December 1 - I'm finally looking forward to the Christmas season again - because my mother gave me an advent calendar as a present
I admit that I'm getting nervous. My mother's package still hasn't arrived. It contains something that I urgently need today: my advent calendar. I moved out of home over seven years ago, am firmly established in my professional life and more in my 30s than my 20s, so I'm afraid I won't be able to open my first door today. I don't even know what exactly is hidden behind it because my mother has made a cryptic riddle out of it. "No chocolate or anything else to eat, but you might still enjoy it," she explained on the phone earlier this week. I will hopefully find out today whether this means cooking recipes, wellness goodies or toys.
The Advent calendar magic lost its effect
This is not a family tradition, as you might think after reading it for the first time. It's been ages since my mother last gave me an advent calendar. Even in the last years of school, when I was still living at home in a small Bavarian village, I bought my own Advent calendar. Sometimes it contained chocolate, sometimes cosmetics, sometimes tea bags. By the time I got to the latter at the latest, the Advent calendar magic had completely lost its effect. Too often I didn't like the tea of the day, too often I forgot to even pull it out of the Christmas-printed cardboard display.
As a notorious coffee drinker, the fact that I tried to make friends with tea at all could be identified as a fundamental problem. But the root lies deeper. In recent years, I have become increasingly disgusted by the cold and darkness. Even in the fall, I let the anxious certainty of the impending winter spoil my mood. I have an ambivalent relationship with Christmas: I love the festivities at home with my family; they are the most beautiful and carefree days of the year. But I hate the run-up to Christmas. I think gingerbread and cookies are overrated, mulled wine is far too sweet for me and I only go to Christmas markets when I can no longer cope with the pressure from my circle of friends.
Suddenly the anticipation is back
You could say that the anticipation of Christmas is overshadowed by my personal struggle with the dwindling daylight and falling temperatures. That's why, in recent years, I've gotten into the habit of escaping to tropical regions for several weeks in November or December to soak up the sun again. However, returning to Germany had the effect that the cold hit me with even more force and banished any spark of Christmas spirit from my freezing body. This year, however, a spark remained that might even turn into a small, warming fire.
I have my mother to thank for that. And the feeling of being a child again, eagerly awaiting the surprise. A feeling that is usually reserved exclusively for Christmas Day. The fact that I'm starting the Advent season with this childlike anticipation this year is already making the short days more bearable. And it's not just the anticipation that warms my heart, but my mother's gesture. The fact that she remembered little Laura's shining eyes and helped me get through the cold season with this pre-Christmas gift. Perhaps an advent calendar works its magic best when it is given as a gift with a loving thought behind it. I'm going to try it out this December - if only the letter carrier would finally ring the doorbell...
Lesen Sie auch:
- Do I still want to have children in this world? Yes, I do!
- What viewers need to know about season three
- Despite the past years where I bought my own Advent calendar, I'm grateful my mother revived the tradition this year, as I eagerly await the surprise behind the first door of my 'advent calendar'.
- The Top news of the day mentioned the revival of an old German tradition, with many families purchasing or receiving 'Advent calendars' filled with various treats instead of just chocolate.
- This year, the Headlines were filled with joyous stories of people, including myself in Germany, rediscovering the magic of Christmas, as they counted down the days with their 'Advent calendars'.
Source: www.stern.de
