4 favourite ideas for a relaxed Advent season
Can you smell the first snow yet ? The last colourful leaves are still swirling through the air. The Swiss Plateau is often shrouded in a thick layer of fog, while in the mountains the sky is bright blue. A surreal and symbolic juxtaposition of two weather conditions that could not be more contrasting. The days are short, the nights long. We tuck in and there it is again: the Advent season.
It's best to take a break from social media until Christmas and turn your back on this comparison trap.
Are you looking forward to it or are you dreading it? For parents, a lot of things come together: Advent calendars, Advent wreaths, Christmas carols, candle making, Father Christmas, school plays here and Christmas theatre there. Do you want to do everything on your own or can you delegate? What do you enjoy doing and what are you not good at? It's worth letting these questions sink in for a moment and answering them honestly. Because: You don't have to do anything. And above all, you don't have to compare yourself with other parents.
It's best to take a break from social media until Christmas and turn your back on this comparison trap. Because without the toxic perfect-family photos and likes, you can look inwards in peace and tickle the craziest ideas out of yourself. To inspire you, we have selected these four tried-and-tested and much-loved Advent gems.
1. a wreath that you don't have to wreathe
It actually exists. And as a DIY metal wreath frame. It's best to ask at your local flower shop or order one online. Because it's really easy to do: go for a leisurely walk and collect leaves, twigs, nuts, berries and all the pretty things you can find in the woods and meadows. At home, place the treasures you have collected in the metal wreath. As you wish.
Then attach four candles to it and the work for a contemplative Advent season is complete. The great thing is that the metal wreath can be used at any time of year. Decorated with seasonal natural products, you can enjoy it all year round.
2. how about a Grittibänz goddess?
It doesn't have to be the same Grittibänz figure every year and your children will love it! Roll the dough into a snake and use it to create the belly of the goddess. Legs, arms, breasts, head and the baking miracle is complete.
Or let the child create their own fantasy figure. I remember the work of a four-year-old who came to visit us. He kneaded and rolled his Grittibänz dough fervently for 15 minutes. At the end, the lump of dough looked just like it did at the beginning. The boy, on the other hand, proudly announced: «There, it's finished - my doghouse with the dog inside.»
3. the podcast for better time management
Advent, Advent, a candle is burning and mum or dad is running. How do you plan buffer zones correctly? How do you manage energy well if you have small children or a job with irregular working hours? What do you do if you have to work in an open-plan office and are completely exhausted as a result?
In this episode of the award-winning Swiss podcast «Beziehungskosmos», journalist Sabine Meyer and psychotherapist Felizitas Ambauen address these questions. They discuss how good agenda planning works, what you can do when energetic exhaustion leads to couple conflicts and also why a houseplant in exactly the right place can be an energetic oasis.
Podcast «Relationship cosmos»
Since March 2020, the two have been publishing a new podcast episode every fortnight on various streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple and Spreaker. At its core, it always revolves around the topic of relationships. In addition to the individual psychological perspective, the social level is also increasingly coming into focus. Over 100 episodes have already been released - and the two women are far from having had enough.
Further information can be found here.
4. heavenly-smelling cinnamon buns
In Scandinavia, they are part of every Yule or Christmas celebration and also sweeten the Advent season for us. And is there anything more heavenly than freshly baked cinnamon buns with home-ground cardamom? Hardly.
Tip: Leave the cinnamon buns to cool slightly, but enjoy them as warm as possible. They are simply irresistible that way!
150 g butter
500 ml milk
1 fresh yeast cube
150 g sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cardamom powder, ground
1 kg wheat flour
For the filling
75 g butter
100 g sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon powder
1 egg to coat
Sugar sprinkles for sprinkling
Preparation
Melt the butter, add the milk and heat gently. Dissolve the yeast in the milk. Then add the sugar, salt and cardamom and almost all the flour. Knead the dough until it becomes smooth.
Then cover the dough with a damp towel and leave to rise for around 30 to 40 minutes.
Knead the dough briefly, divide it into three parts and roll out each one into a thin, rectangular shape. Brush with soft butter. Mix the sugar and cinnamon and spread a thick layer on the dough.
Roll into a roll. Cut into slices about 4 cm thick. Place the slices cut side down on the baking tray. Leave the dough to rise again. It will roughly double in size in 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 220 °C top/bottom heat.
Brush the cinnamon buns with beaten egg. Then sprinkle with sugar. Bake in the preheated oven at 220 °C for about 5 to 8 minutes on the middle shelf. Leave to cool under a towel.
