The first taste of Christmas comes with the gingerbread cookies that appear on supermarket shelves at the very beginning of October. From the first advent onwards, Christmas markets, old Christmas hits on the radio as well as fairy lights spread the Christmas spirit throughout the country. 

For many Germans, Christmas Eve (December 24), is divided into a hectic morning and a festive part in the evening. It’s usually very busy as many are still concerned with getting last-minute gifts or groceries for the Christmas holidays. After the rather bustling morning, it’s typically time to decorate the Christmas tree with fairy lights and colorful Christmas baubles, wrap the last presents and prepare dinner. Regarding the latter, it’s very common to serve a rather simple dish on Christmas Eve. The most popular dish throughout the country is potato salad with sausages.  In the early evening, families come together, and some maintain traditions like singing or playing music together. After dinner, it’s finally time for the gift giving. Especially youths who have returned to their hometown over the holidays often meet with their old friends afterwards. On Christmas Day or Boxing Day, it’s very common to have another traditional Christmas dinner with the family. One traditional German Christmas dish is roast goose with mashed potatoes and red cabbage.

This article was written by a student member of the INGENIUM alliance from Germany.