Christmas

Jolly old St.Nicholas
Lean your ear this way
Don't you tell a single soul
What I'm goin' to say

Christmas Eve is coming soon
Now you dear old man
Whisper what you'll bring to me
Tell me if you can

Christmas is a really big deal here! My ears have enough of all this christmas music and my eyes are blind from all the lights and decoration. I think I have never been a real Christmas-lover and the christmas spirit is not here this year. I don't know what it is. Maybe it's because Christmas is a time to be together with your family - and this family is not here with me. Also the cookies of my grandma are missing and this special smell in my house back home is not the same as it is here. I don't know what makes Christmas so special back home; I really don't know. All I can say that it is not the same and that I wish I could have spent at least this one day with them, but what we did was special too and I will probably never experience it like this:
On the 24th I skyped with my family, because noon for me is 7pm for them and that was the time when they lightened the candles on the tree and started to open the presents. It was just so special for me. My dad showed me the tree and then he played the song we always play on christmas: So this is Christmas - John Lennon
Then I watched my family unwrapping their presents. It was also different for them this year, not only because I was gone, also because Nicole, my exchange buddy from Canada was there with them. (She has a youtube channel where she talks about her exchange. Please check it out here). The box I packed for them with a bunch of stuff came in time. All in all i put 29 little presents and 5 letters in it - all for my family and some friends. It was a present for me to see them smiling at the things I sent them. My grandparents were also there what made me super happy.
My host family had a Christmas lunch and I also went to church with my first host family that day. There a family friend invited me for dinner and so the Horaks and I drove there and had a wonderful time. They gave me presents and I was so overwhelmed, because I didn't expect that. That evening I realized how much I actually miss them. They are like a real family for me and I don't feel like I am just a girl that stayed with them for three months, no, I feel like I have always been part of their family. They said they miss me too and that made my heart crack a little.
On the 25th I skyped again, but this time with the other part of the family. My family always comes together on the day after Christmas to have coffee and cake and to talk about the presents they got. They just thanked me for the presents I sent them and asked how I am. It had to go quickly, because my family is huge and they wanted to give everybody the chance to talk to me.
Later that day my host family's son and his fiancé came and we started to unwrap the presents. I got to choose what I would like to have before Christmas, so I knew what I would get. There were a few surprises, because my host parents bought some other things too. Some of those things didn't really fit my style so we drove to Iowa City a few days later and gave it back. I got to choose other things instead what was nice.

Now it is time for pictures.
I have a bunch of the Skype session, because there were so many unique and special moments I had to capture.

I got to sit on Santa's lap what was a little bit weird, because I was probably the only one in the queue who was over 5 years old.
When he asked me what I want for Christmas I said "a boyfriend hahaha just kidding" and then he answered "If I would be 50 years younger I would be your boyfriend" what actually sounded like a pedophile :P

That's how we had to dress up for our Christmas choir performances

The package I sent to my family

My box all set to travel its way from Iowa to Tyrol, Austria

So I promised my friends in school to make Austrian Christmas cookies. They didn't turn out like they should have. Actually they didn't even taste like grandma's and they also melted together so at the end I had one big cookie...

My sister playing the flute and my grandpa taking pictures in the background

The proof that my guinea pig is still alive. She has got a little bow 

My box. They even wrapped it - how sweet is that?!

My mum singing and me laughing about her

Nothing, not even distance, can keep us sisters from being foolish

My sister totally freaking out about a present she got

So my dad got a sweater from his mother and we all said it looks  like a "Grandpa-Sweater" and that's how he imitates an old man

Kissing my sister goodbye

The mess at home. I am on the iPad next to my mum

This year's family portrait

Grandma! Grandpa!

Oh how I love Nicole!

American churches are warmer and much more modern than the ones back home

Mary Kate never smiles when I take pictures of us. Like never ever

Even the Christmas tree is different: Back home we have a real one with real candles and way less ornaments

For the end: Here is a little video about Mary Kate and me being stupid.