You might have thought the last weeks of November in Germany would be the calm before the storm of December, but you’d be sorely mistaken. First of all, Karneval or Fasching is back again, providing a much needed levity to those dark winter nights, although as co-host Kat points out, Germany’s Fifth Season isn’t without its problems.

We may not be dressing up in costumes and hitting the streets of Köln or Düsseldorf anytime soon, but we may enjoy a few Glühweins at the Weihnachtsmärkte with so many opening weeks ahead of December. Is this really Christmas come early, or too much of a good thing?

If fancy dress and warm booze don’t float your boat, we can look forward to what Kat describes as a “cosy politcal winter” as the election continues to heat up. We discuss developments as Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck takes issue with social media critics, and Chancellor Olaf Scholz faces a potential rival from within his own party.

For those of you looking to support Ukraine or the many refugees fleeing the conflict, please take a look at these different charities and consider donating if you can.

Ukraine Crisis Media Centre - A list of different donation pages to help the Ukrainian military response.

Disaster Emergency Committee - Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal

Save the Children

Ärzte ohne Grenzen

Theme tune courtesy of Kloß mit Soß