Christmas 2007: It's Austria

As loyal StalinBenester readers might know, we decided a year ago that every Christmas, we'll pick a different country and celebrate that nation's holiday traditions. In 2006, we chose Italy because we'd traveled there for our honeymoon that summer and wanted to remember warm, sunny walks in Positano and leisurely afternoons in Tuscany.

This year, we didn't travel much beyond Minneapolis, so there was no natural pick for us. We talked about doing something familiar, like Sweden or England; we thought about something much less conventional, like Syria or Brazil. In the end, we chose something in between and opted for Austria. (I've since realized that Austria and Switzerland are hosting the 2008 Euro Cup, so I suppose we could argue we're looking forward to that.)

This central European country's Christmas traditions mirror those of its neighbor, Germany, but it also is proud to be the home of the holiday classic, "Silent Night." There are some conflicting tales about the song's history, but by the time Christmas rolls around, we'll know the real story. In the meantime, we'll be getting ready for Santaklausen, crafting an Advent kranz (wreath) and making butterhornchen (Viennesse nut crescents.)

I also made Colin promise to watch "The Sound of Music," set in Austria (he's never seen it!) To me, that movie just feels like Christmas, probably because NBC used to show it every year over the holidays. The first year we had a VCR I taped it and watched it every day of Christmas vacation, going so far as to name my new Cabbage Patch Kid Brigitta...I think my Grandma Forster was about ready to break the tape by the end of her visit.