Weihnachtsmarkt

            Nothing gets you into the holiday spirit more than a classic German Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas Market). Whether you enjoy ice skating in a Platz surrounded by brightly lit Christmas trees or sipping a hot drinking with friends, the markets are the place to be during the holiday season. The Christmas Markets are

full of delicious, traditional German foods and drinks such as Lebenkuchen (a soft gingerbread), Kartoffelpüffer (potato pancakes), heiße Maroni (roasted chestnuts), all types of Wursts, and of course glühwein. Glühwein is hot, mulled wine that is served around during the Christmas season. Glühwein, translated into English as “glowing wine”, gives the impression that the wine is literally glowing when it is hot. Glühwein is often served in colorfully decorated cups, which can either be kept as a fun souvenir or can be returned for money back. Each Christmas has its own glühwein cup or, depending on the size of the market, has several different cup designs. Collecting a cup from all the markets you visit can be a fun way of remembering the great times you had at each market. If you’re looking for glühwein with a twist, try the Feuerzeugbowle. Feuerzeugbowle is glühwein with sugar and rum. The glühwein is cooked in large cauldrons that have half cylinder pipes with holes drilled into the bottom hanging over the cauldrons. Large sugar cones are placed into the pipes and dowsed in rum. They are then lit on fire. This not only wows the crowd but also melts the sugar allowing it the drips through the holes and into the wine. The alcohol in the rum is burnt off by the flames but the flavor remains embedded in the melted sugar.

            Another great feature of the markets is the artisan crafts. The markets are certainly a great place to get any holiday shopping done. A highlight of the artisan crafts is the woodwork. There are booths upon booths filled with handmade wooden gifts. A big hit at the markets are the wooden ornaments. Many of the ornaments have religious images, such as Mary with baby Jesus, but there are plenty of non-religious ornaments too, such as intricate snowflakes and happy snowmen. If you are searching for a present for a young child, the markets are definitely the place to look. There are a lot of handmade wooden toys for small children. There are mobiles with colorfully painted animals for infants or push toys for toddlers. You can even find little wooden dolls and toy soldiers. If you are religious there are plenty of religious icons for sale. Many booths sell wooden nativity pieces and sets.

            Most German cities, especially the larger cities, have a Christmas market. It is definitely worth your while to visit as many as possible. Each market is unique with its own charms and own things to offer.

Thanksgiving Dinner

Around Thanksgiving time you are probably going to be desperately missing the pumpkin, cider, mashed potatoes, and turkey from home. The best way to combat these "Thanksgiving Blues" is, of course, to throw your own Thanksgiving dinner! But since Thanksgiving is not celebrated in Germany, you will not be able to find a lot of the common Thanksgiving staples here. Luckily, with a little creativity and time, you can make many of the staples by yourself or find suitable substitutes.

Most likely, the first thing you will want to search for is a turkey for your Thanksgiving dinner. Don't worry, many large grocery stores do carry frozen turkeys in many different sizes. If you can't find turkey, you will certainly be able to  find a chicken breast for a substitute. For those vegetarians among us, it is possible to find tofu turkey. However, it is very difficult to find. If you really have your heart set on tofu turkey, it's probably easier to order it online and have it delivered right to your door instead of running all over place.

Once you have obtained your turkey (or substitute), the next big task is trying to cook it. If you're anything like me, you've never cooked an actual turkey before. I recommend taking advantage of the Butterball ™ website which will give you step by step instructions on everything from cleaning to roasting the turkey. I kept my computer near by so I could skype my parents with any questions I had through out the process. Cooking a turkey is actually relatively easy once you know what you're doing.
The next must have for Thanksgiving dinner is mashed potatoes. I was not able to find the instant mashed potatoes in the store, so making the mashed from real potatoes is your only option. If you've never made mashed from scratch, don't worry, mashed potatoes are super easy to make. All you require are potatoes, milk/buttermilk, butter, and salt and pepper. First, wash and peel the potatoes. A peeler is the best tool to use but a sharp knife will also do the trick. Cut the potatoes into 1 inch cubes and put them into a pot of salted boiling water. Cook the potatoes until they break apart easily with a fork. Next you have to mash the potatoes. If you have a hand masher, it will make you life much easier. If you don't, a fork with get the job done, but, of course, will take longer. I mashed the potatoes in small batches to ensure I mashed the potatoes were very smooth. Finally, cook the potatoes in a pot with enough milk and butter to make the potatoes moist and creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste and there you go! You now have delicious mashed potatoes to serve to your guests.
The final must have for a Thanksgiving is cranberry sauce. Canned cranberry sauce is not available in Germany, however, Preiselbeeren sauce is similar in taste and is very delicious. But if you want the real deal, try making your own cranberry sauce. It's the simplest thing to make. Cook 1 cup of orange juice and 1 cup of sugar over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add 12 oz of fresh cranberries (you should be able to find these during this time). Cook the mixture until the cranberries start to pop and the sauce becomes a rich red color. The sauce will thicken as it cools. Place the sauce in the refrigerator until dinner. Serve the sauce at room temperature.
Hopefully these tips will make you feel a little more at home and will help you have a wonderful Thanksgiving abroad.