Snowed In!

Yesterday, we had our first big snowstorm of the season~ We got about 9 inches in total — less than the forecast called for, but exciting nonetheless. I decided it was time to break out this bottle of Christmas wine that I had been saving. This is called “glühwein”, or “glow wine”, and it’s basically a traditional German mulled wine drunk around Christmastime. I just absolutely love this bottle, which shows a gorgeous illustration of a Christmas market. Here is the description from the label:

From all over the world they travel to the old Imperial city of Nurnberg in Bavaria, for the Christkindles Market, to partake of the revelry and enjoy Nurnberg’s secret, “Gerstacker Gluhwein” or Glow Wine. A tradition in Nurnberg for untold years.

Nurnberger Christkindles Glühwein

If you’ve never heard of mulled wine, it is basically red wine mixed with various spices and dried fruits. You can make it yourself, or buy a bottle like I did. Then you just heat it in a saucepan until it is hot, but not boiling, and pour it into a warm mug and garnish with slivered almonds and/or raisins. 

Even though this wine contains only 10% alcohol, it has a very rich flavor which makes it taste more like a strong cocktail. It has a little bit of bitterness as well, I think probably from the oranges used to make it. So I think this is best served with something sweet on the side, perhaps some gingerbread! I had mine with Biscoff cookies as that is what I had on hand. 

Eleanor enjoyed a little drink of her own!

Feeling warmed from the inside out after my festive treat, I finally finished the puzzle I had been working on. A few years ago my father received this beautiful wooden puzzle as a gift from a colleague, and now it is a family tradition to complete the puzzle around this time of year. It’s made up of the most gorgeous thickly-cut wooden pieces, which are uniquely shaped to match the theme of the puzzle. I have uploaded full-sized images of the puzzle so you can see this for yourself (click on each picture to view it in full size).

Then, I snuggled up with my cat and watched some TV program about a Christmas lights competition. It was very over-the-top and thus very fun to watch. Then I laid in bed and I tried to get some reading done — Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher, which I am reading as part of Miranda Mills’ book club. I ended up falling asleep an hour before I usually do. I’m not sure if it was due to the cozy atmosphere, the alcohol, or both, but I slept better than I have in several days. Overall it was a very festive and comfy-cozy sort of evening!

I hope you are all staying warm and safe this holiday. I think this year in particular we all could use some extra holiday cheer, and I hope that my posts can provide a little bit of that comfort. Finally, here is a bonus photo of the aftermath of the snowstorm this morning: