My acculturation process

Next Friday is HALLOWEEN! How much Fun!
I went to Target today, and they have all the great Halloween decor: They have pumpkins of all sizes,.. plastic ones, real ones, ceramic ones....They have ugly skulls, friendly witches and orange candles.....what I like the mot is the "witch broom" infused with cinnammon oil, which makes our homes smell so good.
Then, there is all the candy! I bought a bunch, and expect to be left empty-handed next Friday before 7 p.m.
This year we didn't decorate for Halloween. Like Thanksgiving, Halloween is not a HOLIDAY I've been celebrating since I was little, as I did not grow up here in the States. I've been to many Halloween costume parties in Brazil and in Switzerland, but I never really celebrated Fall and Halloween the way it's done here.
I believe my daughter and future other baby (no, I'm not pregnant again!) will guide me through and help me with my acculturation process more. Brittany, Richie and Richard have been doing a great job, but I know my involvement in the kids' school activities will teach me a whole lot more.
Christmas we got down. I totally brought over our "Esperanca Family" Christmas traditions, and it's the best time of the year for me. Richard assimilated very well to it, and he likes it, even though he does not understand the German music. We decorate the whole house from top to bottom and each year we add a house to our Christmas Village. Our tree is BIG and colorful and it takes us a whole half-day to do it. We eat German Christmas cookies (Pfeffernuesse Kipferls and Spekulatius) during the whole month of December and I play Christmas (German) music every morning. We have an advent calendar and I take each day very seriously...This year, we will celebrate each advent day before the 24th (there are 4 before the 24th) and I will introduce Gabi to "Nikolaustag", which is December 6th (also, the day of her 1st birthday party).
We eat and open the gifts on the 24th and on the 25th, we go to a nice brunch at a nice hotel. I learned about the stockings on the fireplace! Now, with Gabi, we'll be taking a picture with Santa every year (at the Mall! Oooh, I LOVE the malls during December..., but NOT 2 days before Christmas!!), and my goal is to start going to church on the 24th ( although my Mother and Grandmother always did, my Dad, I and my Sister never went! We stayed home getting dinner ready!). Another goal is to do a yearly Christmas Holiday Photo Card of our Family. My cousins in Germany always had one...I always loved the idea... From next year on, I hope to spend every other Christmas here and in Brazil. It's an idea Rich and I had, in order for us and the kids to be with both sets of family during the holiday season (one year here, one year there), and for them to enjoy what both worlds have to offer...
I got so excited writing about Christmas, that I forgot to talk about acculturation. I am, actually, still learning so much about the American culture and also the Hispanic culture. I feel blessed to be able to appreciate both (and then on top of it my own mixed Brazilian-German culture). Acculturation is a process that does not always come easy, and sometimes it takes years and years to take place, not always making total assimilation even possible. I've been here 7 years, and I'm still learning so much, everyday.