A Visit from St Nicholas
At this time of year, there are saints galore being celebrated in German tradition: first St Martin, then St Barbara, and today on the 6th December we are celebrating St Nicholas. There are many legends surrounding St Nicholas, who lived
Branches for St Barbara’s Day
Today I wanted to tell you a bit more about one of the traditions I mentioned in my recent post on 'How to Celebrate Christmas Like a German'. At this time of year, we've just finished mourning the passing of
How to celebrate Christmas Like a German
Earlier this week, I was chatting with someone about how we celebrate Christmas in Germany, and they were surprised at how much it differed in some ways from Christmas in the UK. My lucky boys of course get to grow
How to Create a Book Advent Calendar
To finish off this week's focus on Advent Calendars, I have another slightly different idea for you, that will especially appeal to all book lovers - how to create a Book Advent Calendar! Instead of getting chocolates or toys every
Activity Advent Calendar Tips & Template
Whether you are looking for an alternative to chocolate Advent calendars (anyone else still working their way through the Hallowe'en candy?), are tired of those pre-filled toy calendars that just add more plastic tat to your house, or are simply
Advent Calendar & Stocking Fillers for Kids Age 4+
With just over ten days to go until 1st December, it's time to get your Advent calendars organised! When I was kid, we always got Advent calendars filled with little gifts each day. My calendar was a cross-stitch sampler with
Review: Adopt an Elf for Christmas [AD]
Do you have a Christmas Elf in your house? We will have one for the first time this year, as the folk from ‘Elf for Christmas’ have kindly sent us one of their Elf Toy & Magical Reward Kits for
Advent Calendar & Stocking Fillers
Yesterday, I promised you some ideas for filling a DIY Advent Calendar. My boys are 3 and 7, and will pretty much be getting the same. A couple of things are recommended for ages older than 3, but the little
Alternative Advent Calendar Ideas
It's that time of year again, when you think you still have a good few weeks to get yourself organised for Christmas, then suddenly realise it's less than 10 days to go until 1st December and you haven't got the
How we celebrate Christmas – twice
As a Scottish-German family, the question I probably get asked the most is whether we bring up our kids bilingually and, if so, how? I've actually written about it before, so you can read my answer to that question in
Advent Calendar fillings for a new mum
Following on from yesterday's suggestions on filling an Advent calendar for kids, I wanted to share some suggestions with you today on filling an Advent calendar for a new mum! Because new mums can always do with a little bit of
Advent Calendar fillings for 6 & 2 year olds
Yesterday, I shared our Advent Book Calendar with you, and today I wanted to share some suggestions on how to fill a more traditional Advent calendar, such as the DIY I posted about last week, or this beautiful hand embroidered