St. Nick Visits St. Paul

It was our turn to spend Christmas in Minnesota this year.  It had been three years since our last trip to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, so we were excited to arrive to a light snowfall on December 21st.

As usual, our schedule over the next two weeks was packed visiting family and friends, and taking part in all of the fun Minnesota traditions like ice skating at the Depot and riding the roller coasters at Mall of America.

There was a new TMNT ride and the turtles were there to greet us!

Alan, Elizabeth’s boyfriend, came with her this holiday season.  He’s from El Paso, so he loved doing all of the fun, cold-weather activities with us.  Every day he wished for snow, and his wish was granted!

Alan impressed us all by being a natural at skiing.  The day after Christmas we went to Afton Alps, a ski resort on the St. Croix River.  David hadn’t skied in nearly ten years, Alan had never been, and Elizabeth needed a refresher, so I went to ski school with the three of them.  We spent an hour with the instructor going through the basics with Elizabeth and Alan, and working on techniques with David and me.

After we graduated, Uncle Paul peer pressured the boys into going down Black Diamonds with him, while Elizabeth and I stayed back and worked on the Greens and Blues with Dad.  Eventually we felt comfortable enough to cross the Yellows, and even a Black Diamond to make it back downhill.

After Alan got back from the Black Diamonds, he impressed us all by speeding down the slopes.  He went so fast, and managed to stay on his feet (most of the time).  Elizabeth’s second time skiing went much better than the first.  She hardly fell at all, and stayed with me most of the time.  We may be slow, but we’re in control. ;)

We met up with the rest of the Germans that evening at the Gasthaus, a Bavarian restaurant in the woods.  We ate lots of German food and sang lots of German songs. 

Dieter made the three brothers take part in a beer-holding contest, where the men had to hold out huge steins of beer with straight arms for as long as they could.

Minnesota started a new tradition this year with its German Christmas market in downtown Minneapolis.  As you know, David and I love European-style Christmas markets, so of course we had to go!  We brought along my cousin, Jenelle, and headed downtown.

The market was small, but it was really neat how people from Germany had actually flown in to sell their local foods and crafts.  They even transplanted the famous Rothenburg Christmas shop, Kathe Wohlfahrt, to the Twin Cities for the occasion. 

So we shopped, but mostly we ate.  Between us, we consumed more than half a dozen potato pancakes, plates of warming German potato salad, a few pretzel bowls full of hot beer cheese soup, and mugs of Gluhwein – spiced red wine.

After that, we ice skated at the Depot with Aunt Karen, Lauren, and Matthew.  After skating off some calories, we went back to their house to spend time the rest of Mom’s family, have dinner, and play a few rambunctious rounds of Taboo.

And of course, a visit to Minnesota would not be complete without going to Faribault to see the Lechtenbergs.  We celebrated Jacob's 30th birthday with wild rice stew and homemade chocolate peanut butter cup cake.  Lee Ann is a wonderful cook and everything was so good.  We filled up before taking our traditional walk across the lake to the island for a bonfire.

We created dual fires and sat around chatting for hours before heading back to St. Paul, where we were staying at Grandma and Grandpa Kurzweg’s new house.  They have a huge basement, so all nine of us slept down there.  The Bishops got the bedroom, so the rest of us had a giant sleepover every night next to the fire in the living area… all of us except Dad, who was banished to the coat closet on the first night after snoring too loudly.

On Christmas Eve, we went to our annual movie and then headed to the early children’s service at my family’s church.  The theme was a Charlie Brown Christmas, which was perfect for the kids.  Before Jesus’s birthday celebration started, we saw a live nativity scene across the street at the Lutheran church.  Methodists and Lutherans are practically the same, so we didn’t feel bad running over there to say hi to the animals. 

Elizabeth got a kick out of the llama and nicknamed him Luther, the Lutheran llama

We celebrated the reason for the season and then had dinner at Uncle Paul’s and Aunt Christine’s with our extended family.  

It was great to see our cousins, some of whom I hadn’t seen in a decade!  And there were a couple of new, adorable grandchildren for everyone to meet as well. 

My cousin, Erich, flew in from Alaska with his fiancé and daughter, Zooey.  Four years old now, Zooey is just as cute as we remembered her three years ago! 

All kids love being tossed in the air, trying to touch the ceiling!

That night, we hung our stockings with care.  David and I accidentally left ours in Texas, so we used actual socks to hold our gifts.  All of them fit inside, except for my Merry Christmas Y’all tea towels.  

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I woke up at 8:30 on Christmas Day and everyone else was still asleep!  I thought for sure Bailey would be up at 6AM, ready to open presents.  She must have been exhausted after all of the running around and meeting new people.  That sweet girl slept a few minutes longer, giving Mom and me time to start cooking.

We opened presents with Dad’s parents, and then got ready to go to Uncle Brian’s house for Christmas Day celebrations with the Cocchiarellas.

Thank-you kisses for Uncle David

Papa and Grandma with their grandchildren and great-grandchild

And Papa and Grandma with their four kids

That weekend, David flew home to Texas to get back to work.  I stayed a few extra days to relax and spend more time with family. 

One day we went over to Papa and Grandma’s house so Bailey could play with Mom’s old toys.  She found the creepiest doll in the basement, Mrs. Beasley.

We also took Bailey to the Children’s Museum to run around and play for an afternoon.  It was so fun watching her splash around in the water with Papa, and then become fascinated with the hand dryer.  

She climbed all over the Minnesota habitat exhibit, went grocery shopping, and tried to walk using crutches at the hospital. 

Elizabeth and I had just as much fun at the museum as Bailey!  Elizabeth climbed inside a kid-sized turtle, while I hung out with Clifford the Big Red Dog. 

Do you have any bones that need collecting?

Our chaperones taking a break

That evening we went to the Nook, a bar and restaurant in downtown St. Paul known for its Juicy Lucys.  Juicy Lucys are cheese-stuffed burgers grilled at a low heat to hold the cheese inside, without it oozing all over the plate.  Soooo cheesy and delicious!

On my last day in Minnesota, I relaxed in my PJs until 6:00, when it was time to head to Aunt Julie’s for her annual New Year’s Eve party.  We celebrated with brandy slushes and rounds of Mexican Train before ringing in 2015 with a champagne toast at the stroke of midnight.

Happy New Year, everyone!  I hope your holiday break was just as fun and restful, and filled with loved ones!