How a Typical German Christmas Shaped the Way We Celebrate Today

When we picture Christmas — twinkling lights, gingerbread scents, advent calendars, and mulled wine — we’re often picturing a holiday with deep German roots. Germany didn’t just influence how Christmas is celebrated there — it helped shape modern Christmas as we know it in both the UK and the US.

Germany was one of the first regions in Christian Europe to embrace and expand the celebration of Christmas, particularly in the Middle Ages. But Germany didn’t just adopt Christmas — it embellished it, decorated it, and baked it into something warm and wonderful.

Monasteries in what is now Germany began staging nativity plays, holding festive services, and composing Christmas hymns (like O Tannenbaum and Stille Nacht). The Christmas season blended with local winter folk customs, giving it that cosy, foresty, magical feel we now associate with the holiday.

🎄 The Christmas Tree (Tannenbaum) Originated in Germany

Perhaps the most iconic symbol of Christmas — the decorated evergreen tree — comes directly from Germany. popular by the mid-1800s. Today, nearly every household in the UK and US has a tree — and it all started with a German spruce.

• The first documented indoor Christmas trees date back to 16th-century Germany, especially in Strasbourg (then part of the Holy Roman Empire).
• Martin Luther is often credited with adding candles to the tree to mimic the stars shining above Bethlehem.
• In 1841, Prince Albert, the German husband of Queen Victoria, famously brought the Christmas tree tradition to the British royal family. A sketch of their tree in Windsor Castle was published in the Illustrated London News in 1848 — and within a few years, every British home wanted one.
• The tradition then travelled to the US with German and English immigrants.

Advent: Where the Countdown Began

In Germany, Advent is not just a chocolate-filled countdown — it's a whole season steeped in ritual. Starting four Sundays before Christmas, families light a candle on the Adventskranz (Advent wreath) each week, gathering around it with songs, biscuits, and quiet moments. 

• The Advent calendar was invented by a German mother in the 19th century to help her son count down to Christmas — eventually evolving into printed versions and chocolate-filled ones we know today.
• It didn’t take long before it became a beloved tradition in Britain and later across the US. Today, it’s everywhere: from simple chocolate versions to high-end beauty and whisky calendars.

📅 Why not create your own Advent calendar using our printed calendar feature? Fill each day with family activities, kind acts, or festive quotes!

St Nicholas Day – 6th December

Before Santa slid down chimneys, there was St. Nicholas, the original gift-giver. On the evening of 5th December, children all across Germany (and in many parts of Austria, Switzerland, Hungary and the Netherlands too) polish their boots or shoes and place them by the front door, windowsill, or fireplace.

They go to bed with great anticipation, hoping that St Nicholas (der Nikolaus) will visit during the night. And if they've been good? By morning, their shoes are filled with:

• Clementines or oranges (symbols of gold from the St Nicholas legends)
• Nuts and chocolates
• Little toys or small books
• Sometimes even a personal note from St Nicholas himself!

It’s a sweet, gentle tradition — not commercial or over-the-top — and it gives families a chance to talk about kindness, humility, and doing good for others.

• In southern Germany and Austria, he might be accompanied by the fearsome Krampus — a horned, hairy creature who threatens to carry off misbehaving children in a sack.
• In more toned-down parts of Germany, it's Knecht Ruprecht, a stern man in dark robes who carries a switch (Rute) and reminds kids to improve their behaviour.

Of course, in most modern homes, these characters are just part of the storytelling — a fun (slightly spooky) way to build anticipation and drama around the season. The actual gifts are nearly always given with love and smiles.

How It Inspired Our Traditions

• Santa Claus in the US and Father Christmas in the UK both owe their origins to St Nicholas — especially through the Dutch name Sinterklaas, which eventually became “Santa Claus” after Dutch settlers brought it to New York in the 1600s.
• Stockings hung by the chimney come from the same legend — St Nicholas secretly dropping gold into the stockings of poor girls to save them from a life of hardship.
• And even Elf on the Shelf echoes the “be good or else” theme that’s been part of Nikolaus folklore for centuries.

You don’t have to live in Germany to take part in this heartwarming tradition. Here are some easy ways to bring it into your family’s holiday season:

• Polish the shoes together the night before — turn it into a game or bedtime ritual.
• Leave a note “from St Nicholas” encouraging your child’s kindness or praising something they did well.
• Tuck in a few oranges, gold-foil coins, or festive treats.
• Read a story about St Nicholas or talk about someone your family could help this month.

You could even print a special St Nicholas reminder on your December calendar — or let kids decorate a shoe icon to mark the day!

In a world where Christmas sometimes feels rushed or over-commercialised, St Nicholas Day slows things down. It brings the focus back to simplicity, character, and wonder — which is what the best traditions are made of.

Christmas Markets: From Germany to Everywhere

Weihnachtsmärkte — the enchanting German Christmas markets — have become a staple in towns across the UK and even cities in the US.

• Glühwein (hot spiced wine), gingerbread hearts, hand-carved wooden toys, and candle-lit stalls originated in places like Nuremberg and Dresden in the 15th century.
• Today, places like Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, and even Chicago and Philadelphia host German-style markets every December.

🛍️ Feeling crafty? Use your calendar to plan a DIY market day at home with homemade crafts, hot cocoa, and holiday tunes.

Christmas Eve: The Big Night

While the US and UK save the main event for Christmas Day, in Germany, Heiligabend (Christmas Eve) is when the magic happens.

• Gifts are exchanged, carols are sung, and families gather for a simple dinner — often potato salad and sausages (a tradition that’s surprisingly popular).
• The tree is lit for the first time that night, often with real candles (though most now use lights for safety).

🎁 Many American and British families now do a Christmas Eve box or early present — a gentle nod to this German tradition.

Christkind or Father Christmas?

In Germany, gifts are often delivered by the Christkind — a glowing angel-like figure representing the Christ child. In other regions, it’s der Weihnachtsmann, a Santa-like character who closely resembles Father Christmas in the UK and Santa Claus in the US.

Christmas Day & Second Christmas

Germany celebrates both 25th and 26th December with family, food, and rest.

• Meals often include roast goose or duck, red cabbage, and Stollen — a rich fruit bread dusted with icing sugar that’s now sold in UK supermarkets and US gourmet shops alike.
• Second Christmas Day (Boxing Day) is also a bank holiday in Germany and the UK, usually spent visiting extended family or going on winter walks — another shared custom.

🥾 Schedule a family winter walk on your printed calendar and keep the German rhythm of rest and reflection alive.

German Decorations That Travelled

Some of our most treasured holiday symbols were born in Germany:

• The Christmas tree (Tannenbaum) tradition was brought to England by Queen Victoria’s German husband, Prince Albert, in the 1840s. Within a decade, it was embraced across the British Empire and later America.
• Nutcrackers, wooden pyramids, and smoking incense men (Räuchermännchen) from the Erzgebirge region are now festive staples worldwide.

✨ Add a “Decorating Day” to your calendar and include a fun fact with each ornament — it makes for magical memory-making with little ones.

Epiphany: A Graceful Ending

In Germany and Austria, 6th January is called Epiphany. On this day, children often dress up as the Three Wise Men (called Sternsinger) and go from house to house. They sing songs, collect donations for charity, and write a special blessing in chalk above the front door — something like 20+C+M+B+25.

This tradition is still popular in Catholic parts of Germany and Austria. It’s not very common in the US or UK, but more people are now starting to enjoy the idea of celebrating Christmas until early January, instead of rushing to take everything down right after New Year’s.

🕊️ Why not let your decorations linger past New Year’s Day and keep the festive glow alive till the 6th? Your calendar can remind you it’s still the season!

German Baking Became Christmas Baking

Germany’s Christmas baking is legendary, and it inspired many of the sweet treats we now associate with the season.

• Lebkuchen (spiced gingerbread) – originated in Nuremberg and led to gingerbread houses and cookies around the world.
• Stollen (fruit bread with marzipan) – a centuries-old recipe from Dresden, it’s now sold in nearly every British supermarket come December.
• Pfeffernüsse, Zimtsterne, Springerle – all traditional German Christmas biscuits that are now copied or adapted internationally.

🍪 German Christmas bakes are deeply nostalgic, fragrant, and often passed down through generations — the kind of traditions people remember and recreate, even continents away.

Advent Wreaths

The Advent wreath, with its four candles for the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, was also invented in Hamburg in 1839 by a Protestant pastor for children in a mission school.

🇩🇪 Why Did German Christmas Traditions Become So Popular?

You might wonder — why do German Christmas traditions show up everywhere? Why not French or Italian ones? The answer is simple: Germany celebrated Christmas early, beautifully, and warmly — and people around the world loved it.

Germany Did it First — and Best

Germany was one of the first countries to bring Christmas to life in a way families could celebrate at home. They gave us:

• Christmas trees
• Advent calendars and wreaths
• Gingerbread and festive baking
• Christmas markets, carols, and candlelight

These traditions started in the 1500s and became part of everyday life.

Royals Made it Fashionable 👑 

In the UK, Prince Albert (Queen Victoria’s German husband) brought his favourite Christmas customs with him. When a picture of their tree appeared in newspapers in 1848, everyone wanted one. German traditions quickly felt like “homegrown” British ones.

Millions Brought it with Them 🧳 

In the 18th and 19th centuries, millions of Germans emigrated to the US, Canada, and the UK. They brought their language, songs, decorations, markets, and recipes — and their new neighbours loved it.

• In the US, German settlers in places like Pennsylvania and the Midwest helped popularise Christmas trees, markets, and cookies.
• German carols like “Stille Nacht” became worldwide favourites — translated into “Silent Night” and sung everywhere.

It’s Simple, Warm, and Magical 🌟

People love German traditions because they’re:

• Easy to do at home
• Family-friendly and cosy
• Full of lights, baking, music, and handmade decorations

And that’s why they spread so far — and stayed.

Bringing It All Together: A Modern Christmas with German Roots

It’s amazing how many of our contemporary Christmas traditions have travelled from Germany, been reimagined in Britain, and woven into American culture. Whether it's the Advent calendar taped to the fridge, a mulled wine toast at the local market, or the Christmas tree glowing in your living room, the echoes of a traditional German Christmas are everywhere.

So this year, why not lean into it?

✨ Create your printed calendar with special nods to these traditions.✨ Plan a Nikolaustag surprise, a Christmas Eve candlelit dinner, or a weekend Advent wreath ritual. ✨ Share these customs with kids and loved ones — it's history and holiday magic in one!