Since 1958, the only thing better than just opening a door on your Advent Calendar is opening a door and finding a piece of CHOCOLATE behind it! These German Chocolate Advent Calendars are sure to be a hit for kids of all ages!! Now, you can find Chocolate Advent calendars at the discount store, but you get what you pay…

  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 by a few extra days to make the cold season a little more cheerful for chilly Villagers. Goods were probably laid out on the streets or on…

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 in our home. I couldn’t understand why other (non-German) houses I visited didn’t have them. But then,…

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 Advent…

Like many German Christmas decorations, the Schwibbogen came from the Erzgebirge. Beginning in the Middle Ages, the “Mettenschicht” was the traditional last work shift before Christmas in the Ore Mountains. In these deep, dark mines, a miner’s light kept the darkness at bay, and hanging them together along an arch would light up the cavern. The tradition of  Schwibbogen, or…

My heart broke a little bit last night when I heard the crash… a glass VW Bug ornament slipped from my hand and shattered on the wooden floor. I know, I know, they are only things… but some things have so much more value… both in emotional attachment and dollar signs. Luckily, it wasn’t one of the vintage German Hand-Blown…

Families in Germany and Scandinavia have decorated their homes with German Straw Christmas ornaments. The simpler patterns are fairly easy to make, and since most people had some access to straw, they became quite common. But it’s more than that. Straw is closely associated with the symbolism of the Christ Child being born into a manger of straw. The legend…

While hunting for a gift for a recently married friend, I stumbled across the German Brides Christmas Ornaments. I enjoy sharing German Christmas Traditions with all of you, but this was a new one for me. So I did some digging. It turns out, the German Bridal Christmas Ornaments are a newer “old Bavarian tradition”. Maybe it isn’t old, but…

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

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…

In Germany, they eat seasonally: Strawberries and Asparagus in late Spring, Pfifferlinge in Summer, and Grünkohl (Kale) in Winter. Over the past 20 years, another seasonal dish has appeared on German menus in the Fall: Kürbissuppe or Pumpkin Soup. It’s everywhere. This flavorful, orange soup makes a rich starter or even a filling main meal. But how did Pumpkin Soup…

There’s a sort of funny joke circulating about a recipe blogger who confesses to a murder in the wordy part of the post before the actual recipe, but, since no one reads this part, she gets away with it. Don’t panic. There’s nothing in this Apricot Blueberry Streusel Cake Recipe post, except a recipe. But the idea is intriguing. (Filing…

Summer is here, so it’s time for “lighter” cakes that show off summer fruits. In Germany, I’ve enjoyed the Erdbeer Biskuitrolle mostly with süße Sahne (sweetened whipped cream), some homemade Erdbeermarmelade (strawberry jam), and fresh berries rolled up inside. The vanilla cake gets its lift from eggs so that you can feel less guilty about all that cream! Fresh strawberries…

My mother cooked German soups and Eintopfe (One-pot meals) all winter. Soups transform simple ingredients into flavorful and filling meals. German Potato Soup with Smoked Sausage is the perfect example of this.  The humble potato, the Erd-Apfel, was a side dish at almost every meal. (Boiled, fried, mashed, Klöße…) We were the only ones in our neighborhood with a special…

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), and more recently, I visited Ellis Island, where many 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 an immigration station for…

  1021 people, primarily 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…