Get Festive with These Fun Facts About Christmas in Germany

Want to learn more about how Christmas is celebrated in Germany? Check out this post for some fun facts about Christmas in Germany!

As one of the most awaited holidays of the year, Christmas is a jam-packed day of celebrations in Germany. The Christmas season itself brings a lot of warmth and happiness for many Germans so it’s no wonder Germans celebrate the special season with unique traditions and customs.

So, if you’re curious to learn more about what Germans do during the holiday season, you’ve come to the right place! This post alone highlights nine fun facts about Christmas in Germany and the history behind them.

Advent Calendars are used to count down the days until Christmas

Germans use advent calendars to count down the days until Christmas to keep track of the passing days and to also maintain their focus on the joyous day that is Christmas. The advent calendar was even invented in Germany and it can be traced back to the early 19th century.

The first people to use it were the German Lutherans and in the beginning they actually burnt candles to mark the days of Advent. In fact, some of them even used chalk to mark the days on walls and doors by drawing a line. However, it wasn’t until the early 1900s though that the paper advent calendar was created.

Post Offices in Germany respond to letters addressed to Santa

There are actually post offices in Germany that reply to more than 30,000 letters from children to Santa Claus. One post office for example is located in Engelskirchen, Germany and the letters they get come from children all around the world.

Certain post offices in Germany started responding to children around 1985 since they didn’t know what to do with letters that were dressed to the Christkind or what Americans would call Santa Claus. The Christkind is responsible for delivering Christmas presents in Germany so children write to her to express their Christmas wishes.

As of now, The Deutsche Post (Germany’s postal service) has seven branches that handle these letters around Christmastime. Besides the one in Engelskirchen, one is located in Saarland, the German village of St. Nikolaus, while others are in Himmelpfort, Himmelstadt, and Lower Saxony.

Christmas stockings are filled on December 6

Unlike Americans, German children don’t have to wait until Christmas morning for their stockings to be filled. Their stockings are filled by St. Nicholas on December 6 but some Germans actually use their shoes or boots instead of stockings.

To prepare for this, on the night of December 5th, children all over Germany clean and polish their shoes or boots and leave them outside their bedroom door for St. Nicholas’ arrival. This is done before they go to sleep so that the next morning they’ll wake up to shoes full of candy, gifts, and other goodies.

Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve or otherwise known as Heiligabend is the evening where everything that usually happens on Christmas Day in America happens in Germany. For example, during this time, Germans exchange gifts so the children in the house would actually have to leave the room until the Christkind delivers the presents. A bell is then rung to signify that the Christkind left so the children can open their presents.

In addition, many families will also attend midnight mass at church during this time even if they are not religious. Many Germans do this as a cultural thing but if they don’t go to church then they usually indulge in some delicious Christmas food.

Christmas is the time for many mull-flavored drinks

Similar to how Americans make so many pumpkin-flavored drinks around the Fall season, Germans like to make so many mull-flavored drinks around the winter/holiday season. From mulled red wine to mulled white wine, Germans appreciate how mulling spices add add warmth, aroma, and a sweet-spicy flavor to their drinks.

The most popular mull-flavored drink you’ll see around Christmastime in Germany is actually Glühwein (glowing wine). It’s prominent in many Christmas markets and festivals when you want to buy a drink since they’ll warm you up quicker than your typical hot chocolate. You can even keep the mug they put the Glühwein in as a souvenir since you end up paying a deposit on it anyways.

Children get scared on Krampus Night

Celebrated the night before St. Nicholas Day, Krampus Night is a European tradition that celebrates the patron saint of children and gift-giving. It’s known as the dark alternative to St. Nicholas Day where St. Nicholas rewards well-behaved children with gifts while Krampus punishes badly behaved children by scaring them.

The legend actually depicts Krampus as a horned, goat-like monster who likes capturing naughty children in sacks and beating them. So, in other words, he’s the German Christmas Devil.

Therefore, on the night before St. Nicholas Day, some men dress up in Krampus costumes and walk the streets in the hopes of teaching naughty children a hard lesson if you invite them into your home.

Christmas Day is called Erster Feiertag

Germans call Christmas Day Erster Feiertag (first holiday) the first celebration since German families still gather on this day while everyone is off from work. Extended family even travel together under one roof so that they can all gather for a large holiday feast.

The day after Christmas, December 26, is called the Zweiter Feiertag since this day is also a day that many Germans have off from work. Most businesses stay closed to honor its observance as Germans use it as another day to catch up with family once the celebrations have calmed down. The focus for December 26 is actually called Besinnlichkeit which is a state of peace, tranquility, and reflection that’s soothing for the body and mind.

Stollen is a traditional food enjoyed during the holiday season

Known as a traditional Christmas pastry, Stollen is a fruit bread made with nuts, spices, candied fruit and powdered sugar that Germans enjoy throughout the holiday season. The pastry itself is popular around this time since it symbolizes the Christkind wrapped in swaddling clothes.

So, for example, if you look at the pastry the oblong shape and powdered sugar crust represent the swaddling clothes, and the loaf of bread symbolizes Christ’s body.

Germans also typically eat Stollen with coffee or tea in the afternoon while others wait until Christmas morning. So, if you’re curious to know what the pastry tastes like yourself, I highly recommend buying it at any German supermarket.

About 78% of Germans celebrate Christmas compared to Americans

Even though Germany is largely a Christian country, some Germans still don’t celebrate the holiday as much as Americans do. Germans in this instance, have no problem with the holiday spirit but some are identifying less and less with the church-going traditions. In fact, as years go by, many Germans are not even identifying as Christian anymore with church numbers declining.

So, as an American, this wasn’t so surprising to hear. Many Americans to this day still see Christmas as a religious holiday so church attendance usually skyrockets on the morning of December 25th.

---

Overall, I hope you enjoyed this post about these nine fun facts about Christmas in Germany. Please let me know in the comments down below which Christmas German tradition is your favorite. I would love to hear from you! 🙂

Love this post? Pin it for later!

Follow me on Instagram!