An Early Mother's Day Present / Ein frühes Muttertag Geschenk

Back in the US, I've always had a sense of what holiday or special celebration is coming up, even without looking at a calendar, because of store and restaurant decorations. When shamrocks appear everywhere, you know Saint Patrick's Day must be approaching. Hearts dangling from the ceiling and special candy displays mean Valentine's Day. Mountains of candy means Halloween. And red, white, and blue bunting means the 4th of July.

I've realized that without those seasonal displays, I have a hard time keeping track of what comes when. Sure, I know that Mother's Day comes in May, but I was completely shocked earlier this week to realize that it is this part of May and Mother's Day is upon us! Where are the special card displays and Darling Mother boxes of chocolates and bouquets of flowers with a plastic Mom sign sticking out? They aren't in Austrian stores, that's for sure. I'm not sure what the Mother's Day tradition is, but Mama helium balloons, and Mom poetry books, and Mommy mugs don't seem to be a part of it.

Today Nikolas came home from school with a Mother's Day present. The festive box came with a list of rules: hold it flat, don't shake it, and keep it out of the sun. "I can't tell you what it is," Nikolas said. "But you should open it when you get home." I had overheard a boy from a different class telling his mother much the same thing about his present, a lumpy something wrapped in white paper. The other boy couldn't keep the secret, however. "We painted lady bugs!" he said. I studied Nikolas' box carefully, trying to figure out why painted lady bugs (if that was indeed what Nikolas' class had made as well) would be so light and have so many rules. Nikolas offered no hints.

As soon as we were home, Nikolas dragged me to the living room for the grand opening. First came the presentation of the card, a poem which Nikolas had memorized and recited as I was reading it aloud:

Dear Mama listen here
No one is as lovely as you
and now I give you
a sugary kiss.

It sounds a lot better in German because it rhymes and has rhythm, both of which are lost in translation.

Then we moved on to the present. There were no painted lady bugs in that pretty package. Instead of painting, Nikolas' class had been busy with their own candy factory, churning out five different kinds of truffle-like chocolates! Nikolas proudly explained how they had rolled the round ones into tiny marbles and dusted them with chocolate and powdered sugar, and how they had scooped the yummy nutty white ones into blobs, and how some pieces had raisins in them while others had a mixture of chewy stuff. We, of course, had to sample each kind (at least once) and so there is only a very little bit of this amazing present left.

Hand-made truffles is a far better surprise that painted lady bugs! I wish that I had been able to see the kids, 25 preschoolers and two teachers, making all that candy. It must have been quite a sight!