Frohe Weihnachten! / Happy Christmas!

Christmas Cheer!

Wow. My blog has been quiet this month – but before I get into what’s been going on, let me be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas.

Although, all things considered, I’m probably not the first person to do this – so just take my seasonal greetings in the manner which they should be taken: warm, fuzzy thoughts that should be enjoyed with a steaming mug of Glühwein and a generous snow fall (the latter of which has been distinctly missing from this Berlin December).

I think that I can divide December into, at least for me, three distinct parts: the first part, immediately after my return from London, was spent being sick. I managed to make it to one (overcrowded) Christmas market – but other than that, I spent most of my free time staying warm and ensuring that the manufacturer of Tempo was going to have a profitable December. Lacking oxygen, I even skipped the gym, only making it once.

The second part of December can only be described as social-hell. Before anybody who I met up with thinks it is them that I am talking about, it’s not. The thing is that each of these things – parties, gatherings, dinners, or whatever – were individually enjoyable. After each thing, I thought to myself, “well, that was fun!” – and I sincerely meant it. Collectively, though, it ran me down to the point that I spent most of this past Saturday home, alone, asleep. As an introvert, I need a lot of time alone and the cumulative effects of all the awesome social things hit me pretty hard. Plus, during the party season, I never made it to the gym.

Saturday started the third, and final, part of my December: the recovery stage. Yet again I will be home, alone, for Christmas – to my work colleagues I say that it’s “Adam Allein zu Hause” and immediately have to explain that I’m actually happy about this and that I enjoy this time to myself. Monday my office was simultaneously busier than I expected, yet quiet. The fact is that I have a lot of work in my work queue (enough to keep me busy until at least January 7th – but I only have five work days in there) and will be spending my time at the office happily working. I’d rather spend December in my office working than not have any vacation time available in July, when the weather outside is nice.

I’ll end 2013 in another country – spending quality time with friends – since I am committed to not being in Germany for New Year’s Eve unless I cannot help it.

In the meantime, I’m spending today – the German Christmas – doing simple things: I went out and had a lactose-frei latte, wandered through a (surprisingly) quiet mall, and am now washing my winter jacket (the one I was told that only needed to be washed once a year – presumably only if you only wear it once a year and not daily).

There are a couple of cool photos that I still need to post from London – I get to it by the end of the week, I promise.