Christmas began in Orland Park! We were able to have a shortened Christmas visit with Dave's family. His dad picked us up (very late- thanks) from Union Station in Chicago on Friday. On Saturday, we woke up to do some gift-giving. The boys both love their new stuffed animals from Auntie that go with their beloved sheep and puppies.
We arrived in Riefensberg, Austria, late on the 23rd. Our good friends, Lynne and Tyler, their kids, Tyler's mom, sisters and their families, and several friends had already checked in to the hostel and gotten started making things comfortable. After spending some time getting settled, the boys and I went to bed. Dave was so excited to see everyone that he stayed up to do some singing, though he didn't have the energy to participate in the dancing.
Our home for Christmas. Our group had the entire second floor to ourselves.
Thanks to jet lag, I woke up at an embarrassing time on Christmas Eve. It was great to have the chance to catch up on some sleep, but as soon as I woke up I pulled a muscle near my shoulder blade. I couldn't brush my hair, much less shower or do dishes, which there were plenty of with 23 people in our group. About all I could manage was a short walk up the road. It had snowed a bit overnight, so everyone got out for some fun in the snow. Sadly, the nearby ski lifts were not open due to the recent warm temperatures and lack of snow, but the boys all enjoyed sledding and snowball fights.
The group of kids included eight boys and one girl. It was so much fun to see them establish fast friendships. Tyler's mom, Laurie, really enjoyed putting together activities for her grandchildren (and our two add-ons). The decorations they made for the Christmas tree were gorgeous.
We were told that there would be a Christmas Eve torch walk, possibly with singing. Even though the boys did NOT want to go and my back still hurt, I really didn't want to miss out on what seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Everyone gathered in front of the hostel to light their torches. The two nine-year-old boys were quite disappointed that nobody would give them a torch to hold.
While this was really cool, the details of the outing really were lost in translation. Ethan and Ben were really poorly prepared. Ethan had no shoes, so he rode on Dave's shoulders. Ben, with no coat on, ran up toward the front of the group. Nobody was singing, and we just kept walking... and walking... After about ten minutes, Dave's back hurt from carrying Ethan, and mine was ready to head back up the hill. Ben, who was well ahead of us at this point, continued on with the group. It turned out that they traveled to the small chapel in town for a Christmas Eve service. The parents returned with the children after seeing the chapel and hearing that the service was taking place in German.
We ate really. well. in Austria. Laurie's friend, Connie, had organized a menu and did the bulk of food preparations (Thank you, Connie!). For Christmas Eve, she and her husband prepared raclette, heating cheese on a special cooker they brought and scraping it onto our plates. The cheese was then eaten with potato, onions, and pickles. Yum!
Laurie read to the kids before bed. Ben was thrilled to be included.
Ethan was the scribe for the Christmas Eve note to Santa.
Two Christmas morning views
Ethan woke up vomiting at 7:00 a.m. on Christmas morning. He made it through opening presents, but went back to bed shortly after. The boys had tons of goodies in their stockings, thanks to Santa's combined efforts. Ben received soccer warmups and Ethan got a game under the tree, and they magically found phones back on their beds. (The phones do not have magical cell phone plans, but will allow them to listen to music and take pictures for the duration of our travels.)
Christmas Day continued with more time out in the snow for Ben and Dave, and sleeping for Ethan and I. When Ethan woke up at 1:00 p.m., he was as energetic as ever. (I am glad that I haven't heard reports of anyone else in the group being sick afterwards.) We took another walk up the road to enjoy the snow and the views. Dinner was another feast that included turkey, salad, and spätzle with crème brûlée for dessert. I finally felt well enough to help with dishes, too. 
The stuffed animals from Christkindlmarkt were actually from todd
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