As the stockings are over over the television with care

Perhaps it's one of those things best understood by college students and expats ... that regrettable "inability" to go all out with Christmas decorations and especially a Christmas tree, not least because you are running low on cash to do so, but even much more so because you leave home halfway through December, only to return halfway into January, leaving hardly enough time to enjoy the smell of fresh pine.

That said, Christmas would certainly not be Christmas without some inkling of tradition, and I came home the other day to find our palm tree cousin all decked out in Christmas bling. Slightly disappointed that the "branches" (read palms) were too weak to bear traditional tree ornaments, Marcel reverted to tinsel ... and of course, as no Swiss tree could possibly be complete without foil wrapped chocolate ornaments, he somehow managed to get a few of those on there as well. The rest were then craftily planted in the dirt, while the stocking were hung, not over the fireplace, but over the television ...

Schedules being what they are, we were also "forced" to celebrate Christmas a bit early this year, taking on a new tradition by celebrating St. Nicolas Day together. And amid news stories from US media about the holiday shopping flurry and tales from friends and family of waiting lists and desperate searches for those "gotta have 'em" trendiest gifts, I have to admit how much I treasure the European approach.

While stores in the States are open nearly 24/7 this time of year, there's a huge to-do when a handful of stores in the centre of town here open on one single Sunday in December. And those unfortunate souls at a select couple of stores who have to work late - until 21h - the three days before Christmas? They are all given cute little handmade holiday corsets that say "thank you for working late tonight".

And while Christmas markets in the States means crowded craft fairs jammed inside school gyms and fair pavillions, Christmas markets here are outisde, where it's cold and wet, but where there's space to move, wonderful smells of hot mulled wine with schnapps and roasted chestnuts to warm you up, and Christmas carolers and musicians strolling along between. Gone are crowded malls filled with half-useless things and grumpy people with a half dozen plastic bags at their sides ... Christmas here means strolling amid the quaint market stalls filled with beautiful handmade jewelry, pottery, woodwork, soaps, wines, cheeses, sausages, candles, laughing in the company of close friends and loved ones ... before heading off to make a fool of yourself at the ice skating rink.

I am SO excited to see my wonderful family over the holidays and be able to bask in the wonder of Christmas with them, but I have to say, I'm not at all looking forward to walking back into the shock of the holiday consumerism craze. What would happen if, just once, we returned, not to gifts of the latest and greatest electronics made in some far off land and destined to crash in two years time, but to crafts that demonstrate the talent and beauty of human creativity; to photographs that allow us to capture life's greatest memories for eternity; to events, outings and priceless time with the people we love; to experiences, classes and travels that will encourage us to stretch our horizons ... to the practical "things" that we seem to somehow now give such a lesser importance. If it were anything like the Christmas markets, that would indeed be a very merry, very peaceful, very inspiring Christmas.