.. and Christmas is coming anyway

Every year during the Christmas season, I can’t help but think of my mom’s words: “And Christmas will come anyway.” You want to get this and that done; everything should be nice and clean, beautifully decorated, cookies baked, and the nativity scene set up—you want everything to be perfect for the guests, and you also want time for yourself and your family. But life isn’t that perfect, and something you set out to do just doesn’t get done and falls by the wayside. My mom stays calm and, when she sees me rushing around, says, “Christmas will come anyway.”

YES, she’s right, and these words give me the strength to get the essentials done and not take things so seriously—to smile every now and then and just be grateful for everything I have.

And then there are those Christmases that you can’t look forward to with joy—the ones you’d rather skip altogether, when the season is almost too much to bear emotionally, especially if something terrible has happened in the family, or someone has fallen ill, or you simply feel helpless. In those moments, you can barely muster the strength to sing “Silent Night,” and you feel very, very sad. And yet, Christmas still comes, as my mom always said, even in these difficult times. Together, we can get through these difficult days and hours more easily and look forward again. For those who’ve never experienced a Christmas like that, I’m very happy for you, because it’s very hard to endure this beautiful holiday in that kind of mood.

Today, though, I’d like to focus on the beautiful and joyful things—the preparations leading up to Christmas and our mom. She’s a very special person to us kids and Dad; despite life situations that aren’t always easy, she stays brave and spreads optimism and joy to everyone. Just a great mom. She’s taught us so much—including a love for baking bread.

I also learned the following recipe from my mom—apple bread. Along with Kletzenbrot, I really enjoy baking this recipe, and best of all, it doesn’t require sourdough or bread dough and works well in any home oven.

Recipe for Apple Bread:

1.5 kg grated juicy apples, 500 g raisins, 300 g hazelnuts or walnuts, 500 g figs, 1/8 liter rum, 500 g sugar, 1 package vanilla sugar, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1 teaspoon mixed spice (or gingerbread spice), a little grated orange and lemon zest. Mix everything together in a bowl the day before and cover with a lid so the alcohol doesn’t evaporate. Mix 1000 g flour (wheat flour), 2 packets of baking powder, and a pinch of salt together, then add to the other mixture. Then quickly shape into loaves or rolls, let them rest for a bit, pour a cup of water onto the baking sheet, and if necessary, sprinkle some water on the bread as well, then pop them in the oven. You can also bake them in loaf pans at 170–190 degrees for 1 to 1.5 hours, depending on your oven.

It brings me joy and a sense of relaxation to bake bread now, before the holidays, and give it as gifts to people who appreciate homemade items.

Have fun baking these treats and find joy in the little things in life, because “Christmas is coming anyway.” Yours, Katharina, the farmer’s wife.