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And soon there will be two!
And soon there will be two! The Christmas decorations have been taken out and put up. The first doors of the Advent calendar have been opened. In some houses there is already a wonderful smell of biscuits and pine trees. This year, even the Aachener Christmas market and its countless tasty treats are finally back. The Advent season has officially started and should make the wait until Christmas a little sweeter. We too would like to make this time a little brighter for you and have put together some ideas on how you can spend the Advent season in a relaxed manner.
Enjoying Christmas market treats at home stress-free
Christmas markets are a great thing! However, every now and then you may find yourself in a downpour of rain or on an overcrowded Christmas market – something that many people don’t really feel comfortable with in the current situation. However, there is one thing you surely don’t want to miss out: the Christmas market treats. Some of these delicacies are quite easy to make at home and you will get you a little Christmas market atmosphere in your home. At last year’s IT Center Christmas Market, we showed you how to make festive hot drinks like mulled wine and apple punch at home. In another article we taught you how to make roasted almonds. Hot chocolate and chestnuts were also a must on our list. We topped it all off with a recipe for Spritzgebäck, one of the absolute classics for Christmas.
Advent of Code – The somewhat different Advent calendar
Another must-have for the Advent season is an advent calendar. You like programming? If so, the IT Center has the perfect advent calendar for you. In the Advent of Code 2021, a “little door” will be opened every day from the first of December. Behind each door is a small programming task that can be solved using any method or programming language. As a reward, an ASCII snippet will be revealed with each solved task. At the end of the month, these will form a complete picture. The focus here is on the joy of programming and solving puzzles. The Advent calendar can also be used to gain some experience in programming and programming languages. You can simply register on the Advent of Code website. Happy Coding!
Christmas music is not to be missed
Christmas music truly does exist for all tastes! On the popular music streaming services, you will surely find a variety of Christmas playlists that will suit your taste. Regardless of whether you prefer the oldies of Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra, the Christmas classics from the eighties and nineties by Wham! or Mariah Carrey, if you have a weakness for Michael Bublé or prefer something that rocks a bit more with Queen or AC/DC. Even for die-hard metal fans, bands like Sabaton and August Burns Red offer plenty of material for your ears. With the right atmosphere, Christmas music will enhance that warm, cosy feeling within.
Snuggle up and watch Christmas films
After a busy day, sometimes you just want to let yourself be entertained and be able to recharge your batteries. There’ s nothing better than enjoying some time off on a rainy day by snuggling up on the sofa and watching some Christmas movies. Add to that a pack of gingerbread and the world is back in order. From “Die Hard” to “Home Alone”, “The Grinch” or “Miracle on 34th Street”; there are Christmas movies for everyone too. Get cosy, relax, and just let yourself be carried away. Maybe some of these movies will even become real Christmas traditions. Success guaranteed!
And don’t forget! It’ s St. Nicholas’ Day on the 6th of December. Clean your boots and put them by the door. Maybe they’ll be filled with some goodies… Enjoy the time with your loved ones and have a merry and peaceful Advent season.
Responsible for the content of this article are Stéphanie Bauens and Janin Vreydal.
