Christmas in Berlin

My first Christmas in Berlin. Christmas starts with Christmas Eve Day and everything is shut down. My neighbours seem to have been celebrating continuously with beer and rock'n'roll since they got out of work Friday afternoon. Provided they actually have work. Last night was quite noisy from several sides and after I had finally fallen asleep despite the steady rhythm rocking my cradle I was awoken at 8 by the sound of beerbottles being disposed of in the recycling bin outside. It was still dark at 8 am and it's been dark again since 3pm. Sometime around noon it seemed like day was finally breaking, but I guess it was actually a dreary version of a sunset. The cold drizzle that is rain just above freezing doesn't help.
My upstairs neighbor seems to be having visitors, I doubt this will be a silent night.
One comfort is of course that my mother has to spent Christmas with her mother and envies my isolation. What can I say, I did offer her asylum. My conscince is as translucent as unflavoured jello.
But why is it so awfully dark? Isn't this the sun-birth festival? It's really hard to believe that it's actually getting lighter again.
Two more days of Christmas. I wonder if I'll be able to get groceries tomorrow. I might have a problem.