9 Christmas Traditions We Can Thank Germany For

There are so many decorations and special foods and songs that make one feel cozy and happy to be with family and friends as the winter closes in. The lovely traditions we embrace at the holidays hold deep and lasting nostalgia for us as we travel through life. While a good many of these customs are created within our own families, there are some that come from Old World traditions. Here are 9 Christmas traditions that originated in Germany or from German immigrants (and a few of them might just surprise you).

9) Gingerbread

This tasty holiday treat is known the world over. The spices make it a unique cookie and since it can be baked hard or soft depending on the recipe there’s variety to choose from. And, let’s not forget the iconic gingerbread house and gingerbread man that are a special part of Christmas.

The spice ginger comes from Asia and India and was brought to Europe around the 11th century. While customs for gingerbread men and puddings developed in England and France, it was Germany that became the center of gingerbread production in the 1600s by making elaborate designs from the bread that have come to symbolize Christmas.

Only those with ovens could make this exclusive treat and most average folks did not have access to such expensive equipment. Gingerbread from this region still has a protected status, like Champagne or Parmesan-Reggiano does and is known as Nuremberg Lebkuchen. The traditional designs are glazed and often feature nuts, a once-rare holiday treat.

8) Nutcrackers

These dolls have come to represent the many facets of Christmas: the excitement of opening gifts, the fascination of children with military toys, the novelty of having nuts grown in warmer climates as a special treat at the holidays. Nutcrackers as we know them originated in the Erzgebirge region of Germany where they were handcrafted and painted in details of white and gold. Most of the nutcrackers we have today cannot crack the hard shells on nuts though.

The kitchen device-turned-toy was made a special Christmas symbol when the fictional Papa Drosselmeyer in the 1892 ballet The Nutcracker gifts one to Clara and her family. It comes to life in the night, defending her against the evil Rat King, and they travel to the Land of Sweets, with various endings to the story and the ballet over the years.

7) Christmas Trees

The Christmas tree was novelty in England when Prince Albert brought the custom from Germany to Windsor Castle in the mid-1800s. As the queen and her family were enjoying this tradition it spread across England and other parts of the world. German and Moravian immigrants to the US brought their Christmas tree traditions with them in the late 1700s and early 1800s. But, there is a story behind it all that’s equally fascinating.

Originally German children decorated candle pyramids, a folk art decoration unique to Germany. In these devices a pyramid of Bible scenes spins on a turntable powered by candles and a horizontal windmill (which rotates with the heat current from the small flames). The shape is not unlike a tree and eventually trees were used for the decorations instead and the candle pyramids became nativity-themed instead of showing other scenes from the Bible. Today these lightweight, wooden displays are found in Christmas markets across the world.

6) Lights on Trees

The German Protestant leader Martin Luther is often credited with placing candles on trees as a symbol of the star that lead the wisemen to the baby Jesus. But, it’s as likely that the candles on the previously mentioned pyramids were simply transferred to trees when the tradition evolved.

The first electric Christmas lights were invented in 1882, but it wasn’t until the 1920s that electric Christmas lights became more affordable and widespread. They offered a safer, less onerous alternative to candles and their unstable holders on trees.

5) The Christmas Pickle

This quirky custom known as Weihnachtsgurke is now a beloved event in many American households where a glass ornament in the shape of a pickle is hidden on a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. The custom is known to many as an old German tradition where the child who spots it first on Christmas morning is said to have good luck for the rest of the year and to receive an extra present. Although, strangely enough, most Germans have never heard of this “old tradition”. Historically most Germans exchanged gifts on December 6 for the feast of St. Nicholas and on December 24th for Christmas Eve, but not on Christmas morning.

The tradition is down to generations of German glass makers. These talented artisans were making thin, delicate glass decorations in the handblown tradition. These fragile pieces were then lined in silver to make them sparkle and shine as if lit from within. It has been said that the vogue for fruit and vegetable ornaments dates back to Germany in the 1840s. But, it wasn’t until the late 1800s that they were seen on American Christmas trees thanks to Woolworth.

4) Christmas Ornaments

And this brings us to Christmas ornaments in general. The Christmas pickle, along with the wonderful glass baubles that make our trees glitter and twinkle, were a way to market imported German glass decorations to Americans. In the late 1800s sellers and importers of these ornaments created the pickle story as a marketing scheme and began to sell a variety of glass baubles for Christmas which became quite popular.

It wasn’t until 1937 with a global war looming that the process of thinly-blown glass could be replicated by machine at a reduced cost to the consumer and the newly-minted Shiny Brite ornaments became an instant classic, desugned by a German immigrant and made in the US instead of imported from an increasingly-troubled Germany.

3) Christmas Markets

Christmas markets today are not only a place to buy gifts, but they are havens for those who enjoy the season of light and merriment. Elaborate decorations, mulled wine, gingerbread, and decadent delicacies can be found at these glittering nighttime events that last the entire month of December (and sometimes into January in parts of Europe).

These markets began in 1400s in Germany and by the late 1880s had come to be seen as seedy. As such they were pushed to edges of cities and nearly forgotten. The government of the Third Reich revived the tradition in the 1930s, claiming that the seedy elements were not of authentic German origin. They sought to bring back a “true” German tradition free from vice and encouraged Christmas markets to return to the centers of villages as they had once presided. Today Christmas markets can be found globally, all over Europe and North America as well as in other areas.

2) The Modern Santa Claus

Thomas Nast, born in Germany, was the first to draw Santa Claus as we know him (in the 1860s) thanks to the imagery described in the famous poem, “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” (which was written 1823). Before this time St. Nicholas was often depicted as the bishop he was and Father Christmas was a later invention of the 1600s. Prior to that the ruler of Christmas could be seen as a lord or a deviant Pan-like figure, not a wise old man with gifts to give.

Nast was more known for his political cartoons, but continued to illustrate Santa well into his career, shaping our vision of who Santa is.

The true name of the legendary poem is “A Visit from St. Nicholas” though few refer to it thusly. The unforgettable lines “He had a broad face and a little round belly/ That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly” hint at a well-fed man, while other lines describe his clothing as head-to-toe fur with a big sack of gifts on his back like a common peddler!

1) Advent Calendars

Lastly we have the Advent calendar, a creation again of German origin. Folks would count down the days to Christmas by burning a designated candle a little each day between December 1st and 24th or by hanging a different devotional image on the wall each day.

By the early 1990s printed versions had started appearing and in the 1920s the little doors were added. This fun game for children now includes chocolate or prizes and even adults get in on the festivities with versions from popular perfume houses, luxury brands, and custom fill-it-yourself Advent calendars gaining popularity.