The Christmas cheer gift

Christmas time is a special time and for me it is the most beautiful time of the year. Every year is different and this year is no exception. As I just recovered from covid, my favourite time of the year is just beginning for me, although for everyone else is almost finished. Everything is postponed for me, but still I am happy. I had no chance to see this year our famous Christmas tree during the Advent time neither to visit the Christmas markets while they were opened nor my friends.

Therefor while you are reading these lines, I am already outside on my Christmas wonder around the Prague. Visit our main Christmas tree is a must and then I go whenever my shoes take me.

As I was not at LinkedIn for ages, I decided to search for my dusty keyboard and share with you something from my personal draw. My Christmas time hassles and joys to cheer you up. Not all of us could have Christmas in peace or be with their families or closed friends. Therefore, my Christmas present to all of you is a message, to be strong and enjoy tiny moments you get from life, even they may keep you overloaded or upset. Life is short but beautiful, so forget all your sorrows for a while. My Christmas are not perfect many times, even during my childhood, but the Christmas magic is?in our hearts, in our memories. Keep your hearts opened, wish, dream, believe in magic and spirit of this season.

Below stories were at the time of happening absolutely crazy ?for me, but as the time flow, I laugh at most of them. Every smile counts today, so are you ready to laugh? ?

When I lived in Germany, guess what? Christmas time arrived and I wanted to have as much tradition as possible from my home town in my new home abroad. It was also important for my child to learn the traditions and to get used to this special time of the year. I did not know how busy I will be by searching for one carp for our evening. At the end of the day I had probably the last carp in the town, but we laughed a lot with our friends. I had Spanish carp for Czech Christmas in Germany. :-) Then I went to buy Christmas presents with a child in one hand, so not very magical. My friend took my little one into the different corner of the shop, while I was paying and reciprocally, but still it was not the best option. However, at the end, I had to keep convincing my kid, that all presents are not from me but from Je?í?ek (yours Santa). Have to admit, that I was not very successful in lying, but later on I was lucky mum. I went to the store with toys again for forgotten wrapping papers. And? They were changing the shelves so the store was absolutely empty, not a single piece of toy to be seen, unbelievably empty, but I used the situation wisely and said: ?Jezisek is getting ready and brought all the toys for all good children“. My following words were: ?Lets help Je?í?ek and buy a few wrapping papers“...but in different store :-) This lie seems to work better and it really worked, even I hate to lie to my kid. So we were set up with main things for Christmas. We got tree and other nessesary things too…When the big day came I was so proud how nicely I managed all and mainly that I am on time. So I was just wondering around an apartment, playing with my kid and waiting for the evening. Suddenly, when was almost time for me to go back to the kitchen to do final touch I realized, that I am not so organised because none of the presents were wrapt up. So, as our family tradition is to go to feed the birds for Christmas day, I send all out and my ?sprint“ just started. I was so sweat like never before. Birds were already fed and I had still a lot of work to do, so they were outside until I wrapped all up. Then they came home half frozen and I was so swet, that idea of calm Christmas was quite far. Nevertheless, that time was magical because we had another our tradition to thank to Jezisek for presents by opening the window and shouting out: ?Thank you Je?í?ku“. That moment, that little voice turns all the hassle into the something truly magical. The following day I was sleepy, but happy.

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While returning from Germany home to Prague, everyone decided, that Christmas time should be at our apartment. What a great idea! My place was full of boxes and a real mess. The kitchen was in reconstruction, in the bathroom was planned replacement of the wash basin, but it was taken down with the tails so easy replacement turned into quite big work. Not mentioning, that kid was always ill and I had a new job. Far away from the perfect Christmas. While I was searching for similar bathroom tales around the city, I was also trying to get everything ready for Christmas. So, at Christmas day we had plumber at home fixing our wash basin finally. However to unpack all the boxes would be a job for Superman, but I am not Superman nor his wife to ask for help. Unpacked had been just most important items…so by the bathroom was fixed, it was almost time to get to the table for dinner. Well, at 4pm I could not find in all those boxed the all cutlery. We had outside just a few pieces for us, but not for all relative. I was crying, that my kid will not have Christmas because other things were not so smooth too. Small kids go early to bed so that fact was very stressful too. After a while I said, ok, if I will not find all cutleries and porcelain soon, we will have simple dinner and instead of Christmas evening we will have Christmas morning and I will search all night for porcelain and cutlery because we were moving boxes back and forth. I was in tears by having everything on my shoulders. Suddenly I found it, and finally we went to Christmas tree around 9:30 pm, because by the time all had meal…ages. Kid was sleepy, but still awake…And here it goes again, our tradition with ?Thank you Je?í?ku“ from the window. The happiness of the little one turned the crazy day to the most beautiful moment. We were together and that was most important. Following day I was exhausted and not only for one day :-) so I said, that I hate Christmas, but that is not true and I had a year to recover and get ready for new Christmas challenges :-)

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When I lived in England as Au-pair, I was flying home to Prague for Christmas. I was always looking forward for all the snow at Prague as in England was none. My time in England was with the old British weather, wet with constant temperatures, no snow (in my area). I was playing game hide and seek with weather one season. At the time of booking my flight home, at Prague was snow and in England was none so I was excited. When I arrived in Prague, there was no snow and I got message from England, that just as I left, snow was falling down and in the few hours they had calamity. When I arrived in Prague there was none of the snow, but as I was still in the party age, I had a nice time even without the snow. Well, after my return to England snow was again almost gone. We were laughing that I played nice hide and seek game that year.

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When my grandmother left us many years ago (my mum is from Slovakia and my father from Czech), I went to Slovakia to take care of my grandfather and to spend with him his first Christmas alone. My mum was working all the time, so we spend together with grandparents only few Christmas, but I had my 2 months summer holidays just with them and it was one of the best times of my life. However, Christmas were here and the traditions between Czech and Slovak cultures are a little bit different. Not much, but few differences are there. Suddenly I had a problem, because we have fish soup for dinner and they have ?kapustnica“ (soup with sauerkraut and smoked sausage). At that time I was not able to cook fish soup neither kapustnica. So what to do? My best friends were helping me in many ways. My friend gives me the recipe and came on Christmas day to cook it with me and my other friend helped me to buy and bring the Christmas tree by car. I could not found proper Christmas stand so we took some metal bucket which was arround as it was on the village, (heating was still with coal and wood mainly-I love that smell while walking through the village in snow), we filled the bucket with coal and stick the Christmas tree in it. Then I wrapped the bucket with Christmas paper. It looked interesting :-) we were hoping that it will not fall down. I was doing my best to arrange a nice time for my grandfather, but he was not really happy about it because with my grannie they had their own way of celebration of Christmas time. I did not know how it should look like making it for him as similar as possible, but he was also already old and not very talkative. At our Christmas table was only him and me and I could see, how he was happy just by being with someone, not to be alone, his eyes were shining like eyes of small kids. That was my most wonderful present for the Christmas. Other days I spend also some time with my friends and we all had an amazing time. Later on we decided with friends to go for one night to High Tatras mountains. Just like that, in that moment. The only condition was my date of departure home as I could not be in Slovakia longer. We had many adventures with this decision. We got stuck in the snowdrifts and had lots of fun several times with cars. One friend needed to be pulled out by a tractor on the way home, so another friend came to rescue them,?while I was already some time on the way to the Prague. This time my trip home to Prague was quite smooth, but I think, that my friend become later on ill. It was so cold, but like in a fairy tale. Great time!

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As I am a doggie person, I have to mention also my old dogs. Except this year I am baking every year and one of the items is a gingerbread fairytale cottage covered with icing sugar. Every year I had to do it twice because they ate it. So I was always ungry because it takes time to make it and as you know by now, I have rarely extra time. When they passed away, I was making again my gingerbread house, but this time there was no one who will steal it and suddenly I notice that I am not happy. I made my gingerbread house just to have it. Now I make it as a memory on them. My new?dog is not doing that, maybe I should teach her to be a bit naughtier :-)?She is, in a different way :-) (If we do not watch her, she'll unwrap all the presents)

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This year I was in tears. Not due to covid nor from the situation, that we had a few days to arrange everything but from presents I got. My tears were tears of happiness. Kids are growing fast and I have an almost teenager at home. We all make so many pictures of their everyday life, but we rarely have them printed in nowadays. I was always talking about having printed pictures of 1st month of my child. I had most of them on the USB flash disk already sorted but I have never really managed to have them printed, due to time or financial reasons. Well, this year I got about 150 pictures with the most beautiful memories. In addition, I got album so I will be busy now :-) Even though, it is a while since the pictures were taken, I remember every single situation and I am able to name what we did on that day, where we were, what the weather was, how we felt. Unbelievable how we are able to remember tiny moments, if we have them in our heart. I was not expecting it at all, especially when I have seen, that under the paper wrap is present wrapped up in bag with the logo of my favourite camera shop. I thought, is it a new camera? That would be nice…package was just about that size. My other presents had numbers so I was not aloud to take them in different order so there could of been any additional items for a new camera…no, it was my life wrapped in little bundle. I was so happy, that I cried for a few minutes. When I was told, that my presents has numbers, I knew, that it is going to be something interesting because a few years ago I got another present which I was allowed to open only in a certain order. What was it? I got wooden spoons for cooking, pan for pancakes and dough for pancakes :-) so I had to make them :-) My following present this year was a white box which could of been a cosmetic box … no way! I spend on the road a lot of time and to get somewhere the quickest way is important for me. But once I have forgotten my navigation in the car and it was stolen as someone just had the need to open my car. With navigation in the mobile I was many times driving longer than needed or I am even able to get lost in Prague, my hometown :-)?As soon as I tore the all wrapping paper, on the box was a message: ?so you always find the right direction“ and just underneath I found out the new navigation :-) Nice surprise and as I was in crying mood, I just continued :-) :-)?But I was not only happy person at home. I do not want to have?kid all the time on modern electronic devices, but I have no choice than time to time accept it and make life of little one happier (teen but for me always little one :-) ). It was not expected either, so the reaction was strong enough to skip our tradition of ?Thank you Je?í?ku“. Our ?Tranks to Je?í?ku“ stays in our hearts, little moments spend together, making others happy with or without real Je?í?ek (Santa).

The magic of Christmas we all carry in our hearts and no matter what happens during the previous year, it should be protected. Stop for a moment and think about your Christmas memories and laugh at them. Life is beautiful and too short to be upset about one month in the year, while there are another eleven months to come with different stories, most of the time more challenging.?My Christmas spirit is to make people around me happy. If they are happy, I am happy.

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Merry Christmas to all!

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Thank you for reading.