Sankt Nikolaus

We spent family night at Grandma's last night. Mom had us play our instruments. Every time I get out my violin these days, I fall ever so quickly back in love with it. The chance to play anything with my sister (she plays cello) is highly entertaining (leave that to me and, what my formal teacher used to call my "creative counting.") My sister and I grew up playing duets together and spent many Christmases in a quartet, ("Vivace," as we called ourselves) playing for various Christmas parties and holiday wedding receptions. Libby always laughs at me, and says something to the exasperated effect of, "Martha! (rubbing her eyes with her bow-in-hand like she really can't believe her eyes, or her ears) Why can't you count?!" Then she erupts into a mini fit of laughter. I stand up for myself and find some brilliant excuse for my unique counting ways and we start again at the pick-up note to measure whatever.
I am happy to report that after a quick run-through session pre-performance at Grandma's, we came through a shining success, leaving Grandma clapping her hands, crossing them over her chest and saying in her ever-happy manner, "Wonderful! How thrilling!" Take that, sister! Just kidding. I couldn't do it without her, nor would I want to.
Being up at Grandma's during Christmas always makes me think of Dad's time with Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Robert as a boy in Germany. Dad and I were remarking tonight that we missed St. Nicholas Eve this past week. It came and went, with no hay-filled shoes by the door, no nipped-at carrots in the morning or a new Christmas book. We're all so busy this year, we mentioned. But, I think he and I both regret not taking the time to participate in that long-standing tradition. I was reading Marta today and found this. And this. I love Marta, and not just because her name is so much like mine, and what I would choose mine to be, if it weren't for my great-grandmother, Martha, hailing from Germany, herself. Either way, with or without the "h," I'm grateful for my German heritage, for the tradition of a little on-the-spot recital at Grandma's and wonderful Christmas observances which delight and thrill as the years march on.