My German Christmas Tree

I thought I would take a break from the German travelogue for the day. We all need a break from the tragic incident of last week. So my little Christmas tree is my spirit offering. The tree has a German attitude but it's not as rigid or heavy as the huge old buildings of Berlin.  It stands in my dining room quietly reminding me of my trip... and the beauty of Christmas.

This is my little German Christmas Tree. It's filled with things that I brought back from Germany.
 Last year I was looking for a small tree to put on my Mother's old buffet. My sister found one on sale, after Christmas, and brought it up here on one of her visits.
Coming home sick was not pleasant. This illness is still with me, but the "bug" is slowly releasing its hold on me...very slowly. So I have been in the house, taking medicine and resting a lot.
This tree was my way of remembering the trip, in retrospect, and giving it a better perspective.

The photo of our tour group is leaning against the container that holds the tree.

My birthday card that the "California girls" gave me at our last breakfast in Munich, has sticky notes from all five of them inside. This was done so I could reuse the card for Christmas. It's an advent calendar. I will never send it to anyone. It still has the sticky notes inside of it. I was so sick that morning before we left, but this one thoughtful card from these women made all the difference.

This little tree holds some postcards that I brought back with me. This one says "frohliche Weihnachten! which means "Merry Christmas:" in German. It's charming.

This one is from Rothenburg...a beautiful old town and my favorite of the trip.

One of the photos I took, below, is in the same exact location.  It really hasn't changed that much in hundreds of years.

There is another postcard tucked in to remind me of the sadness that was levied on a single town during a war. This is Dresden in 1945, after the Allied bombing virtually destroyed it.

It's as if this statue was asking "Why?" as she looked out over her city. "Why has this happen?"
I can't wait to write a post on Dresden. They have restored almost every building now and it's a most beautiful city, with some of the most elegant buildings you can imagine.

Then I have some ornaments that I bought from one of the German Christmas markets.

A lavender filled heart

And a "munchkin" from Munich. This is a tiny ceramic ornament that has the German spelling of Munich on it.

I also added some of my Mother's old ornaments ,

 A set of hand made felt ornaments that my friend "D" made me almost 40 years ago.

A few of my gourd ornaments.

 And some dried manderin orange peels. Yes, they make pretty decorations and they smell good too.

A very special clove heart hangs in a place of honor. My sister bought it for me when she went to Salzburg. I was sick and couldn't make the trip, on a train. She bought me a beautiful warm scarf and this lovely ornament.

So, this is my little German Christmas tree.
It represents my first trip to Europe, the experience of a lifetime... and the beauty of the season.
I feel better... somewhat, and we are looking forward to Christmas.
It will be a while before I travel that far again. I want to see some of my own country now. A trip, with the Prospector and the dogs... and our feet on the ground. This sounds really good. No more planes for a while.

Think on the children of Sandy Hook, Connecticut and their parents...
 and the women who died trying to save the children at their school.
Count your blessings. Life is precious.