The Christmas I Remember Best

by Inge Ettrich

As a young girl, I survived World War II in Berlin, Germany. Our country had been pretty much destroyed. I had a chance as the only member of my family to leave Germany for a better life in America, in the city of Salt Lake City in Utah. I've lived in this beautiful land since 1955 and have never been sorry about the decision I made so long ago.

Left behind were my parents, a younger sister and brother. Saying goodbye was very difficult. Would we ever see each other again? On Mother's Day my father died. He was only 50 years old. In August 1961, the infamous wall went up, dividing not only the country of Germany into east and west, but also keeping millions of families apart. I was extremely concerned about the safety of my family and I suggested to them, with the support of my dear husband, that they join us here in America. My sister had gotten married and so we needed to come up with four sponsorships. With the help of some very dear friends, we managed.
My family of four boarded the ocean liner "America" in Bremerhaven and arrived in New York City after only a five-day voyage across the Atlantic. It was there in New York that they got on the train for Salt Lake City. The calendar said December 1961. The arrival date for them had been set for a couple of days before Christmas Eve.

I don't think that I had ever been more nervous or excited and thrilled all at the same time. It had been six long years since we had last seen each other. Even a phone call had been impossible because my family had been phoneless. My husband and my family had never met. How would it all play out?

At this time we lived in a very small but warm and cozy home. Many dear friends donated bedding and other necessary items so that we were able to provide quite comfortable accommodations for our foursome.

During the nail-biting wait period, my husband and I made a major shopping trip to THE store at the time — Grand Central. During the Christmas shopping season, Grand Central provided brown paper shopping bags that were at least four feet tall. These were simply huge! There was absolutely nothing this store did not have. We filled two of these amazing bags with many electric appliance and household goods, up to the very top.

Our house was all decked-out for Christmas. Colored outside strands of lights gave our house a look of a Hansel and Gretel Cottage. The outside lights would be a real hit because Germany didn't know about this custom and I just knew that our travelers would be in awe. We had also purchased enough food to feed an army.

In the meantime, while we were up to our ears with making preparations for their arrival, Father Winter played a vicious, cruel joke on us. The train from New York City had turned into the Polar Express. It was being bombarded by a once-in-a-century snowstorm. The train was completely stuck and stranded in the middle of nowhere. It snowed so heavily that the tracks could not be cleared.

My 17-year-old brother had learned English in school. This helped the family to at least understand a little about their predicament. It became a very serious situation. Passengers were freezing cold and many other problems kept developing. There was talk about an evacuation but some guardian angel must have done double duty. It's sort of ironic because of this major delay, the arrival time of "our" train ended up being right on Christmas Eve — Christmas morning. Even though our newcomers were utterly exhausted, we all experienced enormous joy. We were elated, ecstatic and so immensely grateful that this roving odyssey had culminated on such a high note.

Many friends and relatives had joined us at the Union Pacific Railroad Station in the middle of the night, giving up their own plans to welcome our globetrotters. Once at home, we just couldn't get enough living in during this Christmas Night. How can one possibly fit six long years of separation into one long night? We were trying to just get used to each other's voices again.

Of course, we had a turkey feast with all the trimmings on the very next day. This would be my family's first exposure to a roasted turkey and most other foods on the table. Before we started to eat, the three men had a crazy idea. They all stepped on to a scale before and after the meal and yes, they had each gained five pounds. I would guess that we were most likely one of the very happiest families in the Salt Lake Valley on this rapturous Christmas day.

"Frohliche Weihnachten" or Merry Christmas!

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Inge was born in Berlin, Germany. She came to the United States by herself in 1955 at the age of 19, leaving her family behind. She attended Stevens-Henager College majoring in office management. Inge was married to Frederick Ettrich for 48 years. They have two daughters and six grandchildren. Frederick passed away four years ago. Inge likes music, the performing arts, reading books and writing. She has read stories to first graders for 16 years.