What makes my Christmas this year much more special, patience learned from Stollen.
Christmas or the feast of the nativity is an annual festival, commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. In the Catholic culture, Christmas is preceded by the season of Advent, which is four weeks time period before Christmas. You might have seen four candles in the Christmas cards. This is an Advent wreath. The keeping of this Advent wreath is a common practice in homes or churches during the Advent season. They lit on the first candle on the first Sunday of Advent and lit on the second candle on the following Sunday. At the Fourth Sunday Advent, which is the Sunday just before Christmas, they lit on every four candles, and they prepare the Christmas manger. However, they do not place a baby Jesus at the manger on that day. They do at the Christmas eve celebrating the birth of baby Jesus.
Christmas is a religious but also a cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. Even though people who are not Christian, they also celebrate this day as a special holiday. They enjoy the carol songs and Christmas trees and exchange presents among families, couples, partners, and friends. How was your Christmas so far?
We celebrate Christmas at every 25th of December, but none of the Christmas is the same to me. Because every year I got new memories and experiences about Christmas, and it made my Christmas special every year. What memories and experiences about Christmas did you get this year, which can make your Christmas this year special?
While I am waiting for the Christmas this year, there was one thing that I had learned, which makes my Christmas this year more special. What I have learned was the meaning of patience and how I can deal with it. I learned it from the story of Stollen, a German bread.
Stollen is a fruit bread of nuts, spices, and dried or candied fruit, coated with powdered sugar or icing sugar or honey. It is a traditional German bread eaten during the Christmas season, it is also called Weihnachtsstollen (after "Weihnachten", the German word for Christmas) or Christstollen (after Christ). Stollen is recently getting popular in Korea. I haven't seen much until last year, but I saw many Stollen presents at the Christmas season this year.
The first time I saw Stollen was 3 years ago at the small bakery shop near my home in GangWha island. The bakery shop was run by a young person who has studied in Germany. When I visited the shop we found out that we have the same hometown, same religion, and we became a friend. When Christmas was coming that year, he presented me with one unusual bread. Passing the bread into my hand he said, “Brother it's better to keep this at least a month, then it will taste better.” “a month? What is this bread?” I asked him. Then he told me a very interesting story of Stollen. “Brother, this bread is called Stollen, a German bread. I have learned how to bake it in Germany. Every family in Germany prepares this bread at their home and waiting for Christmas. Parents put this bread at the kitchen table. Because this bread is so sweet, children like it very very much, they are dying to taste it. But they are not allowed to taste it until Christmas day. In that way, parents teach their children what is patience and how patience can give much more Joy at the end of their waiting.”
Watching many Stollen presents this year, reminds me of that story. It also made me reflect on my life, thinking what patience I have now, and how I am dealing with it. I am now experiencing thinking and practising patience in my life can make my Christmas this year a much more special one.
Usually, when I get too much stress or works, I lose my patience and make me find things, people, or places that can provide me with pleasure in a short time. Such as drinking alcohol, showing my anger to people around me, or blaming for other people. However, as you well know, pleasure dies at the very moment when it charms us most. So I try to be patient and try to stop any unnecessary pleasure-pursuing until the Christmas day this year. I believe my effort will give me a real joy on the Christmas day, like the children, after their long patience and waiting, celebrating their Christmas with tasting Stollen with their parents on Christmas Day.
I wish you have a great Christmas and also find your good memories that can make your Christmas this year more special one.
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