Blending Traditions: Christmas at Home

Steeped in tradition, the Christmas season is one we all look forward to rolling around each year. In our family, as I'm sure it is with most, there are dozens of traditions that make the holidays feel like the holidays to us. Some we've passed down from generation to generation, others we've recently acquired as our family trees branch off into newer branches. When D and I moved to Germany in 2011, we couldn't go home that December, so we spent our very first Christmas alone as a couple. Even though we couldn't be with family, we still kept with our Christmas traditions from home...so family never felt that far from our hearts. As the years passed by, we also began to adopt holiday traditions from our gracious host country. These days, we've got a good blend of family customs and adopted traditions that make our Christmas just that much more special.

 Christmas traditions may vary from country to country, family to family, person to person...but one thing we all can agree on is that they bring us all together during a magical time of year. Here are just a few of the ways holiday tradition has influenced Christmas at Haus Cote...

When I graduated college and D were in our first year of marriage, I decorated the WHOLE DARN HOUSE. I loved going to Garden Ridge (my Greensboro peeps know this) and buying all the Christmas decor I could stuff in one shopping cart. Obsessed, just like my momma (who has a Santa Claus shower curtain, not kidding). With all the moving we do thanks to Uncle Sam, I've slowly opted for simplicity in my holiday decor. Because lugging around 15 tubs of Christmas decor is a bit much, no? These days, we do a tree, preferably real...but I've got love for the fake ones, too. This year, thanks to the Florida heat, we're going fake...and I'm cool with it. Less pine needles to micro-manage all month, that's for sure! With the tree comes our extensive collection of ornaments we've collected on all our travels. Next year, I'm afraid I might have to be one of those people who has two trees, because we're bursting at the seams with ornaments I can't bear not to hang (thank you, Lord, for your abundant travel blessings!). My favorite ornament? I love all the ones we acquired at the German Christmas markets we frequented. Especially the pickle. While not exactly something the Germans claim as their own tradition, the fun of "hiding the pickle" continues to spread joy to tourists and locals alike.

Another fun piece of holiday decor I brought home from Europe is a wooden sled we found at a Polish antique shop in Bolesalwaic. It adds just the right amount of rustic kitsch to our living room and reminds me of the fabulous antiques stores I used to wander through during our travels. We also have a few German smokers and authentic nutcrackers scattered around the house. I couldn't leave Germany without snatching up such famous Christmas handicrafts! They'll be pieces I pass down to generations to come.

This is a tradition we haven't quite started yet in our family just yet, but it's waiting in the wings for when we have children. Families all over Germany participate in Sankt Nikolaus Day at the beginning of the advent season. Children leave out their shoes the night of December 5th, and wake up on the morning of December 6th to find all sorts of treats left in them from jolly ol' Saint Nicolas! It's such a sweet and meaningful tradition for countries all over Europe, but experiencing it firsthand while living in Germany made it all the more exciting. We loved hearing the church bells ringing in our town as Sankt Nikolaus (or der Weihachtsmann) wandered through, signifying the start of the Christmas season. I like to think of this holiday tradition as a sort of "Elf on the Shelf" for Europe. If the kiddos are bad, twigs and coal are left in the shoes instead of treats. In some areas of Germany and Austria, these bad gifts are given by Sankt Nikolaus's evil counterpart, Krampus!

I happily adopted many traditions from our time living in Germany, but none more tasty than the mug of piping hot gluhwein. Oh, the many mugs of gluhwein I've consumed the last 4 years. I bet you could wring me out and it would all be gluhwein, no joke. When the holiday season rolls around, it doesn't take me long to dust off the 53 Christmas market mugs I collected abroad (yes, you read that right) and make my first batch. In fact, I love the stuff so much, I spent quite a few hours in the kitchen perfecting my own mulled wine recipe. Don't worry, you can find it here. As long as I am living, this spiced holiday libation will be a part of our Christmas season.

Since the year D put a ring on my finger, I've mailed out a Team Cote holiday card. It's a tradition most celebrate, but one I credit to my mom, who has faithfuly sent out a holiday card from our family since I was a little girl. I used to watch her spend hours flipping through catalogs, choosing the card that reflected the perfect sentiment for the year. Once they were delivered to the house, she would sit on the couch with her address book and blank envelopes and hand-address each card, allowing me to place a stamp on the finished ones. There are years I think, ehhh, maybe I won't send any out (I'm too busy, too tired, too cheap)...but then I remember how much joy they bring me when I receive sweet cards from my friends & family. So, I continue the tradition. Even hand-addressing them just like mom. :)

The holidays are largely driven by food...good food. And rightly so. Food and tradition go hand in hand so well! There are SO many incredible treats that have become Christmas staples in our family. Every year, my mom makes a large batch of Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls (Buckeyes to Northerners, as I've been told) and gives them out to the mailman, friends at church, and family across the country. We're always lucky enough to snag a few morsels before they're divvied up, thank goodness! We also make sugar cookies from scratch in fun Christmas shapes and decorate them with colorful icings and gobs of sprinkles. This is a food tradition we've been a part of as far as my memory will go. I remember many Christmases at MeeMaw's house, all the grandbabies around her tiny kitchen table, rolling out dough, covered in flour. A tradition I most definitely will be keeping around for years and years to come (you can read more about this family tradition here). OH, and that yummy, caramel-colored doughy ring on the right there...that's our Christmas Day Monkey Bread. It isn't Christmas Day until those and Granny's Sausage Balls arrive on the breakfast table!

Sometimes they match, sometimes they don't. Sometimes I wear them after Christmas, sometimes I hide them in my pajama drawer until, well, forever. No matter the year, we open our Christmas jammies on Christmas Eve...a tradition my mom started when we were a bit older and had an appreciation for such a quirky pre-Christmas gift. Truth be told, it a gift I always look forward to, mostly because I'm curious to see whether we'll all get silly Santa onesies or something more fashionable. Even while we lived abroad, D and I continued the tradition between the two of us when we celebrated Christmas far from home. I mean, who doesn't love new jammies?!

The culmination of all traditions through the holiday season come to a head this day. It's the Big Kahuna, so we send it out with a bang! The kids (even now that we're not quite kids anymore) are the last to wake...we always find mom and dad in the kitchen sipping coffee and waiting patiently for us to come barreling down the hall. Now that we're older, we have enough restraint (although not much more than before) to be able to eat breakfast as family rather than diving straight into the presents. A smorgasbord of monkey bread, coffee cake, bacon, and sausage balls are the typical fare. Calories don't count on Christmas morning. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. 

Once breakfast is done, we all grab a spot on the couch and the gifts are distributed. Stockings are opened first...then on to the good stuff! Instead of diving in all at once, we each take turns opening a gift...and round and round it goes until all gifts are opened. Takes F-O-R-E-V-E-R (especially when all family is in town), but that's just how we like it. Christmas lasts longer this way (in our minds, at least). 

After the living room is turned into a wrapping paper war-zone, we usually call or Skype with our Kansas family...then spend the rest of the day Christmas movie watching and snacking on holiday treats until Christmas dinner is served. Again, calories don't count and a holiday ham is always in attendance. My dad's face in this last photo...the most accurate portrayal of his disdain for photos ever captured. God love 'em. ;)

I hope you've enjoyed this little peek into our holiday traditions!

What are some favorite traditions you hope to pass down to your family someday?

**Be sure to check out all the holiday tradition and cheer found across the globe over on the Expat Holidays landing page on MontgomeryFest! Happy holidays to all!**

A Floridian Easter Weekend

Tap, tap, tap…is this thing on? Hi, friends! Taking off my travel agent hat this morning and trying on my blogger hat, just to make sure it still fits. I've been quite absent from this space the last couple of weeks aside from a few quick travel posts, but this morning I woke up and felt like writing a smidge. I've got clients to quote and emails to send, but a few moments back here in this familiar space feels like hugging a long lost friend. I miss blogging regularly, but I'm also grateful for the different change of pace my life's afforded me these last few months. Rest assured, though, this blog isn't going anywhere!

Can we just pause and take a moment to appreciate the gorgeous Florida coast? I still can't believe we live 10 minutes from this scene. It may be hot as heck here, but with miles of beautiful beaches to enjoy any day of the week, I can't help but love our new town! We're creeping up on month 10 of repatriation. Insane, right? My parents came down for Easter this past weekend and we had a chat about how quickly the time has passed since we left Germany. Seems like just yesterday that they visited our new home for the first time and spent 4th of July weekend taking in our new home town with us. Now here we are, celebrating Easter together (a holiday D and I spent in Germany for 3 years straight) and making up for all the time lost with our loved ones during our stent abroad. Totally surreal!

Easter weekend was lovely…we ate, we drank (thanks for the delicious homemade wine, Cindy!) and mom & dad helped us do a few projects around the house. They're seriously the two best parents in the world! Only they would come all the way down to FL to spend the weekend doing house projects…I just love them to pieces. Mom and I made handful of different trips to Lowe's and replanted all the planters I'd killed over the winter. She's got a green thumb, so I knew I needed her expertise on what to plant and how to (try) to keep it alive over the scorching hot summer we're sure to have. And what fresh new spring backyard would be complete without a fun flamboyance of pink flamingos?! We're feeling positively Floridian these days. We even got a cute little lime tree! I already can't wait to make margaritas. That is, if I don't kill the thing. #fingerscrossed

While mom and I planted flowers, D and my dad gave our laundry room a much needed face lift! As laundry rooms go, we've got quite the spacious one (and it's upstairs…a housewives dream!). But it was missing storage and a paint color other than beige. D and I spent the the weekend prior painting the room a pewter-gray color (Polar Star by Valspar) and while dad was in town, they hung shelving and cabinetry along the back wall. I'm so thankful to have such a handy father because the room looks awesome and now has more functionality (good for resell!). I still have some jazzing up to do, but that's nothing a good afternoon at Home Goods can't fix.

BEFORE

(photo from the previous owners)

AFTER

(forgive the iPhone photo quality)

And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the plethora of DELICIOUS Easter goodies we all had the pleasure of enjoying over the weekend. Thanks to the kind folks at Shari's Berries, we gorged ourselves on the juiciest (and most festive) chocolate-covered strawberries, chocolate-covered Oreo cookies, Easter brownie pops, and chocolate dipped pretzels! I couldn't get over how cute every item was…especially those brownie pops! I've always been a big fan of Shari's Berries (they make great Mother's Day gifts…hello!!) and once again they wowed me! Got a gift to give? Why not give the gift of delicious strawberries! Check out more from Shari's Berries here!

How was your Easter weekend?

Our Very Scary Holiday

Whew...where to start, where to start? I guess I can begin by asking how each of your holiday celebrations shaped up? I hope Santa was good to you all! For Team Cote, well, our Christmas started out lovely, but ended far from blissed-out. 

On Christmas Day, after all the presents had been opened and Christmas lunch was on our minds, I noticed our sweet Tucker-dog was acting a bit funny. He was hanging his head low, shivering some, and just not his spunky self. He'd gotten lots of new toys in his Christmas present that morning and had been going HARD playing with them all. Harder than usual. I, at first, thought he was just totally wiped out and wanted all of us to sit down and cuddle with him, but then I picked him up. He screamed bloody murder and my heart sank. Something serious was up. Of course, with it being Christmas Day, nothing was open but the ER vet. I knew the ER vet would drain our pockets just from walking in the front door, so we opted to make him rest the rest of the day and take him to our regular NC vet first thing the next morning. Cut to our vet appointment next day...x-rays done and verdict in...Tuck is an IVDD dog and has injured his neck. :(

[Our handsome boy a few weeks before his injury]

IVDD (also known as Intervertebral Disc Disease) is common among the Dachshund breed. In fact, it's highly suspected that it's hereditary. Imagine our surprise and dismay when we saw his x-rays and the vet proceeded to show us multiple disc narrowings in his neck disc-space and a few mid-back. Heartbreaking. What's even more disconcerting? Knowing the narrow discs could possibly have been there since birth. Double heartbroken. Our vet concluded that he likely injured it from playing so vigorously Christmas morning (a severe muscle sprain coupled with minor disc inflammation). D and I proceeded to kick ourselves. Why did we try to spoil our pup with fun toys?!?!?!! And why did we ever start letting him on furniture?!?! Parental guilt is a total jerk (even of the fur-child variety). If only we could go back and tell our college-selves to stick to better doxie practices. We knew our pup would forever be prone to back issues because of his stature, but our delusion that it could never happen to Tuck just slapped us across the face. HARD. You live, you learn. Thankfully, Tuck doesn't have a slipped/bulging disc or any major spinal cord pressure...just some disc inflammation & narrowing. So, no surgery needed, no paralysis, no major decisions to be made. Our small silver-lining. The vet prescribed him anti-inflammatory meds, pain meds, and a muscle relaxant and suggested we monitor him, let him rest, and start restricting all jumping off furniture from now until forever...before he REALLY injures himself. Done and done. Except not so much.

Doxies are, by nature, the most stubborn, hard-headed dogs on the planet. We knew this from day one, but trying to keep a dog (an 8-year-old one, at that) that goes from 0 to 60 in 2.5 seconds from jumping up on the furniture he's be jumping on for years is like trying to tell Kim Kardashian not to have such a large butt. IMPOSSIBLE. D and I spent 5 days trying our darndest to keep him from doing any activity whatsoever without keeping him 100% confined to a crate (which wasn't suggested to us at the time--can you believe it?). We got him a doggy playpen and pretty much lived in there with him and watched him like a hawk, stifling his natural puppy playfulness (SO HEARTBREAKING). Within 3 days, he was acting like his normal self. No signs of pain whatsoever. So, we started to allow him to move around more (no jumping), but still hovered like helicopter parents. This was our first big mistake. We should have given him the full week of rest instead of assuming he was all rainbows and sunshine again. New Years Eve, I picked Tuck up to carry him outside to do his business and BOOM...more blood-curdling yelps. And off to the ER vet we went.

After another round of x-rays and some blood work (precautionary...he had a slight fever, but it went down shortly after he rested at the vet) we still had the same diagnosis of IVDD with disc inflammation...only this time, Tuck was to be strictly crate rested 24/7 for 3-4 weeks. Once again, D and I were devastated and kicking ourselves. Dogs aren't as resilient as they lead on! We took him back home and I sent D off to buy Tuck a new crate. Tuck hasn't been in a crate since 2009. This was going to be a long and heart-wrenching journey to recovery. I couldn't imagine keeping him crated, only allowed out for potty breaks 4 times a day. Seems so cruel, even though it's much needed.

So, this is where we find ourselves today. On day 5 of strict crate rest and Tuck, while whiny from time to time, has proved that you can teach old dogs new tricks, no matter how heartbreaking it is for us to watch! We've had to do some weird things (like placing his crate on the couch beside us or on a table beside our bed so he feels like he's right there with us at all times), but whatever it takes for him to heal and feel as comfortable as possible in the process. He's already seeming to feel great again, but we're no dummies. He's staying in that thing until 1 month has passed and vet gives us the all clear! We don't have another spare $1,000 for repeat vet visits. And we want Tuck to be with us as long as possible, no taking chances ever again. While his IVDD will never go away and we have to change his entire way of living/behaving from this day forward, the vet foresees a full recovery of his current injury. PRAISE THE LORD!

[Our first day with Tuck in 2006...what a sweet little nugget!]

All that being said, we had quite the stressful, worry-filled holiday season. Not what one ever hopes for and not another week and a half I ever want to experience again. There's nothing scarier than thinking you're going to lose your fur-child (aside from a real human, of course) or the fear that he might be adversely changed forever. I wish I could go back and change so much of the last 8 years. Hindsight has us reeling. I haven't cried this much in a long while. We also haven't been able to do or think of much other than Tuck here lately. A total life-change for us all! While it seemed so daunting and impossible to rewire Tuck, he's showing us that with a little faith and by taking on this new adventure one day at a time, we can make it through. Plus, my dad is awesome and currently building pet ramps for Tuck for all his post-recovery activity. This issue totally rocked my parents world, too. They love Tuck just as much as we do! He did live with them for 3 years, after all. 

This hiccup is indeed the reason for all the somber tweets and hiatus from the blog recently. We're now back in FL (his injury had my stay extended another week in NC) and we're slowly adjusting to life post-holiday & hardship. I'm emotionally and physically drained, but so thankful Tuck is here with us and on the mend. We'd pretty much do anything for that hot dog! If you're the praying type, please keep our little warrior in your prayers. And us, as well. We've still got a long road and the always looming threat of re-injury to face, but with all the support and love we've gotten and the Good Lord on our side, we will overcome this! Onward to better days...

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas...

Merry Christmas Eve Eve, friends!

I honestly can't believe it's almost Christmas. Time flies when you're surrounded by friends, family, and wayyyyy too many Christmas cookies. I'll be taking a vacation to Diet City come January 1st, whew! ;)

 In keeping with holiday tradition of spending quality time with loved ones and being a little less submerged in the internets, I'll be signing off from blog world for the rest of the week. But before I go, I want to wish each and every one of you a wonderful Christmas!! May your days be filled with joy, your trees full of gifts, and your hearts full of love this holiday season. And never forget the true reason for this beautiful time of year, the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Wishing you overflowing blessings in 2015!

And if you've got big travel plans in the New Year, email me! 

I'd love to make all your 2015 travel plans a reality!

[[end shameless new biz plug ;)]]

NYC at Christmas: Radio City Rockettes

    

If you've never experienced New York City at Christmas time, well then, you simply haven't lived. Having a sister that lives just across the Hudson Bay has made my trips to the Big Apple much more frequent than I'd ever dreamed. Totally not a bad thing...I love NYC! A few weeks before Christmas in 2012, my sister, mom, aunt, Kansas cousins, and I got together and planned an epic NYC girls trip. We hit up every touristy Manhattan staple that we could fit into 4 short days. Ice skating in Bryant Park, shopping at Macy's, seeing the massive tree at Rockefeller Center, viewing the city from the top of the Empire State Building, strolling Central Park, playing around in FAO Schwartz, window shopping along 5th Avenue, brunching at Penelope, browsing Chelsea Market, jumping around screaming at Kathy & Hoda behind the Today Show windows (we were totally on TV!), and we drank some stellar $16 margaritas at Dos Caminos. Like I said, it was jam-packed 4 days. One NYC Christmas tradition that we knew we had to see for ourselves was the famous Radio City Rockettes! They were hosting their annual Radio City Christmas Spectacular, so we all jumped at the chance to grab mezzanine seats. 

The Rockettes were amazing. I'll forever be envious of those high kicks! As for the rest of the show, the costumes were gorgeous, the lighting was super charming, and the orchestra was top notch. While geared towards the kiddos a bit more than I would have liked (it was cheesy at times), the show really did a wonderful job of getting us in the holiday spirit! I can see why it's a time-honored piece of NYC holiday history. If you ever find yourself with an evening to spare in the city, don't hesitate to spring for a little holiday cheer with the Rockettes!

Have you ever experienced NYC at Christmastime? 
If so, what's your favorite part?

Spreading Holiday Cheer with Minted [GIVEAWAY!]

Isn't it glorious? CHRISTMAS CARD SEASON IS UPON US! I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a huge fan of Christmas. I mean, who isn't? One of my favorite traditions when the holiday season rolls around is sending out Christmas cards to all our family and friends. In fact, since D and I have been married, we've sent out a family Christmas card each year! I love rifling through our photos from the year and creating special collage of memories to mail off to our nearest and dearest. It's the perfect way to remind your loved ones that you miss them, are thinking of them, and wish them all the best in the coming new year. Truth be told, there have been years where I felt too busy, too wrapped up in life to even choose a card to send. But then I remember how important it is to spread holiday cheer (and keep snail mail alive!) and I somehow find the time to design the perfect holiday card. Thankfully, Minted makes the whole Christmas card process super easy, customizable, and just so much darn fun to do!

...CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE ON TO GIVEAWAY!!...

Christmas Day Rewind

I'm sure everyone can agree, Christmas went by far too quickly this year. I don't know about you guys, but between my parents visiting the beginning of December and having a jam packed party-filled 6 days leading up to Christmas, I feel like D and I need a vacation after our holiday. Restful and relaxing it was not...memory filled, though? To the brim! This was our very last Christmas abroad in Germany...sad but true. While we're so looking forward to getting back to celebrating holidays with our close family and friends, we're both really going to miss these quiet Christmas mornings, just the two of us opening gifts and being silly. Being away from family and all the Christmas traditions we hold dear has been hard these last few years, but D and I have also learned to adapt and create fun traditions for our 'someday family' to share. Now, I'm not saying ditch your grandma and hole up alone for Christmas, but if you've never experienced a Christmas just you and your spouse, maybe give it a go one year? It's amazing how not alone you can feel on Christmas when you spend it with your best friend and partner in crime! This Christmas was no exception.

On Christmas Day, D and I slept in, pilfered through the stockings (and winter beers) Santa so thoughtfully left under our tree, made our favorite Christmas Day monkey bread and sausage breakfast (with a side of yummy peppermint mochas), opened gifts from Santa and each other (yes, Santa still visits our house!) with Christmas Vacation blaring in the background, cooked my famous mac & cheese and carried holiday treat bags over to a friends house for a Christmas Day Pajama Party, and we spent the evening playing White Elephant gift exchange, Christmas carol Win, Lose, or Draw, and sharing stories of Christmases past with our adoptive family here in Germany. D even scored a brand spanking new laptop he had NO CLUE Santa was getting him. The joy on his face was worth every hassle of Christmas. Even though it's mostly a blur, our last Christmas abroad was a pretty special one. Tell me, how was your Christmas?