Many things in the United States are like in the movies. I dont think we can simply categorize them as stereotypes, but more like the expression of lifestyle and culture. Let us start with the holidays and what I have seen.
1. Halloween
It is in all the movies, houses are decorated, children are dressed up and running through the neighborhoods, people hand out sweets. And it really is like that. My wife, her friend Amber and I went trick or treating with our kids in a neighborhood of Grayslake, Illinois. The way houses are decorated is like in movies, I saw complete graveyards with tombstones, open coffins. Other houses kept it simple with lots of carved pumpkins, spiders and cobwebs. I saw the main character of "A Nightmare before Christmas". And the children got tons of sweets. Even I had my first trick or treating, although I wasnt dressed up. And I got some sweets, too. However, the decoration is awesome, I met some people who had a whole Halloween party in their front yard and they were so nice and showed me around the house. Unfortunately my camera ran out of power but the interior decoration was even better than the front yard. And you could see that they did put alot of effort and money into decoration, dioramas and life size dolls and monsters.
Huntington manor was the house with the best decoration in the neighborhood.
My first trick or treat.
A close up of Huntington Manner
2.Thanksgiving
The last thursday in November is Thanksgiving day. SuperBowl, turkey and pumpkin pie.
3 things you cant find in Germany in everyday life. And I am talking turkey, like big bird. That is the reason why american ovens are twice as big as the ones in Germany. The whole bird has to fit in there. But that is not the only way to prepare turkey as I have seen in many morning TV shows.
The turkey cooker in the video is one solution to make a nice grilled turkey.
However, Thanksgiving is pumpkin season. What I never had before was pumpkin pie and pumpkin spiced coffee and Germany is really missing out on that.
So on that particular thursday we went to our aunt and uncles house in Waukegan. Everyone in the family kew it is my first time Thanksgiving and so everyone was excited for me. And it was great. A big family together, the only thing we did not do was sitting around a big table. It was more casual and like a brunch. You could pick whatever you like and as much as you like and I had too much.We had oven cooked turkey, lots of cranberries, mashed potatoes with gravy. I had 3 dishes. The beer was good too, a special Thanksgiving brew from a local brewery. And after that came the dessert. I had pumpkin pie and it tastes so good.We watched some NFL on TV, people had lively discussions about the elections and why the Republicans lost. My wife is still right, Mitt Romneys´ views on immigration did cost him victory and a few hours later everyone was full enough and there was still enough turkey and pie left for everyone to take home.
3. Christmas
Christmas in America is awesome. However, we arent Christians. We celebrated Hanukkah and Christmas
( most of the family is christian). But the most impressive and positive image I still have in mind is that in America Christmas and Hanukkah are well respected by everyone.
Shown here in Adam Sandlers cartoon "8 crazy Nights".
This is not only expressed by Hanukkah and Christmas decoration being sold together and everwhere, which you would never in life find in Germany. It is in movies and everyday life.
The biggest thing though is the Christmas decoration. Like in movies, it is everywhere. And people start decorating right after Thanksgiving. So whereever we came around, decoration. Houses with more lights outside than inside. Santa Claus and raindeers in the front yard, on roof tops. We saw nice and traditional decoration made of wood. But still everything is impressive. We often took walks around the neighborhood and just enjoyed the decoration. However, sometimes there are glitches. So it happened that we were driving back home one night on Beck Rd, a long straight street which ends in a T-crossing. You either turn right or left but go straight and you land in a front yard. The people living in that house were obviously christian and they had a wooden cross decoration with lights. It just looked like a burning cross in the front yard when you were coming from far away.
The other thing that was a new experience was that the most important day was the 25th and not the 24th.
Now I know how Santa makes it to deliver presents to so many people that fast. In Germany Santa comes on the 24th, calculate the 6 hours ( East Coast) to 7 Hours ( Central Time) time difference and he has no big trouble delivering all the present in America by the 25th in the morning.
However, on the 24th there was a casual family get together with turkey dinner and presents for the children.
And on Christmas day the big party took place.
It was a Christmas brunch with all kinds of breakfast food and around 40 people showed up.
That was the big deal, we played the white elephant game, where everyone brings some old, funny, unwanted presents. Everyone picks a number and when its your turn you either pick a present or steal one from somebody. The local priest showed up for the party, too as he is friends with the family. Turns out he did spend time in Germany and still speaks German.
It just happened that he picked a Santa Claus figure with a hunting rifle in his hands and just commented laughing out: "That might be better for the German guy!"
But I will tell you about german stereotypes another time.
After white elephant the real presents were handed out and it was a nice afternoon. We also had snow, something rather unsual for the Chicagoland are, where it usually starts snowing in january.
However, my sister in law came up from Memphis and later that evening we all went to a chinese restaurant in round lake beach. Some kind of tradition, too.
"Whenever I had chinese, I feel so german."
"Hows that?"
" I am still hungry, for power."
Taken from the TV show "Golden Girls".
4. New Years eve
What New Years eve is for Germans when it comes to fireworks, is the 4th of July for Americans.
And the other way around. Berlin turns into a civil war zone with fireworks in the streets and in America?
Its like the 4th of July in Germany. Nothing happens. Thats what I felt like. Fireworks are wildly illegal in Illinois and only some towns had a fireworks celebration. New years eve parties are more a private matter.
My wife had to work on the 31st til 8.30 pm and on the 1st from 9 am on. Who goes shopping at 9 am?, I asked. Old people, was the answer. So I tried to surprise my wife and bought some legal table fireworks, party hats, decoration and a bottle of champaign. I picked her up from work and we watched New Years eve in New York at 11 pm, good thing that we are one time zone away. We went to bed at 11.20 pm. She had to get up early.
And the next day at work, nothing happened. But I saw one guy barfing out of his car in an intersection.
Happy New Year.
5. Veterans Day November 11
One thing I can say for sure. Military appreciation in Germany is not existent. Nothing and no one remembers the german troops serving for more than 50 years now in the order for peace and stability. Germany has deployed troops in several countries to fulfill its NATO obligations and to help people around the world trying to live a better life in freedom. With the help of the German army, peace organisations and helping NGOs can move without fearing for their lives in northern Afghanistan. Germany puts a huge ton of money into schools for all children, water supply, infrastructure and the training of local police and military. We are working together with the US Military and other nations and Germans dont give a damn.
German paratroopers helped securing free elections in Congo 2 years ago, Germany deployed field hospitals and medics to the big flood on christmas in south east asia and germans complain.
I am happy to see that Americans take pride in their military and respect all soldiers and their families.
In television companies show their appreciation and say "Thank you" for the freedom.
Veterans Day is just one expression of an overall appreciation for those who dedicate the best years of their lives to their country and the country says "Thank you" more often than you could ever imagine.
In germany they advise you to not go home in uniform, because it might be dangerous.
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