It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

So, this post is going up a week after I wrote it because we were without internet access for that long as the telephone/internet service was being changed from René’s name into ours. It’s still new news for you, though, so I thought I would post it as is! Hugs and Happy Thanksgiving to all!  We're having a Thanksgiving pot-luck at our flat on Sunday for all of Sidonie's colleagues - we're excited to share about all the many things we have to be thankful to God for!

So, here's my post from last week...

The first snow fell yesterday morning! It was so exciting! Our first German snow of our first German winter! Now, for those of you who have already had several feet of snow and are not at all thrilled at the prospect of more, let me remind you that last winter we were living in sunny, warm Orlando (not that we were complaining,) and it had been a couple years since we’d seen snow (since we’d lived in Virginia Beach.) Also, I think all of you who have experienced snow, can agree that there is something magical about the first snow of the season! It’s so exciting to see the beauty of a serene landscape blanketed in undisturbed white. It’s like a little gift from God: a bit of beauty to add some cheer to the dark winter day. Speaking of dark, as the season progresses here it does get darker and darker. At the moment, we have sun from about 8 or 8:30 AM until about 3 or 4 PM. By 5PM it is quite dark. I took the recycling out around 5 yesterday, and if I had had to guess what the time was based on the light, I would have said about 9PM – if that helps you picture it.

On typical mornings, we usually get up around 6:15 (when it is still quite dark) to get ready for Sidonie to leave for school (on Mondays, I have to get up a bit earlier for work, as I teach downtown at 7:30, but most other days I don’t leave for work until after Sidonie has gone to school.) After I make juice for the day, I usually go open the blinds so that when the sun shows his face, René’s plants (which, by the grace of God alone, are still mostly green!) will get some light. I’m thankful that the plants are moving with René and Betty to their new flat in about a week! When I opened the blinds Friday morning, I saw it – the spectacular sight of our first snow! Because it had been raining for two days and the temperature was just a hair above freezing, the snow did not stay on the ground except in tiny patches in the shade, but this morning when I opened the blinds, I saw that it had snowed again last night and there was a fresh crisp blanket of white covering the landscape!

As I went down to check the mail this morning (I don’t have to leave the building as it’s deposited in boxes near the front entrance to the building, thank goodness) I saw three little children playing in the freshly fallen snow. There’s still not quite enough snow to build a proper snowman, but they were making a valiant attempt! I love the Holiday season!

I got some pictures from our balcony of the chilly serine morning as huge fluffy flakes fell Friday (look at that alliteration, would you, and I didn’t even do it on purpose! It must be all the good literature I was exposed to as a child. ;)

The courtyard outside our balcony.

As the snow was falling...

...more of the same...

...and still more!

There were several different reactions to the snow among Sidonie’s colleagues. Some of them were almost as excited as we were while the other end of the spectrum was represented as well, with those from far colder (and “snowier”) regions bemoaning the beginning of winter. Ah well, we still choose to enjoy it!

Have a WUNDERBAR TAG!