On the evening of December 5th, children in Germany, especially in the Catholic regions, will clean their shoes and place them by the door or on the stairs, hoping that St Nicholas will come by and fill them with sweet treats and small gifts overnight. Years ago, before Christmas became a gift-giving holiday, December 6th was when children got their…
Category: German Holidays and Festivals
German Christmas Smokers -Räuchermännchen History & Where to Buy One!
German Christmas Smokers or Räuchermännchen may look like a toy or a simple decoration that goes on the mantle, but they do more; they are incense burners. Many people collect Räuchermännchen, and this Christmas decoration is pretty common in most German households (like Nutcrackers). What’s fun and collectible about these figures is the variety of Smokers. There are Santas, Brewers,…
Collectible Steinbach Ornaments for Your Christmas Tree
Every year for Christmas, my mother gives us each special Steinbach Christmas Tree ornaments. Sometimes it represents a hobby, other times, it’s a cute Santa. In this way we are amassing an amazing collection of Steinbach ornaments. The wood ornaments from Steinbach absolutely delight me from year to year, and since they are made of wood, they don’t shatter when…
Eierbecher German Egg Cups for a Soft Boiled Egg
We always had German Egg Cups in the house, I still do, because I love a Soft-Boiled Egg. I tried to order one in a restaurant once, but my mom stopped me, and told me her story about Eggs. When she first arrived in America, she and my father had breakfast in a restaurant. Mom ordered a soft boiled egg.…
More Christmas Tablecloths than Tables Mehr Tischdeckchen als Tische
November is when I start cleaning the things I will need for the holidays. Glassware gets a polish, the “good dishes” get a wash, and the tablecloths all get checked for a touch-up iron. So, yesterday I went to the drawer were I keep the smaller Weihnachts Tisch Deckchen (Christmas table cloths) and I realized something… over the past few…
Traditional German Advent Wreath – Count the Sundays before Christmas
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,…
Traditional German Advent Calendars- Count the Days to Christmas!
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…
Collectible Wooden German Santa Claus Figurines from the Erzgebirge
ISDD German incense smoker Santa Claus under candlearch, height 19 cm/7 inch, original Erzgebirge by Mueller Seiffen German Santa Claus figurines are some of my favorite Christmas Decorations. Probably because my mom always had a line up of them on her mantle… and so now I do too! It’s a special day when the Christmas boxes come out of storage,…