I have an amazing friend, who has blessed my life with both laughter and wisdom for nearly a decade now. She told me once, that in good marriages, both partners believe that they are the one who “married up”.
This man has been out of my league since the day I met him.
How did a girl get so lucky?
Ahhh….another Christmas, another crazy German Christmas tree!
This year, in an attempt to prevent some of the challenges we have faced with our previous two Tannenbäume, we decided to acquire our tree in true Griswold family style…cut it down ourselves!
We headed directly into the Black Forest on a beautiful, sunny, 40o F winter day. After receiving directions from the property owner, Joe asked for any tips. “Just saw it,” was the response (in German of course). Ok then…here we go!
I have been known to hem and haw over the minute imperfections of Christmas trees, but two years of experience has taught me that no German Christmas tree (even one grown in the Black Forest!) is going to ever be the tree of my dreams. The decision-making process was relatively swift, as this was completely 100% DIY. What I mean is…there was no wheelbarrow to haul the thing all the way back to our car. The further we walked into the forest, the further we had to carry it back. Oh yeah, and all the trees were growing on a hill with about a 60% gradient…at the least!
So, we slid our way through the options and somehow managed to prevent toppling over and henceforth down the hill. Then Joe got to work. I’m not going to lie…I didn’t do a thing. I did take this picture while he did all the manual labor:
I also got kicked off of carrying-duty pretty quickly. I’m not sure why. Maybe every man needs to throw a tree over his shoulder at some point in life and doesn’t want a lady to get in the way. Maybe Joe’s “winter beard” made him feel particularly Paul Bunyan-like today?!
After the tree was wrapped and loaded, the property owner invited us for some Schnapps. In the summer months, he grows fruit and distills his own Schnapps and Liqueur. Of course, the age-old discussion of who we are and what we are doing in Freiburg came up. This lead to an interesting discussion regarding Americans and their Christmas trees. As part of a German “Christmas Tree Club”, the property owner had spent a couple weeks of the summer in Michigan along with other Germans from the Black Forest who also grew Christmas trees. They toured some tree farms in the Midwest and learned all about how we “crazy Americans” like our trees. He really did use the word “crazy” and then described how Americans spray paint their trees and cover them in tinsel. He is right…it is kind of crazy. We had a good chuckle over all of it while enjoying our drinks.
Our last Weihnachtsbaum is far from idyllic, but it is the most beautiful color of green I have ever seen in a tree. No spray paint…I swear. The trunk isn’t straight and the tree is too weak to hold a star on top, but it was a fun morning in the Black Forest.
Now, if Joe would just quit saying: “This tree was alive this morning.”
This year, we visited our American friends in Strasbourg, France for Thanksgiving. Since both of the husbands are the principal cookers in the families, we (the wives) left all of the menu planning to them! Both families decided to abandon tradition and to be open to anything Mr. France put on the table!
Oh wow…did he deliver the most amazing French Thanksgiving (or just plain dinner) we had ever eaten!! FIVE courses…to be exact…each paired with its own beverage. Did I already use the word “Wow!”?
After a mid-morning snack of pretzels, obatzda, and beer, we headed our respective ways to collect bread, wine, liquor, and vegetables…all super fresh!
First course (the only American part of the meal): chestnut squash soup.
Second course: Foie gras with balsamic vinegar, paired with a tasty Gewurztraminer.
In preparation for the main course, Mr. France and Mr. Germany did some flambé-ing! Mr. France was in charge of the alcohol and Mr. Germany, the matches!
Main course: Green beans with caramelized onions, pureed potatoes and parsnips, and braised duck, paired with a great French red wine.
quack, quack!
It was SOOO good! Look at these clean plates!
Fourth course: a plate of six different cheeses.
Before the final course, we took a little break and sipped some cognac.
Mrs. France, warming her cognac!
Last, but DEFINITELY not least, was the fifth, and final, course: dark chocolate pot de crème garnished with a Macaroon made by Mr. France himself, and mint leaves direct from the balcony!
We are so thankful for the open home, friendship, and AMAZING cooking/hospitality of Mr. & Mrs. France. This was a Thanksgiving dinner we will never forget!
Happy Thanksgiving from France!