We woke up this morning and everything was snowed in, including the rental car we got for our mini vacation. And it keeps snowing out there even now as I write. When snow like this comes to Seattle, the entire city stops and stays home to play in the snow and drink hot chocolate. But not here, the roads are cleared, public transportation is working with minor interruptions, business is as usual. My poor child, she will never know the benefits of a “snow day”….Winter has finally come to Vienna in full force! It is true that winter and snow are common things in Austria, but Vienna has a rather mild climate. Last year we saw no snow till February! So I am very excited to have everything nice and white during the holidays. But could it be that we brought the snow back with us?

Yesterday we went on another day trip adventure, this time to Mariazell. This not so little village is a popular pilgrim site for catholics, especially during Advent. The entire region is loveliest in winter, so we had to go check it out. It was very quiet, as I suspected, the massive pilgrim crowds were already gone now that Christmas had passed. So we enjoyed our stroll through the snowed in village, visited the famous Basilika, ate some traditional local gingerbread made with honey (best gingerbread I’ve had since I was a kid), and took a nice long walk through the winter wonderland, complete with sleigh ride (only for the girlie girl), snow angels and snow ball fight. The weather was perfect, dry and cold, and the scenery as peaceful and remote as I had wished for. Maybe next time we can spend a few more days there….

One of our favorite hangouts in winter is Baden. This lovely small Biedermeier town, only 14 miles from Vienna was once a favorite retreat for the Viennese aristocracy. Since ancient times Romans have enjoyed the healing powers of the sulfur springs, enriching them with their characteristic architecture. Baden has also had its share of fame. Mozart, Beethoven and Liszt have all spent times here, perhaps drawing inspiration from the serene setting of this town. These days it is just as much a place of relaxation with its wonderful Roman springs and baths, parks and cafes, now open to everyone. People come here from near and far to benefit from all kinds of treatments, reaching from the traditional mud packages to modern therapies that include various diets and fitness programs.

Our favorite bath is the Roemer Therme. This modern structure of steel and glass contains two large cristal clear indoor pools and two hot thermal outdoor pools. There is nothing quite as wonderful as sitting in a nice hot pool while it’s snowing all around you. During the day the sun shines through the glass roof, true light therapy. Easy on the eye lights allow you to relax after dark and watch the starry sky above from one of the outdoor pools. In the pools you can swim, splash with your kids and enjoy the creative whirlpool effects and massage water jets. No wellness resort in Austria would be complete without a spa, beauty salon, sauna and gourmet restaurant. Wellness here means to be spoiled rotten, engaging all your senses.

So we allow ourselves this little luxury about once a month during the cold season. For about three hours, on a family ticket, we forget all about the daily grind and let the Aquae, as the Romans called them, work their miracle on our body and soul.

Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree! How are thy leaves so verdant!

Political correctness has not reached Austria yet. A Christmas tree here is still a Christbaum (i.e. Christ’s tree) and not a “holiday fir” or “holiday tree”. And I know I’m not the only one who thinks this political correctness has gone too far. The “diverse population” thinks so too. Yes, the Austrian may not be very hip and accepting of all cultures and religions (although many young Austrians are very open and liberal), but he calls things what they are. And if we’re going to the market this time of year to buy a fir tree, then it can only be a Christbaum in celebration of Christmas. And by golly it will be a tree from Austria and not some pansy grown in Germany or France! Yes, Austrians can be very simple minded, and because of that they act or seem exclusive. But sometimes simple things are comforting, like knowing where you belong, how your tree will be decorated, that there will be either goose or fish on Christmas Eve for dinner, and that Christkindl will come as soon as silver bells ring. And sometimes the secret of joy and peace lies in the simple things…

So why do we bring a fir tree into our house in the dead of winter? There are many traditions of course. The Austrian one goes back maybe 400 years, not much more. Since ancient times it was believed that evergreen things contain the essence of life itself. So it was believed that health will come into the house if you decorated with fir tree branches for the new year. The first Christmas trees were recorded 1813 in Vienna and Graz. It was only after 1816 that they became popular, after archduchess Henriette von Nassau-Weilburg had a candlelit tree at her Christmas party. Which goes to show that celebrities have always influenced fashion…

So how is the Christmas tree in Austria different from the millions of trees around the world? First and foremost, it is very important to note that Austrians don’t have a Weihnachstbaum (Christmas tree), as it is known in Germany, and thus probably in German speaking America too. You can NEVER call an Austrian Christmas tree THAT! It answers to the delicate name of Christbaum. Then there is the aspect of the tree. The tree itself is honored and admired, therefore there is very little decoration on it. Here you have no covering of the tree with spray paint, cotton and other modern products that allow you to erase all traces of nature. But you can have candles (yes, real ones!), globes, silver or gold painted nuts, wooden apples, just a few on each branch so you can see plenty of the tree. Red is the preferred color for the ornaments. Basically, if you can imagine a Christmas tree from the pilgrims’ time, that’s how the original Austrian tree should look like.

Next we come to Christmas itself. Now that we have cleaned the house, decorated and lit all candles on the Adventkranz, we are ready for Christmas! What happens during this secret and magical time? Well, in this country respectful of old traditions, Christmas Eve is a time for family. Grandma or Grandpa take the children out of the house that afternoon, to give parents time and space to prepare and to give the children an outlet for their energy that reaches atomic reactor levels on this day. Then the “special room” is being prepared for Christmas. The decorated tree is also supposed to be a surprise, just like the presents, but most families have adopted tree decorating as a family activity. Meanwhile the last cooking and baking takes place in Austrian kitchens across the land. The traditional Christmas Eve dinner is fish, preferably carp, with side dishes of potato salad, variations of cabbage salad or cooked, brussels sprouts, possibly saussages, or herring salad. For dessert there is a variety of cookies to be had which are baked during the Advent time.

Silver bells ring somewhere in the house, it’s probably coming from the “special” room! The Austrian Christkindl (Christ child) has delivered the presents! The Christkind is often portrayed as young girl angel. With style and charm it makes children wishes come through, without having to squeeze itself through the chimney. It also does not need to be logically explained, since it is the symbol of God becoming man, which is a miracle in itself and miracles require no technical details. There is only one Christkind and it comes on Christmas Eve, and you can never see it because it is always a tiny bit quicker than you are, that’s all there is to it. The Christkind origins take us to Martin Luther, when the protestant children needed someone who could deliver their gifts. In those times there were no gifts on Christmas Eve, only the St.Nicholas day (6th December), and since the catholic saints were unacceptable for delivering gifts, Martin Luther brought to life the charming Christkind. In the 19th century the Christkind was adopted by catholics also, as protestant families across the globe started moving towards the Santa Clause tradition. But all that is of no consequence to little children, whose eyes sparkle with delight when they get to finally open their presents. The merrymaking continues until it is time to go to midnight mass for this 90% catholic Austrian population. On Christmas Day they will sleep in and then visit extended family and friends and continue the celebrating with roast goose or turkey and other calory heavy but delicious foods.

Our second Christmas here, we look forward to celebrating our way. While we’ll have electric lights on our tree and probably duck for dinner and no fish (just because :)) and no sleigh ride to church at midnight (this is Vienna, not a village in the Alps), my daughter has decided that Christkindl will bring her presents (school peer pressure I suppose). I can only encourage this philosophy, as I would also like to sleep in on Christmas Day, bless the Christkind for delivering the presents on Christmas Eve! However, we’ve got our Connie Francis Christmas carols and the wonderful collection of Charlie Brown, Frosty, Rudolf and other American Christmas DVD classics. Not to mention all the lovely Romanian folk Christmas music we’ll be listening to. That’s the beauty of being a world citizen, you make your own Christmas recipe. Frohe Weihnachten!, Craciun Fericit!, Merry Christmas!.