This is a first – since the beginning of December, every shop is blinking and literally throwing ornaments and chocolate Santa’s at me…and I am actually done with my shopping, thanks to Etsy.

This means I have time to tell you more about how we celebrate Christmas and the month of December in Germany – and teach you some German along the way.

Adventskalender
For me, Weihnachtszeit (Christmas time) really starts on December 1st, when I get to open the first door of my chocolate Adventskalender (advent calendar). It counts down the days until Christmas Eve, and is meant to shorten the wait for kids.

Adventskranz
Sometimes, Weihnachtszeit might also start with the first Advent, which is officially the start of the liturgical year, and falls on the Sunday between November 27 and December 3.

On that Sunday, we light the first of four candles on our advent wreath, with an additional candle lit on each Sunday leading up to Christmas. This candle does not just burn on Sunday, but throughout the week as well. In Germany there is an ongoing discussion on whether or not you are allowed to light different candles so that they burn down more evenly, or really stick to one candle.

Nikolaus
On December 6th, Germans celebrate Nikolaus. Remember that Storque article on the Dutch Sinterklaas? Where kids  set out their shoes for Santa to fill with goodies? Germans also appreciate his special meaning to children, though it doesn’t replace Christmas.

On December 5th, all children will get out their cleaning equipment and start polishing those shoes. Hopefully, they will polish both from one pair, though many kids have been caught with one polished and one dirty shoe on December 6th – probably because you only put one single shoe in front of your door.

If you were good, you will find candy, chocolate and small presents in those shoes the next morning; if not, a birch rod will be all you will get. May I just brag that I (of course) never found a birch rod in my shoes?

Christmas is in the air
What I love most about Germany is our Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas markets). Every town has at least one marketplace with booths selling Glühwein (mulled wine), gebrannte mandeln (tanned almonds), lebkuchen (gingerbread), mutzen (fritters), and anything concerning ornaments, decorations and even gift ideas.

Hamburg’s downtown area actually has four different ones, and I will usually meet up with friends there throughout December.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
You thought “Christmas” actually meant December 25th? Not in Germany! Our main celebration actually takes place on Heiligabend (Christmas Eve).

On that evening, I go to church with my mother – hopefully plowing through some snow on the way. Afterwards, my family sits down to our traditional, quick-and-easy Christmas dinner: Würstchen mit Kartoffelsalat (sausages with potato salad). Then we open our presents underneath the tree – in my case, everyone will be getting handmade goodies this year, true to my Buy Handmade pledge.

The first and second days of Christmas are the days when we have opulent meals: goose with red cabbage, turkey or trout are traditional Christmas dishes.

Want to know more? Check out some of these links!
German Christmas recipes

Hamburg sightseeing movie

Hamburg webcam, Rathausmarkt