How do you enjoy spending Christmas and New Year? Relaxed, with family & friends or in a more exciting kind of way? This season, I was out and about hunting down the best tips & travel photos for you: Witty stories, tasty meals and some ideas for chasing away possible “Christmas-Time-Blues“. Don’t worry about the cold nor the calories: This article is intended to celebrate all the “small things in life”, to relish in delicious shared meals and to appreciate everyday life around you. 8 tips for a season’s delight: Enjoy!
1. Celebrate Christmas atmosphere in style.
Once the house is full of lit candles, mouth-watering smells and beautiful decoration, it is time to close your eyes and perhaps add a toast to the many season’s delights with a good glass of (local red) wine.
2. Appreciate the magic of the moment: Go and find that special mistle toe close to you.
For those of you with a sense of romance, I recommend searching for “the one and only mistle toe” where you may wait to be kissed by your loved one. Just be careful and don’t get caught out in the ice and snow!
3. As mentioned before: Don’t worry about counting calories. After all, now’s the time to go skiing or enjoy a winter-hike.
I highly recommend this delightful meal to everybody visiting Krems and the surroundings here in Lower Austria: At the Kloster Und restaurant, famous local chef Mörwald serves you wonderful meals that are worth their money.
4. Dig deep for unique decorating pieces. We found cute little angels that are actually made of pasta and steeped in gold paint – hand-made in Burgenland, Austria 😉
Can you tell the three angels whose wings are made from Ravioli, whose bodies are formed with Cannelloni and whose hair is actually made from tiny bits of pasta one would normally put in soups?
5. Check out your favourite wine boutique shop, meet your friends and discover the first vintages of the year. Sure to chase the “wintertime blues” away.
“Weingenuss verschenken” (wine-some give aways): Thank you Anna Zell who has recently reopened a new red wine shop in central Burgenland in the east of Austria: Go check it out. www.vinothek-horitschon.at
6. Read, read – read again.
Renowned for being of the “calmest times” of the year, Christmas season is great for awesome (travel) reads. Who would not love a peaceful time to them with a great book on the couch or in bed? Some people even read in their bathtubs!
7. Gourmet delights. Did I mention the act of enjoying lots of yummy food?
Delight in real bread. There is no such thing as real farmer’s bread like here in our own country Austria, I pride myself to say. I am sure any Austrian would agree. Last but not least, we’ve got proof to the fact: Recently, me and a group of Austrian travel bloggers made our own bread at Roswitha Huber’s farm in the mountain valley Rauris in Salzburg. Awesomesauce – I can tell you 😀
8. Last but not least: Finding peace in all the small things in life. Give away “free hugs” and smiles. Shine!
Decorating your own Christmas tree has an almost meditative character. I thought it was wonderful – and look what we found: This cute little angel on a Christmas swing was certainly hand-crafted with a lot of love.
What are your tips & experiences for having a wonderful Christmas season? Let me know!