An Austrian Alpine Christmas

Sleigh bells ring, are you listening,
In the lane, snow is glistening
A beautiful sight,
We're happy tonight.
Walking in a winter wonderland.

-R. Smith, lyrics to Winter Wonderland, 1934

an Alpine Winter Wonderland

This year, I am spending the Christmas week in the Austrian Alps with my family. We are skiing here, which is a perfect way to soak in the Alpine beauty. Heavy snow glistens across jagged peaks and frosted evergreens decorate every slope and valley. In the tiny village where we stay, we walk across a bowed bridge to the ski slopes, and also walk to the little grocery, the family-run huts (traditional restaurants) for food, and the chocolate-box type church in the center of the town--for Christmas Eve service. Horse-drawn sleighs pull people across the village toward their destinations, jingling as they go. It truly is an idyllic scene, especially for Christmas.

the majestic Alps

I'd like to share it with you, here in a short collection of photographs I've taken this week, accompanied by the original version of Silent Night, written in Austria in 1818:

DEUTSCH (GERMAN)
composed and lyrics written in Austria, 1818 Music: Franz Xaver Gruber, 1818
Words: Joseph Mohr, 1816/1818

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Alles schläft; einsam wacht
Nur das traute hochheilige Paar.
Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar,
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!

driving into the Alps, near Salzburg, Austria

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Hirten erst kundgemacht
Durch der Engel Halleluja,
Tönt es laut von fern und nah:
Christ, der Retter ist da!
Christ, der Retter ist da!

a village church on the Austria / German / Czech border

Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht,
Gottes Sohn, o wie lacht
Lieb' aus deinem göttlichen Mund,
Da uns schlägt die rettende Stund'.

Christ, in deiner Geburt!
Christ, in deiner Geburt!

an Austrian castle nestled into the Alpine slopes

 ENGLISH Literal English prose
translation by Hyde Flippo

Silent night, holy night
All is sleeping, alone watches
Only the close, most holy couple.
Blessed boy in curly hair,
Sleep in heavenly peace!
Sleep in heavenly peace!

Silent night, holy night,
Shepherds just informed
By the angels' hallelujah,
It rings out far and wide:
Christ the Savior is here!
Christ the Savior is here!

from the peak where we are skiing

Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, oh how laughs
Love out of your divine mouth,
Because now the hour of salvation
strikes for us.
Christ, in Thy birth!
Christ, in Thy birth!

the powerful silence in the Alps

Sending you warm wishes for a wonder-filled Christmas. Merry Christmas! 

Christmas, Snow, and the Grinch

"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow,

Stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?

It came without ribbons, it came without tags.

It came without packages, boxes or bags.

And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before ...

What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store?

What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?"

-Dr. Seuss, American Writer, from The Grinch Stole Christmas

December has arrived to Prague with a blast--a big blast of snow! This week, what began with around twelve inches has at least doubled to over two feet. This is all at a place where the locals say they get no snow, and where the schools offer no "snow days". It's quite an adventure!

For about one hour this week, the sun peeked out from behind its winter cloud covering and shone in all its glory over the snow.

The sun dazzling on the snow

No diamond can compete, I think. There is no more intense sparkle than of the sunlight on snowflakes.

Sparkle!

And the excitement of snow -- there are snow forts, and snow balls, and snow angels to make. And sledding, and skiing, and sliding to do. The snow makes toys and games from the store a bore. Instant JOY!

In the midst of the holiday shopping, buying and wrapping gifts, and attending holiday parties, it's easy to get swept away in the popular spirit of the season: busy-ness. But busy-ness, for me, also steals away the joy that can be found in the simple things, things that come without wrappings and ribbons, without tags and boxes, without the sparkle and glimmer of store-bought things with high price tags.

Maybe the real joy in Christmas can be found in spending time away from the busy-ness, giving of our time to others. Making snow forts. Throwing snow balls. Laughing, wrapped in the smaller, gentler things that Christmas brings. Like the Grinch so eloquently pointed out, the JOY found in Christmas must come from a whole lot more than wrappings-- a joy that started 2,000 years ago in a humble manger.

Starting the Conversation: This week, what are ways you can find to escape the run-around surrounding Christmas? How are you able to remember to embrace the simple in the midst of the media storm promoting sales for the holidays?

An Alpine Storybook Christmas

Nature is too thin a screen; the glory of the omnipresent God bursts through everywhere. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Last week, at Christmastime, we took a roadtrip from Prague to the Austrian Alps, to stay the week in the tiny ski village of Rauris.

For our family, fresh expats living in Prague only six months from Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, this seemed an amazing opportunity. The reality of living in Central Europe makes driving from Prague to the Alps only a five or six hour drive—breathtaking Alps in our backyard (the US equivalent to roadtripping to Chicago, or Cleveland, or Detroit,or the Smoky Mountains from Cincinnati).

Growing up skiing every year near Durango, Colorado, where my grandmother lived, I always dreamed of teaching our boys how to ski. We saved up, and waited. And this year, in the Alps, the dream came true.

It was fantastic …

Starting our boys, ages 7, 8, and 11, without poles, proved to be a great experience, even with the cold temps (-20 degrees Celsius). After a couple of days, they skied like old pros.

The village did not disappoint, as it had been described to us as “a chocolate-box town” with a church in the center. The Christmas Eve service at the village church filled our hearts, as it turned out to be so packed that children sat along the banister to the balcony. I had never dreamed of listening to the Christmas story in German, sitting in centuries-old pews alongside Austrians who share the same Faith, and hearing the same carols accompanied by a simple accordion. A memorable experience for all of us …

Driving home, with a fresh layer of snow and a heavy dollop of fog, we experienced the beauty of the mountains in a new way. With tired limbs from a week of skiing, and hearts filled with the majesty of the Alps, we returned home to Prague. A storybook Christmas …

How did you see this Christmastime in a new way?