I have been in America for three months, if not longer. After my wonderful experience of an American Halloween and Thanksgiving, now comes the most wonderful time of the year, Christmas time. A festival that you celebrate with your family, my family is coming from Germany to America for this occasion. And yes, we actually celebrate Christmas in Germany. During the discussions about the arrival and the stay, I noticed that Christmas is celebrated more differently than expected.
Of course, Christmas is the time when families get together, go to church, open presents and have a delicious feast. The differences lie in the details. On the one hand, we celebrate Christmas on December 24th and not on the 25th like you do. So we celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. Traditionally, the whole family decorates the Christmas tree in the morning and lights the fourth candle of the Advent wreath. Afterwards you go to church service, Christmas mass or midnight mass. It starts with songs, then the Christmas story and the sermon, followed by Christmas carols, gifts and prayers and finally the blessing and the exchange of peace. After church you go home.
A more unofficial tradition is to watch the Christmas film “Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella”. A timeless classic that was filmed and released in Czechoslovakia in 1973 and came to Germany in 1974 and quickly became popular there thanks to its special mix of humor, fairy tales and romance Gained popularity. The film is also available in English. In the evening the family comes together and traditionally they eat Christmas goose or Christmas duck or even carp. Cookies, gingerbread, cinnamon stars, vanilla crescents, shortbread cookies, stollen and marzipan are eaten throughout the day. After the meal there is the gift giving. Before the presents are unwrapped, the children first have to find the green cucumber in the Christmas tree; the child who gets the cucumber first gets a present. Then the presents are unwrapped.
For some families, Santa Claus or the Christ child comes first. It is also common to read the Christmas story. After that, what you do is entirely up to you. At our home the whole street gathers and sings Christmas carols and drinks mulled wine. Afterwards everyone goes to sleep happily.
