The Spirit of Christmas

I love Christmas in Prague. Everything is so festive and it really feels like Christmas (although we could use snow to really make it perfect). Last year I gave a package of homemade cookies to our downstairs neighbor at Christmas since they, while they speak no English, have been so kind to us. This year, before I could get downstairs with their package of Christmas cookies, they came upstairs with a package of Czech Christmas cookies for us. It was so nice of them. I never expected them to give us cookies or to make the climb up to our apartment since they are older and it takes them a while to climb the stairs. Once again I find myself wondering how people can think the Czechs are cold people since they have been nothing but welcoming to us. This morning I took Watson out for his walk and I brought a bag of homemade cookies to our local lahudky (kind of like a delicatessen). The ladies in the lahudky have always been nice to me and I just wanted to give them a little something for Christmas. They were surprised when I came in and put the package on the counter and said "vesele vanoce" (Merry Christmas). I had to tell them that it was just American cookies. They were very happy and very thankful for my gift. I left the shop to head home and when I was partway down the road one of the ladies came running after me with two big chocolate Mikulases for me to give to the girls. Again, so nice and unexpected. The spirit of Christmas is alive and well in Prague and I'm happy to be apart of it.