What is Christmas like for us?

Yes, we could have stayed at home and celebrated Christmas with our loved ones. But where? In Switzerland? In Germany?

For years, we've been stumbling over where to celebrate. Since our children no longer live with us, it's no longer entirely clear what we do at Christmas. Racing around the country before, during and after the holidays to be here and there?

A good question that we ask ourselves every year.

But let's ask ourselves another question: What is Christmas for us? We have learnt it as a family celebration. As coming to rest, sometimes as a final spurt. As the end of the year. As winter time. And above all: as a time of reflection, of inner contemplation.

It was only later that the Christian part came to us. We never really understood this part, or rather felt it. It's probably because of our mum houses.

In short: meeting and being together. Spending time together. Plus good food and, in the past, lots of presents. Laundry baskets by the basketful. Then came the time of "we don't give each other anything" or "we already have everything". That wasn't true either, but we had tried.

When we made the decision to travel, we realised that Christmas, as celebrated by the majority of society, doesn't suit us at the moment. (It can change, everything is in flux, right?)

We want to spend time together, but without fixed dates. We want to be in the moment when we experience that moment. Be it at a Traveller meeting, around a campfire in the desert, at family celebrations or on surprise visits to stroll through the Christmas market together.

This year, too, we will be somewhere, but we usually don't know where until the morning of 24 December. Does that bother us? No, because we are together. We make time for each other, day after day.

Have we spent time with family and friends this year? Have we enjoyed every minute? Ohhh yes.

We look at our travel diary here (and many memories in our hearts that are not public here) and realise that 2023 was an intense time. And thanks to our long stay in Switzerland and Germany, it was also an intense and wonderful time with family and friends.

We are grateful from the bottom of our hearts that we were welcomed everywhere with open arms. Grateful for the many wonderful conversations, the great meals together, the shared experiences. Because one thing is clear: there was hardly a lack of connections, encounters and heartfelt moments this year.

And when we're sitting in our Felix or in a restaurant somewhere in the world tonight, on Christmas Eve, we'll talk about these moments. Yes, we'll probably also mention the silly things, because what the heck, not everything is going smoothly for us either.

By dessert at the latest, we'll smile at each other and realise what a great year we've had for the most part. That we have each other. That we know we are always welcome with friends and family.

And so we take all these encounters with us into the Christmas season. A time that doesn't degenerate into a year-end rush, that isn't used for bookkeeping and that doesn't degenerate into a gift-giving frenzy. No, we take the people we have met this year into our hearts.

And if your neck or scalp is tingling as you read this, something is ringing in your ears or your hair is standing on end. Yes, then it could be us who are thinking of you with a smile, full of joy and gratitude!

And we wish you all a wonderful time. And exactly how you would like to spend it: in the mountains, by the sea, at home or travelling. With or without family, with or without presents and with or without (?) delicious food. In any case, we hope that when you look back on your Christmas celebrations in a few days' time, you will be able to say: "Yes, that was exactly what I wanted!"

PS: And one more thing: We are looking forward to meeting you again, having meetings and phone calls, even if the year counts one number higher next week.

---

Merci for "travelling with us

We are thinking about taking another break from travelling in the summer and visiting our families in Germany and Switzerland. One of the ideas is to organise a Lecture about our long journey to the Persian Gulf to prepare. If you would like to, what would interest you the most? We will also tell stories here that don't find a place here on the blog. We're thinking of the Bern and Berlin area - simply because we have family there. But other places are also conceivable. Feel free to write to us.

Do you think our travel experiences might be of interest to others? Then you can share the Share post quietly. By e-mail or however you want to do it.

In addition, if you haven't already done so, you can use our Newsletter subscribe. Here you will receive all our experiences in your mailbox whenever we publish something new or once a week on Fridays: live-pur.ch/newsletter

We are also very happy to hear your views, your tips or your questions. Just comment on the post!