Friday, February 26, 2016

Relaxing in Any Season

Since I've neglected blogging for so long, I realized this morning that I never posted a picture of our new smoker.

If you remember, we started a new tradition for St. Nicholas Day, giving the family a German smoker as well as a handful of chocolate coins.

The first year, 2013, we gave St. Peter.

The second year, 2014, we gave St. Nicholas.

This last year, 2015, we gave a pastor.



Isn't he great? We have loved burning various scents of incense each night during the Advent and Christmas season. Then, guess what happened? I accidentally knocked him over and his head popped off. My hubby was a little bit offended. ;-) Then, as if knocking of his head wasn't enough, I also knocked off half his mustache. For awhile our poor pastor was a beheaded, half-mustached martyr. But as you can see from the picture, he was given knew life and made whole.


As Christmas neared, we got a package in the mail, from Germany. Our German daughter's family sent us this neat smoker!


Wait, you don't know about our German daughter? Oh, I guess that is another post I need to catch-up on. (quickly makes note to self)

Isn't this a neat smoker? We love it and the Lebkuchen (gingerbread) incense they sent. That scent has become our favorite. It smells so good.

Once Epiphany came and we put away all our Christmas decorations, we chose to leave out our smokers and other winter-type decorations. They found their home on top of the piano. Wafting incense was the staple of many evenings as we sat and read. It was peaceful. It was relaxing. It was inviting.


Usually we are burning two of them at a time, and I think, we have only burned all of them at the same time once or twice. As winter ebbs into spring, I begin to think about packing our smokers away till next Advent. Although this year, I might, just might, leave out the one which will always remind us of our lovely German daughter and her family.

Because sitting in the evening with a glass of wine, a book, and incense burning as well as a candle or two, would be just as relaxing in the spring, summer, and fall, as it is in the winter.

1 comment:

Barb the Evil Genius said...

We have a smoker, or Rauchermann, that Mr. BTEG bought when we were traveling in Germany together. He looks like a snowman. No incense though. I'm allergic to lots of scents, and Mr. BTEG and the Dancer have asthma. :(