Even though I grew up in the United States where Santa Claus dominated Christmas… the presents my sister and I got came from the Christkind (or Christkindl) on Christmas Eve. It was magical! We would hide in our bedroom peering out the window…wondering when she would arrive. The Christkind coming was a special delivery for just for us, since a…
Category: German Christmas Traditions
German Christmas Treats from All Tastes German
German Christmas Treats is a wonderful little cookbook from the website All Tastes German. I stumbled across the site, and the cookbook, completely by chance, and I’m just delighted that I did. There are over 40 recipes in the book, and each one is a gem. And this year they’ve added 4 new recipes!! Honestly, I could do all of my…
The Rauschgoldengel- The legend of the Golden Angel
High above the Plobenhofstraße entrance of the Nuremberg Christkindelmarkt hangs the Rauschgoldengel. This large gold-foil angel is there to welcome all of the guests as a symbol of the market. And all over the market, you will find stalls selling smaller versions of this Golden Angel. But what is a Rauschgoldengel? And how did a foil angel become the symbol…
Where to buy Lebkuchen Online- Order German Lebkuchen for Christmas
Let me tell you where to buy Lebkuchen online. Because, if you are like me… either too busy, too overwhelmed, or just too lazy to bake Lebkuchen (depending on who is looking at you), you can STILL buy that delicious German Lebkuchen (all the different sorts!) that you crave at Christmastime. Believe me, no one will judge you. How do…
Start a Family Tradition- Ravensburger Christmas Puzzles
Every year we bring out a new Ravensburger Christmas Puzzle to work on during the days and nights leading up to Christmas. A table is set up, and the pieces are sorted (edge verses middle)… and off we go. Ravensburger …the German company based in Ravensburg… makes high quality puzzles with beautiful Christmas images. They hold up well to lots…
Steinbach Company in Germany- Still Making Erzgebirge Magic for the World
“We want to bring the Erzgebirge magic into peoples homes all over the world.” While scrolling through Facebook recently, I came across an interesting comment on the Steinbach Nutcracker fan page… it said that the Steinbach Company in Germany had been purchased, and the factory was up and running again. WHAT! I did some digging, and couldn’t find much……
German Hand Blown Glass Ornaments-Delicate Christmas Gems on Your Tree
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…
German Straw Christmas Ornaments -To Buy or Make
German Straw Christmas ornaments have been used in Germany and also in Scandinavia for years. They are fairly easy and inexpensive to make, and since most people had some access to straw, they became quite common. But it’s more than that… straw is closely tied to the symbolism of the Christ Child being born into a bed of straw. In…
German Bride’s Christmas Ornaments- Symbols of Love & Blessings
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…