After exactly two years of COVID and corresponding lockdowns and uncertainty, we were able to see the German in laws again! As soon as the travel ban was lifted in November, the German Family, Annegret, Ernst and Meike, had their flights purchased and travel plans confirmed to come to San Francisco for Christmas. Annegret and Ernst arrived Thursday December 16, staying through January 5 and Meike joined the party from December 20 through the 30. Luckily for Martin and me, Annegret and Ernst’s plans happened to line up perfectly with the German School winter break which meant extra time with the kids for them and less stress about trying to juggle work and childcare the few days before Christmas for us.
While 3 weeks might seem like a lot for your in-laws to stay with you in your tiny apartment in San Francisco (or at least it would have seemed like a lot to me just a few years prior), the time flew by and I wish they could have stayed longer (I can’t believe I just wrote this).
It was a blur of too much coffee and cake (which included 11 different types of baked sweets and a newly purchased 12 shot espresso maker), the kids running on fumes every day but having the best time, introducing the family to few new traditions such as silly super and dino tacos, and the always entertaining experience of opening presents Christmas Eve with the Breuers (you never know what will happen… this year, I got the thoughtful gift of Irish coffee glasses from Annegret, which unfortunately for Annegret I had already bought for myself the year prior and, when opening up another present from Annegret and Ernst, I asked Ernst if it was from him to which he responded “it would seem so”).
Our Christmas Tree came down on Monday after new year’s eve and the family said goodbye on Wednesday and now our house feels so much quiet and more empty than normal. And going against our best advice and usual approach, we don’t have the next trip scheduled yet. Fingers and toes crossed either the vaccine becomes available for Alva or things start to look a little less bleak in time for a summer vacation to Europe to see them again.
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