Some of the most fascinating comments from all of you have been on this post.  If you haven’t checked them out, do!  I love reading about how you all decide when to set up Christmas trees around the world.  In some places, it’s a topic of faith.  For others, it’s all about tradition or trying to separate a December birthday from the bustle of Christmas.

I’ve been thinking a lot about decorating for Christmas.  It’s our first time away from our parents’ house during the holidays.  You know how it is – wondering which traditions to incorporate from your family and which ones from your spouse’s.  Wondering what types of traditions to make your own.

We’re also battling with the challenge of where to fit any decorations at all – both during the holiday when we’ll have guests staying with us in our 450 square foot house and then after since we don’t have a lot of storage.

Even a little ol’ Christmas tree stand sounds huge right now.

I think if I were in the US right now, I’d be saying, “Katie!  Quit talking about Christmas until Thanksgiving is here.”  But even my husband is thinking about the Christmas season right now.  We know it is because of the weather (constantly pouring rain) and the darkness (needing lights on at our desks any time of day).  The idea of a bright and beautiful celebration is all too tempting.  So is the thought that Christmas = a visit from family.

So we’ve found a Christmas tree solution for our small apartment.  We both are in love with it and thinking about what we want the holidays to mean for us, and we will share our tree in the next couple of days along with the big holiday reveal I promised.

What’s your favorite holiday tradition that you most look forward to?  Is it putting the star on the tree?  Or does the thought of baking cookies make you squeal?  Maybe it’s running outside when the snow is falling… any of which may have happened at your house already, right?

(Images of Christmas markets coming to life in Berlin)

Are you ready for a little challenge?  If you are an American and you are planning a Thanksgiving dinner for next week, do this:

Put one local food on your table.

That’s it.  Pick whatever food you want.  Just make sure it is local.  (Define local as it fits your region.  In the frozen Rocky Mountains, we shoot for a 150 mile radius.)  Pick local flour or carrots, dairy products like whipped cream and butter, eggs, turkey…. Mmm!  It’s such a perfect adjustment to our traditional Thanksgiving dinners, truly getting back to the roots of the holiday.  The pilgrims ate local food, and for hundreds of years, our ancestors have been.  Why not do the same?  Just once.  Just one little thing.

Some advantages you’ll be pleased to hear about putting local food on your Thanksgiving table:

1. It makes you feel amazing.

There are arguments about how local food tastes better (because it’s fresher) and how it’s better for the environment (because it doesn’t travel thousands of miles).  No matter what you believe, the bottom line is this:  you feel really good about what you’re doing.  How cool is it to have apples you picked yourself in your apple pie?  Or mashed potatoes from a local potato farmer?  Just telling your family, “Oh that sweet potato was grown in our county, you know,”… doesn’t that just make you giddy?

2. It’s better than organic (?).

In March 2005, the Food Policy journal reported that organic food often travels huge distances to get to our plates (including from China).  The environmental damage of this transporting, according to their report, completely outweighs the benefits when compared to locally grown foods.

3. You can see where your food came from.

Small, local farms are more inclined to answer your questions, show you their fields, or tell you about their crops.  There is nothing cooler than hearing a farmer describe to us the origin of his preferred potatoes outside of Berlin.

4. The food is seasonal.

Most farmers can’t afford huge refrigeration containers.  So they sell foods when they’re in season.  You might be able to find strawberries in Germany or the US right now… but how far did those berries travel?  Or how long have they been refrigerated.  Eating locally often = eating more fresh foods.

5. Your money stays in your community.

If you buy groceries from a huge chain store, the only money that truly stays in your community is the employee wages and local taxes.  It’s only a fraction of your dollar.  Local food lacks all the middlemen, travel expenses, CEO bonuses, and so much more… it might not give you a bang for your buck, but it will for your community.

Want some ideas for finding local food?

Some of the local foods we’ve found for our Thanksgiving in Germany next week are: potatoes, tomatoes, milk, carrots, squash & pumpkin, apples, and sweet potatoes.  It’s quite the jackpot considering we live in a city of 3 million.

So there you have it.  (Are you as hungry as me now?)  I hope you join me and incorporate at least one local food into your Thanksgiving dinner.  And now, you know what time it is… time to share what local food you might be serving!

(Images from an early autumn farmer’s market in Berlin)

I’m spending the afternoon studying German and writing, wishing, day dreaming, and completing a project I started for all of you last month.  I’m working on a creative project that’s been harder than I expected because it’s for Christmas.  And when I work on Christmas stuff, I think of snow and of being with my family.  And when I’m not thinking of them, I am thinking about doing creative projects that are a part of this project.

And when I attempt to do my homework and learn German verbs, well the temptation for distractions erupts all over again.  It’s all very productive.

I know that if I sit here and offer a sneak peek to all of you, I will continue.  I will stop looking at pictures of family and blue sky.

I will be distracted instead by your thoughts or by the work in front of me.  So stay tuned for a holiday surprise very soon.

In the meantime, I have a question.  If you lived in a country that doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving next week say like… oh I don’t know… me… and you still have to go to work and school on Thanksgiving day… well how early would you put up your Christmas tree?

Or how early do you?