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Weihnachten ist mehr - Kultivistinnenempfehlung
Weihnachten ist mehr - Kultivistinnenempfehlung
Created09/11/2023
updated on08/12/2023 16:27:15
"Weihnachten ist mehr". Wenn wir durch das KulturKaufhaus laufen und unsere Kolleg:innen fragen, was denn Weihnachten für sie bedeutet, kommen die unterschiedlichsten Antworten zustande. Diesen Gedanken möchten wir in der Weihnachtszeit weiter ausführen. Um einige Stimmen einzufangen, haben wir heute unsere Auszubildende Emelie gebeten, ihre Gedanken zur Weihnachtszeit aufzuschreiben. Zusätzlich hat sie noch 3 Lesetipps für euch, die ihr euren Liebsten aber auch euch selbst zu Weihnachten schenken könnt.
Christmas is more - What do you associate with the festive season, Emelie?
I'm not a big fan of public holidays. The hustle and bustle is usually too much for me, too chaotic and too conflict-provoking. I don't know anyone in my circle of friends who doesn't have at least one argument on Christmas Eve. That's why, for me in particular, Christmas is the time when I do something good for myself.
My father and I now have our own tradition, which is exactly what we need at this time of year every year. We both usually work on 24 December, mainly to give other colleagues - for whom Christmas is important - the opportunity to be with their families. After work, we meet up on the road and go to McDonalds. I can imagine how strange that sounds, but a "Happy Meal" is associated with a lot of positive memories for us. And I think that's important for a relaxed holiday.
When we get home, it's time for the "big" presents. Big is a relative term. We like to give presents to people we like and don't just do this on relevant (festive) days, but also when we want to make each other happy. So we sit comfortably in our jogging bottoms in the kitchen, listen to non-Christmas music and unwrap presents. What I particularly like: For years, we haven't wrapped presents in wrapping paper, but in newspaper instead. This is not only environmentally friendly - because we always have magazines in the house anyway - but also very funny. Depending on the gift, we also try to find an article or a photo in magazines as a small reference to the gift or simply to make us happy. And we don't have to worry about unwrapping anything carefully so as not to crease the "nice wrapping paper".
As a budding bookseller with a father who loves books as much as I do, it feels like 99% of gifts are literary. And this year, too, I'm expecting a table full of books, just like you'd imagine at the Frankfurt Book Fair or the Berlin International Literature Festival. And now that we're bookworms, we'll both retire after the presents have been given and browse through our new treasures. I might have a glass of wine or an energy drink before phoning my best friend. The annual "Christmas is exhausting" phone call. My best friend works in catering and Christmas is just exhausting for him, so we chat a bit, he can get excited about new kitchen curiosities and I have something to laugh about.
Every year on 25 December, we go to my grandma's house and have dinner together. That's the only thing that's still halfway traditional for me. But I'm allowed to keep my jogging bottoms on and there's no Christmas goose, just something we all fancy. Christmas has become something very relaxed and calm for me. No stress, no arguments and, above all, plenty of time to switch off and relax.
Now we come to Emelie's recommendations: Books to give as gifts
1. "Cleopatra and Frankenstein" by Coco Mellors
Coco Mellors' debut novel was my highlight of 2022. This book tore my heart apart, mended it and left me with so many thoughts, in a very positive and beautiful way. It covers so many important topics, such as mental health, addiction, gender and the desire for more. And even though there is no real happy ending, this book is simply beautiful. I first read "Cleopatra and Frankenstein" in English and I think the German translation is just great and very faithful to the original.
2 "Film for Her" by Orion Carloto
I have a penchant for analogue photography and collections of thoughts. That's why I love "Film for Her". In addition to analogue photographs, this book brings together poems, thoughts and short essays about love, young life, growing up and the search for one's personal place in the world. The aesthetic of this book in combination with the texts is unique and I hope that Orion Carloto will publish further book projects.
3. "The Lonely City" by Olivia Laing
It took me a while to read "The Lonely City" by Olivia Laing, but I can recommend this book to anyone. Feeling lonely at times - especially in a big city like Berlin - is something that I think is part of life. I find it all the more exciting to contextualise art and loneliness. Laing talks about great artists who have dealt with their loneliness in their art, even if the artworks themselves don't always reveal this directly. And it was precisely this that made me feel less alone.
Overall, the influence of the BookTok community on my reading behaviour has its pros and cons. I'm sceptical about some of the hype, but it has also made me read more books in the original language.
