So the last Christmas I spent in the Czech Republic Europe had been blanketed in enough snow to shut down airports and generally make life impossible for millions of us. That being said, it created a stunningly cliche and perfect aesthetic. Imagine picturesque towns filled with Christmas markets, dusted (or covered) in snow, people rushing about, bundled up, cheeks glowing from the cold, and everything seeming to be pulled from some postcard. Yeah, It was lovely.
This Christmas is different. While the people are still bustling about, bundled and glowing, and the Christmas markets are everywhere, there is one key fact missing to really make it feel like a lovely Central European Christmas, SNOW! Sure the temperatures are still in the realm of cold, (but never really cold enough to suit me) it just doesn't feel right without the sound of snow crunching under my feet or the delicate weight of snow flakes on what little skin is exposed. I am finding I even miss the smell of it. All of the other smells are there: mulled wine, roasting chestnuts, trdelinks, but without the crisp clean smell of snow they seem lacking.
However, even with the missing clean white backdrop, Christmas here is just this side of magical. There is really something about the stalls peddling everything from wonderful hand made wares to some of the tackiest mass produced crap ever. The Czechs, still grumpy and lacking in more Westernized over cheerfulness, seem to be a little less likely to scowl at everyone. They are more tolerant of my terrible attempts to practice my broken Czech, a little more helpful as my fellow expats and I navigate the markets, metros, and major department stores. It is a nice reprieve.
Now if I could just get it with a side order of fluffy snow.
This Christmas is different. While the people are still bustling about, bundled and glowing, and the Christmas markets are everywhere, there is one key fact missing to really make it feel like a lovely Central European Christmas, SNOW! Sure the temperatures are still in the realm of cold, (but never really cold enough to suit me) it just doesn't feel right without the sound of snow crunching under my feet or the delicate weight of snow flakes on what little skin is exposed. I am finding I even miss the smell of it. All of the other smells are there: mulled wine, roasting chestnuts, trdelinks, but without the crisp clean smell of snow they seem lacking.
However, even with the missing clean white backdrop, Christmas here is just this side of magical. There is really something about the stalls peddling everything from wonderful hand made wares to some of the tackiest mass produced crap ever. The Czechs, still grumpy and lacking in more Westernized over cheerfulness, seem to be a little less likely to scowl at everyone. They are more tolerant of my terrible attempts to practice my broken Czech, a little more helpful as my fellow expats and I navigate the markets, metros, and major department stores. It is a nice reprieve.
Now if I could just get it with a side order of fluffy snow.
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