My German Christmas traditions
Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year because I have very fond memories of the German traditions that I enjoyed as a child. Although I no longer live in Germany, these traditions are still a very important part of my life, as they are extensions of my German heritage.
I love Christmas, or Weihnachten, as it is called in Germany. During this time I enjoy reflecting on past vacations I spent with my Omi and Opi (my German grandparents) and how my family brought our traditions to the present.
“Advent, Advent, ein Lichtlein brennt …”
One of our most important traditions is the celebration of Advent, which officially begins on the first Sunday after November 26. Growing up, we always place a beautiful wreath, decorated with four red candles, on our dining room table. We lit one candle each of the Sundays leading up to Christmas Eve: first one candle, then two, then three, and then all four candles on the Sunday before Christmas.
Advent is one of the most endearing traditions of the Season; However, as a child, the most exciting part of the Christmas countdown was the Adventkalender! This is a Christmas calendar with 24 windows that children open every day from the first day of December to December 24: Heiligabend (Christmas Eve). My calendar always had chocolate behind every window and I couldn’t wait to open the windows every day to find out what kind of chocolate I would get – a piece of kiddie heaven for sure!
Every December 5, before going to bed, my little sister and I would place one of our boots outside our bedroom door, anticipating the arrival of Saint Nicholas. Although my family did not celebrate the traditional religious observance of the good saint, we recognized this important date as part of our German heritage. If we were good, my sister and I would find a little bag of goodies in our boots when we woke up every December 6th. We certainly didn’t want a lump of coal or a twig for bad behavior!
Finally, when Heiligabend arrived, we were going to my grandparents’ house! I could barely contain myself through all the excitement. My Omi did not allow my sister and I to enter the living room until we heard a bell, which meant that the Weihnachtsmann had arrived. Then she would open the door to the living room and we would run to see the beautiful tree that Omi decorated that very night.
The tree was beautifully lit with real candles carefully placed on the evergreen branches, but then Omi used fake candles (safety reasons). Usually I would put chocolate wrapped decorations all over the tree that my sister and I would eat later. Under the tree would be our Christmas plates filled with nuts, tangerines, cookies and chocolates and of course our gifts from the German Santa Claus. The table was decorated for our traditional Christmas dinner and there were gifts in each of the silverware for the adults.
After our meal, our entire family exchanged gifts. What a thrill it was to tear off the packaging to reveal the special surprises it contained! My sister and I sang, jumped and danced and my uncle recorded every minute of the festivities on his camera. Later we would see all our antics in a movie.
Celebrating with my German family every Christmas Eve as a child is something I will never forget. My grandparents are forever immortalized in my memory and I feel their spirit in every Weihnachten as I celebrate and carry on some of my German traditions for my own children to enjoy.