cheer

This was meant to be my  holiday post, but due to some technical difficulties with my mac book I have just now been able to post it. ~

Sitting on a chilly train ride with the retched smell  from the bathroom creeping on me each time the door is swung open, I see the most beautiful of sights. Parts of Barvarian forest and hills covered in fluffy white snow. I have decided to reflect upon the beauty of Christmas. I think as an exchange student it is difficult at times to say good bye to seeing your family or signifgant others that mean the world to you and more, especially when you cant see them during the holidy. Here though, it is easy to get lost and ponder ones thoughts.I wonder if you haven’t felt seasonal cheer wrap around you and pull you under its snowy blanket with green,red and silver bows. The spirit of Christmas is here,and I’m not talking about discount prices or free wrapping It doesn’t hide behind price tags or fake smiles either that we are often tortured with in the US. I feel here in Germany Christmas is for some reason more alive. It hangs on the trees in the form snow, it takes you by the hand and warms you with sweet pungent Gluhwein. It brings cheer too, in all different forms to the heart,  to feel this you can just gaze upon the children ice skating and sense the sheer enjoyment. Germany will touch each sense simply and take you away with seasonal delights. The lights dancing on the high wires down each walking path,will imprint the idea of a time far from the modern commercialized garbage. I haven’t felt this kind of joy for Christmas for a long time. I always feel bombared  with having to make other people happy( thanks to retail work) and rather stressed during this time of the year. All the loud Christmas music that is pasted on each department stores speakers and employees donning fake green and red attire make me want to vomit. You want a unique present for a person you love and care about? How about spending time with the person you care about and strolling through one of the various paths in a German city. The lights and the atmosphere will enchant you. Christmas markets that are special to each city will turn your eyes. Crafts of various colors made by artisitans and craftsman alike. Ribbons float in the wind with cookies caked with frosting. Chocolates and treats are showcased with warming golden lights. Hold the hand of a loved one and smile as your heart becomes warm with cheer. Christmas isn’t about the greatest gift or the most money spent. I think we often get lost in the monetary value of material things. We often forget in our individualized lives that it isn’t what someone purchases it is the time that they spent with you or the memories you have accumulated over a number of experiences. I catch myself staring into space often alone during this time of year as I look back on christmas’s from the past. I remember being a child. Christmas as a child is so vibrant and fresh. Each sense takes you away, and you let it. I wish for a child like appreciation for the holidays, I wish for joy and love to capture me and take me away. I hope for time with loved ones and for lasting memories to be made.  I cannot tell you how forward I am looking to spending time with my dear friend in Norway. I treasure her friendship, I think without her, well life would not be so wonderful.I may not be able to go home and see the most amazing people in my life that I have the honor to call my family. I miss them dearly, and I care for them more than any word in any language can ever express. I hope they have a very amazing Christmas. The friends that are in my life that I don’t get to see each day and talk to, I miss you all too. I hope you all have a beautiful time this holiday. Just take a moment and feel the Christmas spirit, its there.