A magic, cold, holiday in a different time and place

Well, here we are in the “new” roaring twenties. It seems to have been a whirlwind getting here. Thanksgiving was rushed through and suddenly Christmas was on the horizon with the New Year nipping at its heels. We had quite a fun time getting here with family celebrations and parties galore.

I have had the good fortune to spend two winter holidays in Europe. When I was in school in Switzerland I spent Christmas in Basel with my great-aunt Tante Louise.

Tante Louise spoke no English, nor did her housekeeper, so we muddled through a week of my feeble try at fluent French. The housekeeper took me with her when she went to market, which was quite interesting. The market was fabulous, with all sorts of items for consumption hanging from the stalls. Many of the edibles still had fur and feathers attached, so one really had to work for his or her supper.

Tante Louise tolerated my visit ... I was to spend a week with her then take the train to Strasbourg, France to spend the rest of my holiday with cousins. I had never met any of these relatives so I felt a bit uneasy about these visits. My cousins in Strasbourg spoke English, which was a great blessing, so I could relax a bit.

My cousin Jacqueline was the married daughter of Tante Louise. She had two sons — one my age and one older. The boys took me ice skating, bike riding and duck hunting ... I have never been so cold. Later, I read it is best to visit Strasbourg in the spring and summer because of the cold weather ... but I really had no choice in the matter.

On Christmas Eve we went to church and when we got home the tree had been decorated and the house was ready for our Christmas feast. The tree sported real candles, which were lit when we sat down to supper, and then the lights were turned off. It was beautiful and I was in awe.

Champagne was opened and the merriment began. We had caviar that came in a large container set on the table, and then were given buttered toast and lemons and that was that. I pretended I had eaten this before but I had never had caviar and I knew I had to be polite.

After we had finished our supper, we all shared little gifts over dessert and then it was off to bed.

My bedroom was on the third floor of the house. The room had large windows overlooking the city, and it was a beautiful sight with the lights twinkling and the church bells ringing.

The next morning we went sightseeing. Strasbourg is a very old city. The historic section, called “Petite France,” is filled with half-timbered houses that look like something out of a fairy tale. There is a German-French flavor to the area and the food is wonderful.

We had a wonderful visit and I bid them all adieu and took the train back to school to celebrate the New Year.

I did not make any New Year’s resolutions this year ... who can ever remember them after two or three days? I’ll just try to be a better me.