it's all fun and games: it's SAMICHLAUS time!

ok, here is the quick story. in swissland santa does not bring the gifts. the christ child does on christmas eve. on dec 7 ( i think) santa comes to each kid's house with a book, a whip and a bag of nuts. in the book he reads out the good and bad things that each child did that year. if they are bad they get a whipping (not really), if they are good they get to fill their bag with nuts from his sack.

behind the scene. each village has a youth club. every year they get dressed up as santa and go to every house in the village. out side beside each door is a bag of nuts for the kids and a letter of the good/bad things that the child did that year-written by the parents. the parents put it out for santa. sneaky eh.

once their good and bad behavior is read out loud. the nuts (fruit, some swiss chocolate, cookies) that the parent had put outside is emptied on the table for the boys and girls to fill up their own bag. then they take the nuts to their room to enjoy.

christmas eve, the christ child brings the gifts. i should clarify, most families do 1-2 gifts and they are mostly things that the kids need, some toys. and that is it. christmas in swissland is not about gifts, toys and santa. it's about jesus.

my most favourite thing about december is my own samichlaus bag! i eagerly wait the mail, checking it daily for my box to arrive. muetti made my my own bag the 1st yr we were married. she fills each bag up with nuts, home made swiss cookies (so good) and of course swiss chocolate. she also includes some home made tree decorations that she makes (each year they are different) and branches cut off of her own christmas tree, which is adorned with a candle.

in swissland you don't use lights on the tree but candles...on live, drying trees....yeah...not a canadian thing to do eh...

any ho. we got our bags last week. chris made me (not really) wait until after dinner to open the box...which i did immediately after my last bite. ha