Ah, that smell of Christmas spices mingling with that of the freshly installed Christmas tree... Lebkuchen is a traditional gingerbread from Germany. According to Wikipedia, it was invented in the XIIIᵉ century by monks in Franconia. As early as the XIVᵉ century, it could be found in Nuremberg or Ulm, prepared by specialist bakers. In the past, Lebkuchen were also used to decorate the Christmas tree, long before the advent of glass baubles or gold foil. Biscuits, nuts, apples and chocolates were hung up, all lit up by candles and animated by sparkling lametta. An aunt in Salzburg reminded me of this tradition last year. We were invited to an Advent tea party and were allowed to choose a biscuit hanging from the tree. My husband, our boys and I were amazed. Since then, I've adopted this wonderful custom for our own St Nicholas party, which also falls on the birthdays of my two youngest sons. The tree belongs to them on that day: they can feast freely on biscuits and chocolates, before my glass decorations take their place. A huge thank you to my aunt for bringing back this memory!