Kaysersberg

We visited Kaysersberg for the first time back in the summer, and we thought it just might be the cutest town we've ever seen. Then we took Jen right after Christmas when the Christmas decor was still up. Still the cutest town we've ever seen. And with the snow falling, it was too perfect! I loved it all lit up at night too. I think we might need just one more visit before we move. The wine is the best white wine in the World!

Snow Day!

We had our first real snow storm 2 days after Christmas. We had about 1 foot of snow to play with by the afternoon! The Vineyards behind our house makes for the perfect sledding hill. The kids even built a snowman.

Merry Christmas

These are the only 2 pictures I managed to take on Christmas Day. Whoops. Lots of videos on the iPad though! We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Having Aunt Jennifer visiting was an added bonus. We enjoyed a lazy morning opening presents, playing with presents, and than a nice steak dinner that also included my friend Pam. I am glad we have a picture of us celebrating Jesus with his yummy birthday cake. 

Limburg

We discovered this little gem of a town on Christmas Eve. What a great surprise! I have always eyeballed this Cathedral off the Autobahn about 30 minutes from our house, and finally decided to check it out on Christmas Eve morning since I read they had a Christmas Market still going on. The highlight most definitely was not the Christmas Market, but the super cute town and beautiful Dom! I can't believe this place is so close and took us over 3 years to visit! We will definitely take some visitors there when they come to town. 

Heidelberg

We had not been to Heidelberg for almost 3 years! Considering how close it is, it seems like a long time. We enjoyed the Christmas Market and a trip to this lovely Chocolate place that we enjoyed 3 years ago :)

Dinkelsbuhl

I know I mentioned in a previous post about Christmas Markets giving us a reason to explore new towns; Dinkelsbuhl was a new town we had never visited. Super cute! It's close to Rothenburg (a favorite of ours), and now we may have to take some visitors there in the spring. I didn't get too many pictures. Sometimes I enjoy being in the moment and forget about the camera, not a bad thing I guess? Jen thought it was her favorite market because it had a variety of different things we hadn't seen elsewhere.  

Cochem

Jennifer has arrived! I am so glad she is here to spend the next few weeks with us! We have so many fun things planned, and there is truly no better place to be than Germany for Christmas :) Yesterday we went to Rudesheim by ourselves for some girl time and shopping. We went to Cochem today which is a super cute town on the Mosul River. We first went back in August when the Tillotson clan was visiting. Cochem was a fun place to be on a Saturday during Christmas. The town was decorated nicely, the Christmas Market was small but cute. They also had a boat running along the river that allows you to peak at other towns, which was really neat. 

Nutcracker Play date

Addy had a few of her friends over to do some Nutcracker crafts. The girls had a blast! They made peppermint candy Christmas trees, Nutcrackers from a Pringles can, decorated cookies, and we also read the book and listened to the music. The Nutcracker is one of her favorite things about Christmas time. We get to go see the Ballet this year with Aunt Jennifer and we can hardly wait!

Frankfurt Christmas Market

Frankfurt is only 20 minutes away and this was surprisingly our first visit ever to this Christmas Market. It's typically not my favorite city. On a monday morning the market was great (perks of the Homeschool life)! No crowds, a yummy lunch for the kids, and I even found a few neat things.

Rudesheim Christmas Market

Rudesheim just might be my favorite Christmas Market. And that is saying a lot considering we have been to over 30 or so. We usually go a few times before the season is over, and hit this one right after Thanksgiving. The best part about it is that it never seems crowded. And we've gone at various times. It's always quiet and quaint. I have some favorite stands, including delicious cooked mushrooms. And the Nativity Scene is the one of the best!