with all of them in a line. All figures and the tree are hot glued together.

• We got one for grandmom too, and hers has all the grandkids in a line and her tree nameplate says "My Grandkids"; you can be as creative as you want

Here are a few more photos from other angles:




















Please do send me a photo if you decide to do this craft! I would love to collect them all and upload them to my site (I can remove your names if you like, or take a photo before you put the names on).

Use Movies to Teach Your Children the Lessons of Life

I know our kids watch a lot of movie and TV junk. Remember the old days when we used to play outside from sun-up til sundown and didn't even have to check in with our parents? I remember movies being a treat rather than the norm back then. As much as I hate to complain about all the TV and movie watching, I like to find a silver lining in whatever we do. You might as well use the movies as teaching lessons for your kids.

When we adults go see a movie, inevitably, we stand around the water cooler and discuss it. We talk about the parts we loved or hated. We also like to discuss what the characters experienced, saw and how they dealt with the issues and ordeals they faced. Of course we also like to talk about the bad acting and the impossibility of whatever happened. It only stands to reason that your kids think through some of the same things and with your careful listening and prodding, you can make help your child make some big strides in their development and maturity.

They may be asking:

• How did the characters deal with their situation?

• Was the choice right, wrong or indifferent? What if he had chosen differently, and how would that have changed things around him?

• What things did that character have no control over? Was there divine intervention or just dumb luck?

• Is that person a hero or someone I could ever imagine being? What about the bad guy and why did he do what he did?

With it being the Christmas Season, we recently watched A Christmas Story, which is chock full of lessons on life. After watching it, we discussed:

• Did you ever want something so badly too? What did you do about it?

• Does your family have something like the "leg lamp" in the movie? Is there something someone loves and everyone else hates?

• What caused Ralphie to get the courage to confront Scott and beat him up? What made him so angry?

• What's a bad word? Are you allowed to say bad words? What do you think of getting your mouth washed out with soap for saying a bad word? Would that keep you from saying it again? If not, what would?

• Do you know any bullies like Scott? What would you do if a bully confronted you?

• Back then, people listened to radio rather than TV. Explain why. Is there a show you like to watch a lot too? Why that show?

• Did Ralphie do the right thing by blaming his friend?

• Ralphie was disappointed with Santa. Have you ever been disappointed?

• Did you ever get a gift you didn't like? What was the worst gift you ever got?

• Talk about when you were young and if you ever got something you wished for. Talk about Ralphie dreaming about something which ended up being better as a dream than reality. Why do things like that happen, and explain if it ever happened to you.

Be sure to let your child do most of the talking and ask open ended questions such as these. While you are discussing, make sure you repeat the main lessons you want to get across from the movie. Don't criticize your child for saying perhaps the "wrong" thing, but instead answer back with "Another way you can look at it" or "Another way he could have done that, is". This will really open up your child's mind and get them thinking more outside the box.

Do you have any favorite movies that have great lessons for kids? Please list them here so we can check them out too!

Running out of Gift Ideas?

How is your Christmas shopping coming along? Done yet? Have you totally run out of ideas? If you are tired of looking for "stuff", how about putting these nice gifts together yourself?

• Nice basket with food items and homemade gift certificates are a great gift for new parents or the elderly. I buy my baskets at yardsales and Goodwill. It's amazing what nice baskets you can find!

• Nice pot or set of small pots with some herb seeds, wrapped up in cellophane and tied with a pretty bow. I like to get those huge rolls of cellophane on eBay and sometimes Sam's Club sells them inexpensively. The craft stores also sell smaller rolls.
  

• A decorative holiday plate with cookies and wrapped baked quick breads in foil. Again, use the cellophane and tie with a bow. I like to check Goodwill throughout the year for this stuff, and I recently saw that Kohl's had some on sale already. The closer you get to Christmas, the better chance you have of finding this stuff discounted. Or better yet, shop for it right after Christmas for next year.

• A Mason jar filled with brownie or cookie mix and a tag with instructions. You can find many recipes on line. One version is called sand art brownies.

• A basket filled with a few food items (spaghetti sauce and pasta with Parmesan cheese as an example), and then some restaurant.com coupons rolled up and tied with ribbon. Wrap it up with cellophane and a bow. I like to buy those coupons when I can get a $25 restaurant coupon for $3 or less. Get on their mailing list to get notified of these sales.

• Think about functional gifts. For a college student, a brand new laundry bag with detergent works well.

• Forget about the ties or fruitcakes. Men have so many ties already, and it's such a cliche and shows you have no thought or effort...don't do it. I think only 5% of the population likes fruitcakes, so unless you know someone who really likes this stuff...don't pass on those bricks please.

• For retired people, get supportive gifts. Don't get them any more knick knacks! No kitch, liquor or music boxes. Most already have so much of this junk. Start thinking about a stack of greeting cards with stamps nicely tied up with ribbon, fruit or food baskets (you can make them up yourself, you know), grocery store and restaurant gift cards (you can dress these up by putting them in a basket with some edible stuff) or magazine subscriptions (make sure they read or like it first).

• A nice professionally done photo book telling a story. Many of you can print something like this at home if you have a nice printer. You can go to Kinko's or your local print center and get it bound. Use really nice paper to make it special. All the photo processing sites online also do photo books. Have your book tell a story...use those captions. Your story can be a timeline or revolve around a theme.

• A new item for their collection. If someone does collect something, then it is okay to get them a new treasure for it.

• A stamp pad with their return address and a stack of cards and envelopes. This works great for someone elderly too. Not everyone gets those free return address labels through the mail.

• A copy of a favorite recipe with a kitchen implement or towel attached. Just make sure it is a fabulous recipe or something the person complimented you on once. Make sure the person likes to cook too!

• Think about gifting an experience, rather than a "thing". How about a balloon flight or a ride with a WWI flying ace? Or be a horse trainer, beer brewer or whatever occupation you can think of....just for a weekend with no strings attached at Vocation Vacation. Keep down the costs by finding a job in your area. The sky is the limit! If that's a little too expensive for you, how about a manicure, pedicure or massage? How about a trip to the local day spa?

• For you favorite teenager who has an MP3 player, how about music downloads? Get a giftcard from a download center online. I like Amazon.com's download center. Package the card or certificate in a small basket with some edible goodies.
  

There are also some resources online to get you thinking. Here are some of the ones I've visited recently:

Perfect Present Picker

Gift Wizard Ideas

MSN Shopping Wizard

I also like Amazon's Gift Organizer. When I missed my niece's birthday last year, I sat down the next day and entered everyone's birthday and anniversary into the Gift Organizer in my Amazon account. Now I get emails a few weeks out, reminding me of those important dates. I've yet to forget again! The Organizer also keeps you organized and keeps track of your gifts given. Very handy, so you don't give the same thing twice!

What nifty gifts have you recently given? What are you giving this year? Any new ideas or things you can pass on?

Put Your Received Christmas Cards to Good Use

I used to dutifully save all the Christmas cards and letters I was sent by friends and family. I even put them all in a baggie and labeled the bag with the year! How a.n.a.l. is that? Now I've found a better use for these cards, and it makes me happy and hopefully, someone else happy too.

I typically take a string or long piece of dental floss and hang it up between two points on a wall. The Christmas cards we get in the mail, get parked on the string. It really makes a room festive. Try it...you'll like it.

Now, don't do what I used to do after the holidays with your cards. This year, put the cards in a little basket. Every few days, next year, take out one of the cards, see who it's from and have your family pray for that family. Then, you are going to cut the card in half. Take the side with the pretty artwork...hopefully the back is still white. If not, get a large label and cover the writing. Draw a line down the middle. You are going to turn this into a postcard! Write the recipient's address and stamp on the right side, and write a nice "thinking of you" message on the left side. Don't forget to mail it. Now isn't that a much nicer thing to do with the cards than letting them gather dust somewhere?

What do you do with all your old cards?

How About a Cookie or Ornament Exchange?

Still in the holiday mood? You've probably been invited to a party at work and maybe at a neighbor's or friend's house. But you know...sometimes those shindings can be incredibly BORING. If that's not enough to get you in the spirit, or you want to do something different this year, how about hosting a cookie or ornament exchange?

I've done both in the past. If you're apprehensive about doing it by yourself, enlist a friend to co-host it with you. A cookie exchange is more labor intensive and for those who like to bake and fuss over the holidays, it's a perfect way to try new cookies and goodies. Everyone will come away with many containers of a variety of cookies. Here's how to set one up. You can also request the recipes beforehand and make copies for everyone to take home to try for themselves at a later time.

If you really don't want to or don't have the time or intensity for that, how about an ornament exchange? You can do this with a group of neighbors, friends, church group, wives get together group, Cub Scout pack...for just about any group you might belong to. Have each person bring an inexpensive wrapped ornament. Be sure to set a dollar limit. Have each family or person also bring a covered dish, or to make it even easier, just a dessert or appetizer. That means all you have to do is provide the drinks and eating implements, some festive music and you're good to go!

In an ornament exchange, you set all the pretty packages on a table. Have each person pick a number out of a hat. The person with the lowest number goes first and so on. Each picks out a gift, unwraps it and watches everyone ooh and aaah over it. The next person can either choose to take that ornament away...hey, you have to have some extra kind of excitement....or they can unwrap another gift of their choosing. The next person up can take either of those two unwrapped ornaments or choose to open up a new one. An ornament can only be "stolen" three times. After that, it stays with that person. I've seen some serious ornament exchanging going on, always in good fun, and it just amazes me at the diversity of ornaments that gets unwrapped!

Do you have any ideas for holiday fun or parties?

Free Thrills Around Town

I know with the holiday season already started in full swing, the kids are already itching to go out and do some fun things. Many of use have already budgeted our money towards holiday gifts and may not have a lot left over for too much fun stuff. If you know where to look, you can always find something FREE to impress the kids and get the whole family into the spirit of the season.

Check these out:

• Drive around and look at holiday lights; we like to get some mugs of hot chocolate and a CD of Christmas music, pack up the dog and drive around our town; some newspapers also print some of the more stellar lighted displays

• Check your local churches; many have events for the public; our favorites are always the "walk through Bethlehem" tours, and many churches go all out with animals, costumes and elaborate displays

• Don't forget to check your local Chamber of Commerce; they usually maintain a list of events around your city

• Museums, zoos and botanical gardens typically have one day free; some do this once a week, month or even seasonally

• Find a nearby "pick your own fruit" or Christmas tree farm; we've gone on hay rides, petted the animals, watched cane syrup production with a mule press and ridden ponies, had biscuits with gravy, all free at our local farm

• Check your local military bases; they sometimes have public events, such as airshows or holiday shows

• Libraries can also have events; ours doesn't do just story hour but also learning events, craft days, clowns and magicians; the holidays can be extra special

• Chain book stores want you in the giving spirit...giving away your money that is...but if you can resist the temptation, these events can be fun too

• It may be too cold for a picnic or bike ride, depending on where you live, but we've had some of our best family events, packing everyone up and heading out to our national and state parks for a nice hike; some parks also let you chop down your own Christmas tree with a permit; check their offices for more information
  

• This is the season of craft fairs; check your newspaper, school, Chamber of Commerce and church; Also see Festival Net , Festival Finder and the Crafts Fair Online
  

Do you have any ideas to share?

Find other frugal ideas at this week's Festival of Frugality #103.