We wish you a German Christmas

Every year around Christmas at school, I get a lot of questions about American Christmas. Which usually then leads to me asking questions about German Christmas. Unfortunately, I've never actually experienced a traditional German Christmas (celebrating a German Christmas is very different to celebrating an American Christmas that just happens to be IN Germany), but I have learned quite a lot about them. So I'd like to share some fun facts about German Christmas - the ones I always find most interesting

a very ETA and Famous Christmas, 2010

Christmas is celebrated on December 24th. 
now, if we're getting technical, December 24th - 26th are officially holidays in Germany, but all the action we normally save for the 25th in the US is done on the 24th in Germany. They go to church on Christmas Eve, they open presents on Christmas Eve. Basically Christmas Eve is where it's at in Germany.

The whole world shuts down for 3 days. 
From the afternoon of December 24th to opening time on December 27th nothing in Germany is open. Ok, ok, so maybe "nothing" is a bit of an exaggeration. But no grocery stores or shops open for over 48 hours. Just imagine - no emergency run to the store when you run out of wine, or when you realize you forgot the key ingredient for tiny Tim's favorite Christmas dish, or - if you're like my family - just because you need a daily run to the store during the holidays (surely there's something else you need)! Andrea and I went shopping yesterday afternoon to stock-up for the big shut down, and I'm pretty sure we got enough food for the whole week.

"and who are you?"

Baby Jesus brings the Christmas presents
In Germany, there is really no Santa Claus as the Americans know him. Instead, the traditional bringer of gifts on Christmas is the Christkind (Christ-child). The story goes, that the Christkind comes in the evening Christmas Eve while everyone is at church. I asked some of my students what happens when they don't go to church on Chrismas Eve and they said they were always told they had to go up to their rooms for the Christkind to come then their parents would ring a little bell that was supposedly baby Jesus letting them know they could come down again. 

St. Nick comes on December 6th 
December 6th is the feast day of St. Nicolas, so that's when he comes to Germany. He is basically the closest representation of the American Santa Claus and he fills the kids shoes with candy and toys if they've been good all year. Over the years the Germans have started to adopt the American image of Santa during Christmas time due to all the influence of American pop culture (I can't tell you how many students have told me they love Christmas Vacation and Home Alone). But American Santa Claus is still associated with Christmas day after Nikolaus comes on December 6th and they call him the Weihnachtsmann (Christmas man)


You put the tree up right before Christmas
In the US, Christmas decorating - including the Christmas tree usually happpens between the day after Thanksgiving and December 1st. In Germany, putting up the tree and decorating it is usually done as late as Christmas eve. Prime tree buying time the week before Christmas and a lot of my students said their tradition was to go on the 23rd to get the tree and decorate it on the 24th. For those of you who think this is a depressingly short time with the happiness that is a Christmas tree, don't worry, they keep it up till January 6th, the official end of Christmas in Germany.


But no matter where you are in the world or how you celebrate Christmas - I hope it's a good one!

Merry Christmas from das Blog!