The Advent Calendar isn’t the only way to mark the time before Christmas; in our home, we always had a Traditional German Advent Wreath. My mother would bring it out on the first Sunday of Advent, and the Holiday Season would officially begin. I couldn’t understand why other (non-German) houses I visited didn’t have them. , but then, other houses…

Having a traditional German Advent calendar to count down the days to Christmas was as normal to me as breathing or putting on house shoes; it is just something we had in our home. Most years, they were simple, a double thick cardboard sheet printed with Christmas scenes and pretty pictures behind each door. In later years, we had German chocolate…

No one does Christmas like the Germans, so it’s no great shock that many Christmas Traditions from Germany found their way to America. You can imagine it, can’t you? Prized ornaments wrapped in paper and safely tucked into suitcases next to hand written recipes for Stollen and Lebkuchen. Memories of celebrating German Weihnachten connecting them to home. It’s interesting to…

I grew up in a suburb east of Los Angeles where my dad owned Nursery. Eighty-degree sunshine and palm trees are vastly different from Germany in December. Sure, the weather was great for plants, but I know my parents were homesick for snow and family. In the 1970s, travel was expensive, German Products exotic, and International phone calls were a…

I wanted to share with you all a message that I got from Patricia about combining German and American Christmas Traditions. She’s in a spot that I KNOW is familiar to many of you. She Writes- “I am in a real predicament with Christmas. My twins are now three and understand Christmas. Both German and because of cartoons American. We…

German Christmas customs traditions and practices can be celebrated here in America. There really is something special about this time of year that makes me look back to my childhood. The candle light, the smell of chocolate and cookies, the wonder of the Christmas Tree. In my memory, the feeling of a German Christmas is more of stillness… of enjoying…

Last week, a friend said, “You’re German; would you like these? I found them at an estate sale,”… and then she handed me these cardboard plates/bowls printed with Christmassy images. She had found paper plates for “Bunter Teller!” I was so excited to receive something from my childhood. But What is a Bunter Teller? These special plates come out every…

Christmas is a special time of year but especially magical for children. I’m not talking about heaps of presents under the tree! There are so many German Christmas Traditions for kids that will bring joy and happiness to the little ones in your world. My parents didn’t have much money when I was growing up, but my mother made the…

At Christmas Markets and in homes, you find Glühwein for the adults at Christmastime. (My mother always left a pot on the stove Christmas Eve, and we would enjoy it during the Bescherung, or gift exchange) With warm wine and aromatic spices, it’s such a cozy feeling to hold the mug and breathe in the delicious steam while sipping.  But…

  While on a Christmas Market Tour, I tried all sorts of warm drinks… there was Red Glühwein, Feuerzangenbowle, Punsch, Eierpunsch, and WHITE Glühwein. White Glühwein? I’d never seen that before! This mulled white wine is warm and flavorful with the addition of Cinnamon, Anise, and Allspice. And that citrus kick appeals to my Southern California upbringing. I experimented with…

Nothing says Gemütlichkeit like a flaming drink! The German Feuerzangenbowle Set (literally, Fire Tongs Punch brings friends together. This traditional German mulled wine (Glühwein) has a flaming cone of sugar over it, slowly dripping the caramelized sugar into the warm wine for extra flavor. I fell hard for this drink while visiting the Christmas Markets in Germany last year. Whenever…

This German Gluhwein Recipe-Warms Your Toes and Your Tummy I love making Traditional German Gluhwein Recipe during the Holiday season. A simmering pot of Glühwein on the stove makes the house smell like Christmas… and the spicey flavors warm you down to your toes. Best of all, it’s not difficult to make! Serve this at a holiday gathering, or make some…

  Every year, Christmas Markets pop up across Germany at the beginning of the Advent Season, signaling the approach of the Christmas Holidays. Christmas Markets began centuries ago when regular markets were extended a few extra days to make the cold season a little more cheerful for the chilly Villagers. Goods were probably laid out on the streets or on…

-Can’t make it to Germany this year? It turns out there are a few Christkindlmarkts or German Christmas Markets in America and Canada. These markets are a wonderful way to get into the Christmas spirit without the cost of plane fare, you just need a car, or heck, with the money you save, you can take a Limo! Find those…

Over the years, many of our local German Delis and Bakeries have shut down. But, all is not lost! You can order German Food online to enjoy at home! Almost everything you normally buy in German Grocery Store stores can be sold in these shops. I’m in the habit of cooking with certain German seasonings and sauces that I can’t…

For many German-Americans, tracing their history is not so easy. Records were lost or destroyed, and the old script can be difficult to read. While I am by no means an expert, I have found some German Genealogy Databases online that can help you find a little more about your German Ancestry. If you know of any websites or pages that…

 Looking for German Festivals in America? Events and Celebrations? Take a look at our list! There’s  something for everyone! Maifests, Sommerfests, Oktoberfests, Christkindlmarkt, Concerts, and More!! We also have a special page set aside for Christmas Markets in the United States and Canada–> German Christmas Markets  Do you know of any Events or GermaFestival that’s not on the list? Send…

  Ever wonder “Are there any German Restaurants near Me?” Readers have kindly sent me the names of their favorite German Restaurants in America, as well as German Bakeries, Delis and Online Sources. It looks like we will all be able to eat Rouladen, Bratwurst, Brötchen and Torte as we make our way across America. And now we’ve even added German…

When my parents moved this summer, my mother uncovered a treasure trove of handwritten recipes from friends and family members tucked away in a drawer. She and I resolved to decipher the old handwriting, make sense of the sometimes cryptic directions, and reproduce those old flavors. (Dad offered to help by tasting the bakes.) We are starting with a recipe…

A few years ago I ran into a roadblock when starting my Christmas baking. For years my regular grocery store sold candied citrus peel all packed up and ready for me to use in Stollen, Lebkuchen, and Magenbrot. No more. The grocer told me that demand dropped over the years (and then he mumbled something about Fruitcake being yucky… I…

  Yes, you do need another Apple Cake Recipe, and this rustic and Juicy Apple Cake is perfect for apple lovers (and moms who want to encourage their people to eat more fruit). Chunks of juicy apple keep the cake extra moist, and the crunchy cinnamon sugar topping adds sweetness. The cake looks a bit rustic, but the flavor will…

I know, I know… Chocolate and Dark Beer Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream are not STRICTLY German. (Or really, traditional German at all) BUT! They are tasty. And since I used a dark Erdinger Weissbier German Beer, these delicious treats count as Denglish. The recipe comes from one I used to bake for Irish friends using Stout beer (Guinness).  I find…

When you think of Massachusetts, the first thing that might come to mind is the rich tapestry of American history that’s woven into its cities and towns. But did you know that there’s also a strong German influence that’s left an indelible mark on its historical sites? From architecture to cuisine, German immigrants have greatly influenced the Bay State. They’ve left…

Most people don’t think about German-American history when they think about Southern California. Pennsylvania, of course, Wisconsin, naturally, but California? YES! Anaheim’s German History is a great story. The city of Anaheim began as a colony of Germans! (Yes, Anaheim, home to the House of Mouse). In 1857, 50 Germans, formed an association called the Los Angeles Vineyard Company and…

A few years ago I visited the Bremerhaven Auswandererhaus  (Emigration Museum), this year I paid a visit to Ellis Island, where many of the immigrants landed on the other side of the Atlantic. The museum houses the other half of the immigration story. I went, unsure of how much German history I would see, after all, Ellis Island acted as…

  1021 people, mostly women and children perished in the General Slocum Disaster of 1904. And yet, the tragedy is mostly forgotten. Kleindeutschland (Little Deutschland) in New York City thrived through the 1800s into the turn of the century. German-Americans lived, worked, shopped, and worshipped in this thriving neighborhood. Then on June 15, 1904, 1358 people climbed aboard the General…