It's christmasing a lot...

Someone commented to me on the last trip home, "German Christmas is a smaller celebration than in the U.S., isn't it?). Actually, I like to point out that at least one poet verbed the word "Christmas" (Es weihnachtet sehr; hence the title of this piece), which I feel shows how seriously this time of year is taken in Germany!

Maybe the celebration on Dec. 25 is a bit more relaxed than in the U.S. (at least comparing my family to the husband's). But Germans start the party in late November, really, with the opening of the Christmas Markets in the downtowns of almost every city. Some are quite famous - Nüremburg, for example, and I met a couple on the plane recently who were coming to German just to make a Christmas-market visiting cruise on the Rhine! At the Christmas markets, items ranging from traditional wooden toys to nativity sets to handcrafts are for sale, as well as numerous stands selling all kinds of food.

Then, of course, there is the Glühwein (mulled wine - click for recipe). This is ubiquitous in the markets, with stands selling the warm drink in ceramic mugs (deposit required) and drunk at the beer-garden type tables surrounding the stand. Really, there's nothing like this - the warm alcohol and spices hitting your tummy while you stand in the cold evening air...

Follow it with some candied roasted almonds or roasted chestnuts (heretofore just known to me through Christmas songs) and you're set for the evening.

Now, nestled in among all the Christmas-market visits, is the Feast of St. Nicholas. The original saint's feast day, with its tradition of gift giving, was apparently mixed up with Christmas some time ago, and thus in the U.S. we have Santa Claus. But tonight St. Nick will be visiting us and filling the stockings with a few goodies and small toys.

Finally comes Christmas. Not content at this point with a single day, Germans instead start the celebrating seriously on Christmas eve; this is when most folks attend church (although the tradition of midnight mass was lost through curfews during the occupation after the war; "Midnight" is now at about 10pm). Also, at least around here, presents are opened Christmas Eve (the Christmas Man or Christ Child, depending on your religion (Cath/Prot), apparently arrives while you're at church).

The next day, the First Day of Christmas, is spent doing all same type of Christmas activities Americans would recognize - visiting, playing, feasting, singing "Oh Tannenbaum"... The feasting is mostly confined to sweets, though; meals tend to be relaxed affairs on this day. Then comes the Second Day of Christmas - a repeat of the first day! And the bonus is, since it's weighted pretty much as importantly as the first day, that you can spread your visits out over the two days, and no one feels miffed you weren't there on "the" day.

Then you have a few days to recuperate before New Years. You need it.