elsewhen and away: Weihnachten: Rostock (Part II)

Well at least it's not quite Easter yet, if only because it falls very late this year...

Here are the Christmas and New Year's photos! ^^;

First thing's first: decorating the tree.

This year I told Anke about how people in the States tend to do it as early as Thanksgiving weekend to get maximum enjoyment out of it, and that I honestly find it pretty crazy that they go to all the trouble of getting a real tree every year only to decorate it on the 23rd!

She's getting tired of that herself, and said she'll probably try it my way next year. I mean, the 24th is the main day here, and they also have anywhere from a dozen to three dozen people in their apartment for the annual mulled wine drinkaroo, gift exchange-a-roo, and Feliz Navidad sing-a-roo.. I can't imagine cramming all of this into just a few days.

Relaxing more is definitely better, if you ask me!

Each time we've visited Hannes' parents lately his mom has taken out her memory box - which is the one and only designated clutter spot in that apartment - and shared its contents with us. Something I hadn't seen before was this adorable wish list she made as a child, for Santa.

I also hadn't seen these paintings she had done. They're actually really good!

Look at the attention to detail on these kids. Look how small and blended into the landscape they are. That pink ball creates a focal point right in the center of the paper. Interesting!

I really love this one, too, of bees in a blossoming tree! I would totally put this on my wall.

Next up: Bratapfeln by Denny and Katrin!

Or as I have come to call it in English, the Baked Apple Social.

Because that's quaint as fuck, and sounds great.

This adorable cake and the chocolate trees atop it were made by Andrea!

She looks apprehensive in this picture but I don't know why, she's adorable and it's adorable! Look! The inside is marbled red and green!

This is the social

and this is the baked apple

This is me being really excited because I even got ice cream this time, and that whole plate of gooey festive goodness you see there is totally vegan and gluten-free!

Hrrnngg

HRRRNNGGGG

Oh, and the charming warm coze level of Denny and Katrin's new house?

Easily over 9000. Easily.

This is their elderly pug Ole x'D

I'm surprised he didn't completely break Instagram to be honest.

Seriously.

I can't. It's all just too adorable!

Preparations for the annual mulled wine gift exchange drinkaroo

I actually really hate this beautifying software that's become a thing in the West now too lol

I was very proud of myself for finding presents for Hannes, because he's all but impossible to shop for.

That book is hardcover and absolutely massive: I had ordered it on Amazon.com to be delivered to my mom's place quite a while back because it was on his wishlist and you can't really get it in Europe, and it turned out to be, well, massive. Like I said. My mom was like, "Err, do you want me to, uh.. send it? To you? -cringes-", so I was like, "Ugh, god, I knew it was big, but.. Let's have his parents bring it back with them when they visit in October," and so it was that the thoroughly-researched piece of Americana full of interesting and colourful deaths made its way to us.

Anyway, the little colourful paper thing is a sample bar of beard moisturiser from Lush, and just in time for the holidays, Hannes was almost out of body wash and needed new shampoo.

Score.

Seriously, he's that hard to shop for.

I was especially proud of this super cute find, though I had a bit of the filling and the whisky wasn't nearly as prominent as I would have liked. Either way, big success! The Ginger Beard, at least, he absolutely loved. -pats self on back-

This is easily to kilos of leftovers! It doesn't look very attractive in Ziplocs, but..

Oooohhh.

The Brussels sprouts are soft and creamy, even though they're vegan. The tofu and potato balls are pleasantly chewy. The red cabbage, stewed in apple juice, is tangy, but pleasantly and festively so. Those miniature potato cakes are actually sweet potato, topped with (for me, non-dairy) cream cheese and homemade brambleberry jam, which is pleasantly tart like cherries. Hrrrrnnnggggg

Oh god. This might actually be the perfect meal.

For more on the incredibly rich and delicious food we enjoyed while we were briefly back in Hamburg, refer to the previous post, which includes the moderately insane vegan molten brown sugar cookies I made Daniel for his birthday!

Heading back to Rostock for New Year's, it was time to visit Grandma Edith.

Her apartment is stupidly adorable. It's like a time capsule. For a while no one understood my total fascination and adoration at all, but over time everyone has gotten to know what I like and find cute, and have realised that a lot of what they consider totally average or outdated or uninteresting is brand new for me.