Christmas season in Switzerland

We don't have any big Christmas plans this year.  We will be here at home, just the four of us on Christmas Day.  We may go to the Zurich Zoo again on Christmas Day since it's open 365 days a year.  When it gets cold enough, they have "penguin parades" when they let out the penguins and they walk around the zoo.

I hope to visit a few Christmas markets.  Our small town of Bülach had a Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) pretty decent sized one with a couple little rides for the children, lots of good food and homemade artisan goods.  Sometimes the markets are called Christkindlmarkt (literally means Christ child market).  The markets usually happen during the four weeks of Advent.  In most German towns (and towns in this area of Switzerland), Advent is 'kicked off' with the opening of the market and on the opening nights, people welcome the "Christkind" (the boy Jesus but usually depicted as an angel-like girl).  The markets are in the town squares and sell food, drink, and seasonal items from open-air stalls--think hand carved wooden nutcrackers, candied toasted almonds, lebkuchen and other forms of gingerbread, bratwurst, and drinks like glühwein or hot mulled wine.  The handmade items like wooden toys, knitted gloves and hats, Christmas tree ornaments and nativity scenes are really neat.

These are just a few pictures from the Bülach market.

Here, they celebrate the season a little differently.  St. Nicholas Day is on December 6th, so the first week of Advent, you will see a lot of "Samichlaus" here.  There's a big parade in Zurich around that time with tons of men acting to be Samichlaus along with his Schmutzlis.  Towns celebrate Samichlaus a little differently, in some, on the night of December 5th, children leave shoes outside their door.  On December 6th, they'll find a canvas bag with peanuts, oranges, little cookies, lebkuchen with Santa decal, and a grittzbänz (bread man like below picture).

A sweet bread with pearl sugar on top and raisins for eyes.  They make all kinds, some with fake pipes in the mouth, some holding a bunch of rosemary, some with chocolate bars.

Some towns will even let you make appointments for Samichlaus to visit your house.  Many times, he will be accompanied by Schmutzlis (they bring branches and beat bad children with branches...although this doesn't really happen).  If he visits, he'll give peanuts, oranges, and candies.  Of course, the parents provide a list of good and bad things the children have done in advance to Samichlaus.

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[info from here, here, and here]

On Christmas Eve, the Christ child brings presents.

I'm starting to like the idea of St. Nicholas Day and Christmas being a little more separated in meaning.  We didn't really celebrate St. Nicholas Day this year, but as the kids get older, we'll have to think about how we want to do it.

Over the holidays, specifically Christmas Eve/Day and "Sylvester" or New Year's Eve, they have traditional Swiss meals like fondue and raclette.  We went over to Bryce's coworker/friend's house in Germany about a week ago and had our first raclette.  It was delicious.  Just like fondue, it's a meal that takes time, so instead of scarfing down a plate of pasta, everyone talks and slowly enjoys their dinner.  I think we need to buy a raclette set now so when YOU come to visit us, we can show you a good time with good food.

The kids made mini pizzas on their raclette plates

We DO have special plans for New Year's Eve and the days following it...we can't wait to have overnight visitors for the first time.  My Dad and stepmom, Kim, are coming out for 10 days!