Do your children believe in Father Christmas?
«Dear Nik, do your children still believe in Father Christmas and the Christ Child?»
As we were walking through the woods the other day, my daughter said that the children at school had told her that St Nicholas didn't exist. They were men in disguise with glued-on beards. «They're just saying that because they've never seen the real St Nicholas,» my daughter said indignantly. «He really does exist, he lives in our forest. I've seen him myself.»
Last year, our children pressed their noses against the window for hours to catch a glimpse of the man in the red coat. To this day, they are convinced that the only reason Father Christmas didn't knock on our door was because his «Schmutzli» was afraid of dogs. There is little doubt that the real Father Christmas came to our house from the forest. The boots that the children had put outside the door in the evening were full to bursting in the morning.
Advent and Christmas is a special, mysterious time in our house. The whole house smells of candles and fresh pine branches, an Advent calendar with 24 little sacks stretches across the window front in the living room, an angel waits on the wall to descend a step every day until the 24th step on Christmas Eve.
These are the rituals that our children love so much. The shop that is set up in the living room just in time for the first Advent, the home-made Advent wreath the size of a wagon wheel hanging from the ceiling. Or the fir tree that we cut down in the forest every year on Christmas Eve and carry home together. And which - oh wonder of wonders, after the door to the parlour has been locked - turns into a wonderfully decorated Christmas tree.
While his daughter is busy wondering whether it would be a good idea to watch Father Christmas baking gingerbread, his brother, who is two years older, is preoccupied with the logistical aspects of Christmas. How on earth did Father Christmas heave the bulky workbench through the narrow stairwell to the top floor last year? For their daughter, the answer is clear: St Nicholas and Schmutzli must have helped!
When the son hears his sister's answer, he smiles mildly ...
The next question goes to Florina Schwander, Editor Print and Online:
«Dear Florina, tell me, do your twins get the same presents for Christmas?»
The answer has now been published:
Do your twins get the same presents? The answer from Florina Schwander
Previously published in the section "We ask ourselves ":
- Autorin Claudia Landolt antwortet auf die Frage: Wie lebt es sich als Frau mit fünf Männern plus Hund?
- Die stellvertretende Chefredaktorin Evelin Hartmann antwortet auf die Frage: Wie macht ihr das mit der Zweisprachigkeit mit euren Kindern? Sprechen die beiden Hoch- oder Schweizerdeutsch?