November and December are just full of magical days for German kids. St. Martin's Day with its lantern parade, the Advent Sundays, opening Advent calendars every morning - and Nikolaustag.
Nikolaus came to our house, as he does every year. Just this year, I had toned it down mightily. Doug and I wondered whether we were spoiling the kids madly and that they didn't have any appreciation for the little things in life. So, small gifts are the word for this holiday season, both for Nikolaus and for Christmas.
The kids had put their boots in front of the entrance earlier today and the afternoon was full of mystical magical anticipation. They bounced up and down and screamed with excitement but they were good and didn't go outside to check on their boots. At around six, the doorbell rang. Last year, they were scared and didn't dare to go out front without me. This year, I couldn't keep up with them. Out the door they went and then they danced around the filled boots in the cold Armenian winter night with the kind of wild joy that you almost forget about when you grow up.
Apparently, little presents do the trick too. They each got a tiny Lego toy (OK, I hadn't been aware just how tiny) and they loved it. The big advantage was that they were put together in no time (Jacob little fire truck even came partly assembled - I'd never had that happen to me before!) and ready to play with. The chocolate Nikoläuse (yes, that's a real plural) fared a bit worse. They lost their heads pretty quickly.
Only Alan said at one point, "But why did I get a little present, I wanted a big present!"
I quietly said, "Oh, oh..."
"No, no, I mean - Thank you, Nikolaus!"
Much better. I am very pleased.
Pictures below the fold.
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