Winter time is Christmas time

Zweiklang Advent ideas for the 1st Advent

The days are getting shorter and the temperatures are falling. All the more reason to make yourself comfortable at home in the warmth. Every Sunday in Advent we present two or three different ideas for what you can do on these days to spend a contemplative Advent season with your loved ones despite the pandemic conditions.

Usually the first Christmas markets start at the end of November. Many small stalls are lined up one after the other and warmly wrapped people push their way through the stalls in a dense crowd. As there are no or only very limited Christmas markets this year, you can get the Christmas scent into your own home with the first tip.

Tip: Make burnt almonds yourself, in only three steps

You will need: 200g peeled almonds, 100g sugar, 100 ml water, 1 pack of vanilla sugar, 1 pinch of salt and, if you like, some cinnamon. A stove as well as a pot or a pan, a spoon, a spatula and a baking tray or baking paper

Caution Caramelised sugar is particularly hot and can cause severe burns! As an adult, you should therefore never leave your child alone with it.

Mix water, 1 pinch of salt and sugar and heat in the pan until the sugar dissolves, then you can add the almonds. Now mix the almonds with the sugar mass so that they are well covered, keep the mass in motion by stirring constantly. After about 8 minutes at the latest the sugar will caramelise and "coat" the almonds. Caution: the sugar can quickly become too dark and then tastes bitter. Then place the almonds on the baking paper and spread them with a spatula so that they can dry without sticking together

Staying in the apartment a lot can be quite exhausting, so it is even more important that you make yourself comfortable in your own four walls. The pre-Christmas period also includes window decorating, so here is a handicraft idea.

Tip: Paper cut poinsettias as window decoration

A handicraft idea that you may know from your childhood and which is not so unknown, but has already been forgotten by some. Both young and old can do handicrafts and there are no limits to your creativity, as there are countless complicated ideas for cutting poinsettias on the Internet. Here is one of them.

Attention: also the handling of the scissors has to be learned. Older kindergarten children or primary school children can certainly do this on their own. Younger children often still need support here.

You need: white or coloured paper and scissors. Who likes colored pencils, sequins, glitter and everything else you can think of.

Work steps:

Cut the sheet into a square so that all sides are the same length. If you have a Din A4 sheet, you only need to cut a small strip and you have the right size
Fold the square into a triangle, fold the tips to each other, fold the triangle as small as you like, this can be twice or as small as possible
Now use the scissors to cut small and large prongs out of the triangles at various points
When you are finished, you can unfold the triangle and marvel at the great shape your star has taken on. And I'm sure each of your stars will look different

With these big and small stars you can now decorate your window panes so that people in the street have something to look forward to and you can also develop a sense of anticipation for Christmas at home.

Lots of fun in the kitchen and at the craft table! And look forward to a new advent article next Sunday. Enjoy the pre-Christmas time and stay healthy.

Published on 29.11.2020