It’s time to discuss the German Pickle Ornament Story and shatter the myth once and for all. Germans Don’t Hang Pickles in their Christmas Tree. I know, I know… someone told you it’s a REAL GERMAN TRADITION And maybe your Oma hung a pickle on her Christmas Tree… But the truth is, the Christmas Pickle Ornament Tradition is no more…
Author: karenanne
Libby, a Second Generation German American
Last night I got an email from Heidi, who passed along this wonderful essay by her daughter Libby, on what it means to grow up a second generation German-American. I loved it so much, I had to share (thanks for the permission Libby!!). I know that my kids have had so many of the same experiences. It’s my…
Escape from GDR / Flucht aus der DDR- The History of the Berlin Wall
On August 13, 1961, construction began on the Berlin Wall. For too many years East and West were divided by a Wall that surrounded East Berlin. The Wall separated families and friends, and kept people essentially locked up. Granted, not everyone hated being in the East, but many wanted to escape what they considered to be a prison. The…
10,000 Facebook Fans Contest Results!
We did it! We now have 10,000 Facebook fans… and counting! Thanks to all of you who entered our drawing. And an extra big thank you to those who shared our contest on your Facebook page. To make this as fair as possible, I let my daughter choose the winner. All the names went into a computer program at random,…
What is Playmobil? 50 Years of German Toys for the Imagination
In 2017 a little Playmobil Martin Luther, complete with quill and German Bible became the fastest selling Playmobil toy in the history of Brandstätter Toys. 34,000 of these “little Luthers” sold in under 72 hours! Created to honor the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation in 2017, the sales figures astonished everyone in the company known for its imaginative toy sets, and…
Windstärke 8 or Wind Force 8 TV Series
Windstärke 8 [Import allemand] Windstärke 8 or Wind Force 8 is a multi part documentary/ reality series from Germany on ARD that attempts to show conditions on emigrant ships headed to America in the 1800s. Although over 5000 people tried out to be on the program, only 14 passengers, 5 children and 18 sailors were chosen to take part in this…
German Genealogy Databases Online -Find your German Family
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…
How to Make Quark- Make Creamy German Quark with a Yogurt Maker
Quark is a delicious and very versatile creamy dairy product from Germany. For those of you not familiar with it, it’s almost like a very thick yogurt, or a looser whipped cream cheese. It doesn’t have the tang of a yogurt though. Because it’s not sweet or salt, quark can be used in a number of ways; spread on bread,…