A quiet holiday

This holiday wasn't about getting in a big trip or doing big things.  For some of us, it labeled the holiday a snoozefest, and I can sympathize.  The last four years had us visit Petra, enter the pyramids in Giza, wander Prague, and freeze through Vienna. But sometimes it's nice just to be together quietly, even if that was tainted a bit by the typical sniping and complaining and bickering.

This year we hit a few Christmas markets...

Bad Homburg

...and built gingerbread houses.

Walking Dead theme

In our defense, the people were mostly broken
before we started

Celebrating multiple holidays.

We baked a bunch of cookies, and successfully escaped a locked room (Escape Events: BioHazard, with 18 mins and 54 seconds remaining, no photo unfortunately).

Saw "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" and "SW: Rogue One" (in English!)...

Nicholas, Rebecca and Ian saw a Frankfurt Lowen hockey game.

And of course the tree, with all its memories.  This year, it holds the kids' ornaments and it's full. Sadly, I was lame and didn't manage new ornaments for the kids from Germany. That doesn't mean I'm not still looking though, and may just cave to the generic nutcracker.

Chennai.

Cinnamon Heart from the Hays.

Germany

Some ornaments haven't fared well.

Reindeer hat topper

Alsace stork

Amman, Orlando, Manila.

We watched a lot of movies - "Elf," the original 1971 "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," "Die Hard," "SW: A New Hope" - and shows - the animated "Avatar," "Big Bang Theory," "Amazing Race" - and all the Caps hockey games.

At home on NYE, we enjoyed the city-wide fireworks from one of the attic windows, while Nicholas went downtown to meet up with a friend for the fireworks over the river.

Jonathon spent a lot of time on the computer over the holiday.

So no, nothing exciting or jaw-dropping.  But next year as we spiral our way out of Frankfurt to see more and more of what Europe has to offer and I'm more situated with my work and time off and know our options, we'll go somewhere fun. Ian has quite a few trips already planned for 2017, some I can even join in, but I think we'll need suggestions for a winter break....

Hmm, I'm thinking Scandinavia.