Unboxing Christmas...

Christmas in Germany is very beautiful. For people not familiar with Germany, I admit, it can be completely confusing! So, let me give you some insight into German traditions, and maybe some lovingly quirky customs.

Once Christmas has started, for German families this means at about half past two in the afternoon of Christmas Eve, Germany shuts down. Properly.
Shops do not ‘kind of’ close. They do close. Nobody gets in or out for the Christmas holidays, no exception here. This can be quite surprising for people from other countries used to always open shops! On Christmas Eve shops are usually open until late morning or early afternoon. On December 25 and 26 everything is closed. Supermarkets, drugstores, malls- none of them will open their doors for you. Germans do no last-minute grocery runs. We do not perform ‘quick stops’ for bread, wine, vegetables or anything else missing on your Christmas table. It’s either good planning or becoming creative with some pasta!

Christmas in Germany is a private thing, it isn’t social. In many countries, Christmas is loud and kind of public. Christmas over here is family-focused and quiet. It means fewer invitations, No casual pop-ins. Even the neighbours can feel pretty distant.

This is not rejection. It is tradition. Christmas is considered sacred family time. This intentional silence does not mean loneliness. It means rest. The streets are empty. Emails stop. Life slows down. Germany collectively exhales. For foreigners, this can feel rather unsettling. For Germans, this is the point, rest and stillness. But, is it really that intimate and private? Well, here is a quiet secret… For us, Christmas is not about how many chairs are at the table. It is about warmth. It is about care. And it is about noticing who might need it most. If you bring a friend that is spending Christmas alone, we are wholeheartedly open the circle: We are adding a plate. We get another chair. We make space, even when we have never met that person before. Generosity is a big thing in Germany; it is just not always spoken out loud.

Christmas in Germany is either very simple…or very overdone. There is rarely an in-between. Christmas meals can range between simple comfort dishes, like a delicious potato salad and Frankfurter sausages, or a full 5-course lunch that lasts half a day. Both ways are entirely normal. Do not expect restaurant hopping. Expect staying put.

These traditions or Christmas behaviour can appear extravagant. For some they may mean out-of-vouge in our fast-paced societies. But they are not. Once we stop fighting the stillness, Christmas becomes very, very peaceful. German people do not cancel life at Christmas, they protect it. And if we allow it, Christmas becomes the gift we all need.

Merry Christmas to you all.
 
Ute 


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Reference: Photo taken by me.

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