The Christmas season is a time of reflection and togetherness. We'll show you how to make it even more magical than it already is.

Let's face it: the Advent season is actually nothing but fun. Sure, Christmas shopping is stressful. And yes, you can't listen to Mariah anymore after the first Advent. We can see all that. But the beautiful sides of this special time trump the tedious sides hands down. For one thing, the Christmas playlist consists of far more than just this one song (ever heard of Frank Sinatra?). And for another, you can unabashedly pilgrimage from one apero to another in your Christmas sweater. What, you don't know what to bring to these events? We have a few tips for you.

GUINNESS CUPCAKES

Classic Christmas cookies like Mailänderli or Schneesterne are delicious and belong to the pre-Christmas season like the Rütli oath to August 1, no question. However, since it seems like everyone around you bakes exactly these cookies in excess, we offer you the opportunity to stand out from the crowd with Guinness cupcakes.

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What you need for this are:

• 250 ml Guinness Draught
• 500 g butter
• 80 g cocoa
• 280 g flour
• 400 g cane sugar
• 2 eggs
• 140 ml buttermilk
• 2 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 vanilla pod
• 250 g powdered sugar
• 300 g heavy cream cheese
• 1 vial vanilla flavoring

Preheat the oven to 180 °C and prepare the cupcake trays with the paper cups. Mix the flour, baking soda and baking powder in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix the eggs with the buttermilk. Put the Guinness and 250 g butter in a saucepan and heat it until the butter is melted. Then take the pot off the heat and add the cocoa, sugar and vanilla bean. When everything is well mixed, add the egg-buttermilk mixture to the pot.

Then add this beer mixture to the large bowl with the flour and mix everything together. Do not be alarmed if the batter seems very liquid, this is normal. Now pour the batter 2/3 into the ramekins and put the cupcakes in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes. After baking, they can cool briefly with the tray and then cool completely on a rack.

For the topping, first mix the remaining butter in another bowl for about 4 minutes. When it is almost white and nice and fluffy, you can gradually sift in the powdered sugar. Now add the cream cheese and vanilla flavoring and mix everything together until a homogeneous mass is formed. The cupcakes can now be decorated with it.

CHRISTMAS BEERS

But no beer should be missing from an aperitif - ergo, no Christmas beer should be missing from a Christmas aperitif. Because these seasonal specialties have special flavors that, paired with winter cuisine (and the aforementioned cupcakes), enhance the magic of this time of year. Ideal to appease the boss at the Christmas party regarding the end of year talk.

Schneider Weisse Aventinus is the prime example of a Christmas beer. Bavaria's first wheat doppelbock (Schneider Weisse is, after all, a true pioneer in all matters) is full of fire and complex aromas of cloves, plums and raisins. The resulting power transforms simple gatherings into memorable happenings and simple Secret Santa gifts into cornerstones of friendships.

Whether it's a gift or a goodie bag, in liquid or solid form, beer adds to the magic of Christmas. With this in mind, we wish you happy holidays.