Download the Zürich Bericht Christmas Special for listening (.mp3 file - 5 mb).
(Update If you don't have broadband, or if you are encountering buffering problems, right-click here and "Save target as ..." to first save the file to your hard drive; then simply open the downloaded file.)
(Go 'head burn it to a CD and listen to it in your car as you go over the river and through the woods.)

Download the Zürich Bericht Christmas Special for printing (.pdf file - 50 kb).
(Warning, it's much more special if you listen to it first).

ZURICH BERICHT CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
A Very Zuri Christmas
December 21, 2003
"The lights have been hung over the Bahnhofstrasse with care – but Saint Nicholas was already there" (here and here)

________________
Hi Dear Readers!

Life goes on in Zurich even if the Bericht's are far and few between. Now that Christmas has rolled around and families the world over are sending mimeographed* Christmas newsletters to loved-ones and near strangers alike, I thought it was time to dust off the ole Zurich Bericht presses and create the first Zurich Bericht Christmas Special.

With this Zurich Bericht Christmas Special I'm also inaugurating the new audio format Zurich Bericht. It's something like a radio clip; in fact, you can think of it as "This Swiss Life" if you want. And for the first audio Bericht, I bring you a very very special story of Christmas.

I first encountered this delightful fable of "The Littlest Christmas Tree" when I was growing up in the back-piney-woods of Mississippi. When I returned to my birthplace - Dallas, Texas - I heard a new version of this Christmas tale. Of course, some details were changed, but the true beautiful message at the heart of this story remained. I thought that this was this one of those special universal stories that speak to the very condition of humanity that one finds repeated in unique local variations all over the world. Therefore when I moved to Switzerland three years ago, I began to seek out the Swiss version of this mysterious and lovely fable. Seeking high and low, I listened to many lovely Christmas Märli's* on alpine peaks and in alpine valleys. Finally, I did piece together this version of the dear old story, though I also had to contribute many details from my own memories to the tale – in order to fill in the gaps. I offer this story to you for Christmas, it's told with great loving respect for my adopted land with a necessary touch of humor.

However, since audio files are too big to mail around you simply must go to the links at the top of this page to download the audio (http://steveholyer.blogspot.com/zb/christmas.html), and download the rest of the Bericht. (And if you just aren't up to my "book on tape" you also have the opportunity to read the text of the Bericht there too. But I'm telling you – if you read it before you hear it, it will spoil the surprise.) While you're at it you can get a tasty helping of my blog* - Zuri G'schnatzlets (http;//steveholyer.blogspot.com).

On the stille, heilige Nacht I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and peace over all the earth and goodwill between men and women so that we may all schlaff' im himmlischer ruhe ...

... and a good slip* into a Happy New Year!

*Handy Glossary

Mimeographed – that's what we called a Xerox(tm) before we had Xerox(tm) Machines*

Xerox Machines – Large devices that we used to use to scan and print copies of documents before they were made obsolete by $100 all-in-one printer/copier/scanners from HP*

HP - the company that makes the most poorly designed all-in-one printer/copier/scanner that I can imagine – but since it is too darn cute for me to return for my money back I have to resort to kavetching about it on the Internet.

Blog – Web log. Don't forget http://steveholyer.blogspot.com

Zuri G'schnatzlets - thinly sliced bits of veal in a creamy (and I do mean creamy) onion/mushroom gravy sauce. Zuri G'schnatzlets are served with Roesti - which is like hash-browned potatoes fried up in a pan. You've gotta love the Swiss cooking served with a huge pat of butter melting in the gravy, even if your arteries don't. It's also the name of my blog of thinly sliced bits of news the way I see it from Downtown Switzerland.

Märli - Swiss German fairy tales

Slip – for some reason Swiss people "slip" into the New Year like kids on a summer time slip-n-slide

ZURICH BERICHT is the on-going journal of my now-extended journeys abroad in Zurich ("The Little Big City"), Switzerland and other destinations world-wide. If you receive this from me by email, then we have met at some time and I have taken the liberty to assume that you would be interested in my rambling missives. If you prefer not to receive the ZURICH BERICHT kindly direct it quietly to your trashbin. If you REALLY prefer not to receive the ZURICH BERICHT than reply by email and I will remove you from my distribution list.