Frohe Weihnachten!

	Choose a song to listen to while viewing this page: Stille Nacht Oh Tannenbaum Süßer die Glocken nie klingen Oh du fröhliche Lasst uns froh und munter sein Vom Himmel hoch da komm' ich her Alle Jahre wieder Morgen kommt der Weihnachtsmann Ihr Kinderlein kommet Am Weihnachtsbaum die Lichter brennen	Merry Christmas and Peace on Earth!

	Holiday celebrations in Germany start in earnest on December 1. On that day children (and adults young at heart!) get to open the first of the 24 doors of their advent calendar. Germany (and most other countries) celebrates Christmas on Dec. 24, the Holy Night. To pass this time of waiting, one opens a new door every day! Hidden behind the doors are typically either pictures, chocolates or wooden toys.
		Germany celebrates Christmas on Christmas Eve, December 24. Shops are open much of the day and celebrations do not start before the afternoon. Children have to leave the room until the Christmas bell rings. At that point they will either find their presents under the tree or Father Christmas himself will pay a visit. Dinner is served after presents have been unwrapped and many families conclude the evening by attending a midnight Christmas Mass. The 25th and 26th are official holidays, mostly spent with family and friends.

		Send electronic Christmas cards to all your online friends! Hallmark offers a free Christmas cards. (Mark that Web site, you might need it on the 24th!) The page has instructions and even let's you set a reminder - give it a try! No postage required. For other sites that offer free Christmas cards, look here.


	Gluehwein (mulled wine) Recipe There is nothing like a glass of hot spiced wine when you come in from the cold. It's time to stock up on the needed ingredients. The Swedish variety, glogg, is a little stronger. (Beware that Gluehwein can have an unexpectedly strong effect due to its sugar content!) For many Gluehwein is reason alone for a stroll through the Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market)! The most famous Christmas market is the Christkindlesmarkt in medieval Nuremberg.	Photo: Christmas market in Leibzig.





		December 6 is the day of Nikolaus. The night before, children clean a pair of their shoes and leave them outside their bedroom door. If the child behaved during the past year, Nikolaus will stuff the shoes with sweets overnight. (If you follow above link you will find lots of links to other Nikolaus related sites at the bottom of that page.) For a German language site visit here.

	The Nikolaus Day on Dec. 6 has a decided advantage: it is the perfect excuse to start indulging in the variety of Lebkuchen (spice cakes) and German Christmas cookies. Lebkuchen were first baked in the city of Nuremberg in 1395. E. Otto Schmidt is one of the best known specialty bakeries. They now take international online orders, serving 70 countries. At their site you can learn about the history, ingredients and storage of Lebkuchen.

	Worth a special mention is the Lebkuchenhaus (gingerbread house), a creation of the 18th century. Here is a recipe for one. Even for a less elaborate version be prepared to spend a full weekend creating one.	The number of Christmas cookie recipes is staggering. Each type tastes different and all are made only around Christmas. For many recipes, some of which date back to the 14th century, the relative amount of ingredients is kept secret to this day, so it helps to know what the real thing tastes like. Zimtsterne (Cinnamon Stars) - these are heavenly! Pfeffernuesse (Pepper Nuts).You can store these for a long time, they last well.



	Traditionally, trees are decorated with spherical glass ornaments. Part of an ornament set is typically a spiked one that is used to grace the top of the tree. Recently, mouth blown and hand painted glass figures, as they were popular at the end of the 19th century (read a brief history), have staged a comeback on both sides of the Atlantic. Candles are mostly electrical, but often much bigger then mini lights and shaped like a real candle. Mini light are less common in homes. There is nothing like a Christmas tree with real candles . Unfortunately it requires a level of supervision that tends to interfere with the carefree enjoyment of the holidays. Never leave a tree with real candles unattended!	The tradition of of a decorated Christmas tree is said to have originated with Martin Luther in Germany in the middle ages. The tree used most widely in Germany is the Norway spruce. Some people prefer the more expensive blue spruce. One of the loveliest fairy tales is Hans-Christian Andersen's "Der Tannenbaum" (in German and English). In it, the Christmas tree itself tells of the glory and splendor of its Christmas decoration, only to find itself saddened and bewildered about being discarded at the end of the holiday season.

	Nutcrackers have their origin in the Christmas traditions of the Erzgebirge. Situated in former East-Germany the Erzgebirge was one of the major toy centers for 300 years before the Second World War. German Handcraft Importers has a fairly large collection of wooden Erzgebirge toys. (At your own risk, as I haven't done any shopping at that store myself.)

		Isn't is comforting to know that the World Wide Web is spawning Christmas traditions of its own!

	Island, situated near the arctic circle, calls, like several of its northern neighbors, Christmas "Yule". Yule traditions are tied to the preceding harvest and the winter solstice. Particular to Islandic Yule traditions is the Yule cat. A cat you can get into trouble with if you have been lazy during the year! There is a big collection of historic Yule cards here and you can send one to a friend!

		Christmas celebrations in Finland are very similar to those in Germany. Unlike Germany, Finland also celebrates the Lucia Day on Dec. 13, and the sauna is integral part of the Finnish Christmas



		The Harper's Weekly illustrations by Palatinate born Thomas Nast helped create the image of America's Santa Claus. You can learn this and other interesting facts about Christmas at Hyde Flippo's Christmas in German Europe.

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