vailian

 The Christmas tree survived the candles. I was very nervous, watching the candles burn right down to the holders, but my hosts are very experienced. In Germany, Christmas presents are always opened on Christmas Eve. Now this has advantages and disadvantages: OK, so you get to rip open the packages 12 hours earlier, but by the time the presents are opened (nearly midnight), everyone is quite tired and the food and drink have perhaps taken their toll. Also, it is so dark, you cannot really see what you have gotten (OK, this may be an advantage too). This difficulty was compounded at my hosts' house by the fact that they have an ironclad tradition that no lighting is allowed except for the candles on the Christmas tree.
My hosts insisted that I was not to bring presents for them, but I did wrap up some things for them, things that I found around the house here that I thought they could appreciate more than I: mostly books. I have far far too many books here, including hundreds that the former owners of the house left when I bought the apartment. Some are quite old and rare, but I am not really a collector and don't really feel like trying to sell them. My kids are not bookies, so there is little point in saving them.
Then there was the embarassment when my Ossie opened her present from me, a fine Turkish backgammon board. Because: her present to m e was: a backgammon board.