First Advent 2017

One thing I noticed when we returned from Thanksgiving in England was that everything was getting set up or was already set up for Christmas when we returned.  Our little Christmas Market was up and ready to go and even the kid's school had a Christmas tree inside and was filled with Christmas and Hanukkah decorations.  I'm pretty sure I've never seen a Christmas tree in a school since I was a kid.

The other thing that is a BIG deal over here is celebrating Advent.  It is a very Christian/Catholic idea.  It is the time leading up to Christmas and here in Germany everyone, it seems, has an advent calendar and an advent wreath and the four Sundays leading up to Christmas are celebrated with friends and family and each Sunday you light one more candle in the advent wreath.
We were fortunate (VERY fortunate) to have met a wonderful friend and her family way back at the JFK fun run.  Fionnuala and her husband, Wolfgang, are seriously some of the loveliest and most kindhearted and sincere people you will ever meet.  I'm really REALLY thankful to call these people friends.  She invited us over for a First Advent Sunday lunch. We had a delicious, vegetarian lunch of ground chickpeas and tomato soup and then a hearty and yummy lentil shepherds pie.  We all ate and drank to our fill and laughed and talked just like old friends.  That is something that I have noticed here.  We have made some truly wonderful friends here but the one thing we are lacking is history with anyone.  It is a strange thing to not have anyone who has known you longer than our arrival in August - 4+ months ago.  Somehow with Wolfgang, Fionnuala and her children, Noah, Teo and Daniel, it felt like we had history because of so many mutual interests and beliefs.

After the meal the kids and Wolfgang rolled out cookie dough and made cookies on the dining room table.  What a truly delightful time we all had.  And to top off our first advent of our first Christmas season in Berlin it even started to snow - the first of the season - as we were eating.  Feeling truly blessed by our new and welcoming friends!!  Thanks, Hoffmans 💚💕