So much for "Christmas is over"..

Let's go! Quickly wash the last splashes of sauce from my face, pluck the tinsel from my hair, dig my shoes out from under a mountain of wrapping paper, and off we go to our houses. Christmas is over! Or so I thought…

Because when I went to check on things at our house in Enzklösterle, I heard strange sounds as soon as I unlocked the door. "The Swabians never sound sweeter than at Christmastime!" It didn't sound very sweet at all, and Christmas... well, it certainly wasn't today. But I was curious, so I huffed and puffed up the stairs as fast as my gingerbread rolls around my waist would allow.

And that's when I saw him for the first time: "Dierle," our house elf, of whom we'd only ever caught a glimpse of a tail or an ear. As the song suggested, he belongs to the "Schwobolde" family. Little is known about these Black Forest gnomes, but it's said that they prefer to settle in families with plenty of chaos and a lot of giggles. And we certainly have enough of that!

Gift basket filled with the finest Black Forest delicacies

When it saw me come in, it scampered away like a goblin. But: before me stood a beautifully filled basket, as you can see in the pictures. And a note that read: "So! From now on, it's Christmas all year round in the dream holiday homes. Because I'm bringing the very finest things I've found on my rambles through the Black Forest with my BÄUTE sack. There's really no more room in my cave, but there's certainly plenty in the bellies and heads of your guests." And further down, "P.S.: You may only try a very, very small bit. Old Black Forest goblin law!"

We've done it! The finest Black Forest ham , special herb blends, everything for the now-famous Black Forest sauna ritual, and all sorts of other things that make the Black Forest three times as beautiful, whether it's sunny or rainy. Because there's something different to "taste the Black Forest" in every house and at every time, we can't possibly tell you everything.

But let me just say this: from now on, you can be especially curious about holidays in our houses.

We wish you a joyful 2018!

Your six Roths

Lilith, Jonah, Josina, Lusia, Sandra and Heiko