Word of the Week: Luftschlangen

The German word of the week means, literally, "air snakes". Many friends and relatives who have received gifts from us in the past few months already know that the word doesn't refer to actual snakes, but to long, spiraling pieces of colorful paper -- streamers!

Luftschlangen are really cheap (50 cents for a package of 3 rolls) and they contain a lot of streamers that make any party more fun. It took us a while to figure out how to use them, but once you get the hang of it it's very easy to make a nice, big celebratory mess! They were blowing all over the streets during Karneval in January, and since then we have tried to put at least one roll in every birthday package we send out.

1. tear off a circle (1 streamer)
2. hold it in front of your mouth
3. then blow to send out the streamer

And they are a big hit! Once the party is over, they make great packing material, cat toys, and last (but not least) dog decorations.

photo of Nora from her Auntie Deet