Washerwomen Day, Rose Monday, and Carnival (Karneval)
Rose Monday is the crown of Germany’s Karneval in the Rhineland. In the last days before Lent, people of all ages stroll the city in gorgeous costumes. Sometimes I also run into young men dressed in convenient cow costumes with a single zipper up the front. Learn more about this colorful holiday and how you can enjoy it with your family in the Seven Kingdoms.
Deleted Scenes from the new Valentine’s Day Fairy Tale
A Sneak Peek at the Cutting Floor for Trouble at the Valentine Factory None of the sketches on this page are in Trouble at the Valentine Factory, but I thought they might give you a chuckle. Want to read more? Here are all the places you can get the book (ebook, Kindle, paperback). Once you […]
Kid-powered fun and a new Valentine fairy tale for ages 9 to 12
Imagination is the best kind of kid-powered fun, even when there’s lots of legwork! The medieval Christmas Market in Siegburg, Germany has wonderful, people-powered entertainment. Check out these Viking ships and the carousel. The soundtrack is the bells from the pink tower next to the market. https://youtu.be/o2A3f41UKkE?si=quL_ziLSWI39PO3b/ Men at work This slightly blurry close-up shows […]
A Valentine fairy tale visits another town with a heart for bees
Beautiful city hall on legs in Michelstadt, Germany Michelstadt, Germany is the perfect stop to “bee” inspired for a new Valentine fairy tale. The ponderous beams of the city hall built in 1484 don’t look like they need protection. If they did, what could a bee do? If the Blackfly Queen (in my new fairy […]
What is International Book Giving Day?
What is international book giving day? 6 ways you can get involved: 14th February is about getting books into the hands of as many children as possible on 14th February #bookgivingday “1 in 8 disadvantaged children in the UK don’t own a single book” [source: National Literacy Trust, Dec 2017] 6 Ways You Can Get […]
Happy Day Before St. Nicholas Day!
These “Bread Guys” are in a Luxembourg bakery. ©Laurel Decher, 2019. Would your family like to celebrate St. Nicholas Day this year? At our house, it’s always been a nice start to a busy month. Making Stutenkerle or “Bread Guys” is a fun, easy, and reasonably healthy after-school activity on December 5th. Afterwards, the kids […]
Love Springs up Like Birch Trees
In Germany, May 1st is a sort of Valentine’s-Day-on-Steroids On the last night of April, birch trees pop up everywhere in this part of Germany. Young men put them up in front of their sweetheart’s houses and write the girl’s name in a giant heart hung on a tree. It’s a windy time of year. […]
Peace on Earth, Good Will to You All!
A year ago, I wrote about our “rastafarian” Joseph and the challenges of writing about other people’s cultures: Skin-colored Felt: Doing other people’s cultures wrong. It feels like we’ve gone backwards in trying to understand each other this year. Our rastafarian Joseph still leans to one side. (He still needs that navy bean transfusion.) Our […]