According to legend, on Christmas Eve in Germany rivers turn to wine, animals speak to each other, tree blossoms bear fruit, mountains open up to reveal precious gems, and church bells can be heard ringing from the bottom of the sea. Germany celebrates Christmas on Christmas Eve, December 24. Shops are open much of the day and celebrations do not start before the afternoon. Children have to leave the room until the Christmas bell rings. At that point they will either find their presents under the tree or Father Christmas himself will pay a visit. Dinner is served after presents have been unwrapped and many families conclude the evening by attending a midnight Christmas Mass. The 25th and 26th are official holidays, mostly spent with family and friends.

The Nikolaus Day on Dec. 6 has a decided advantage: it is the perfect excuse to start indulging in the variety of Lebkuchen (spice cakes) and German Christmas cookies. Lebkuchen were first baked in the city of Nuremberg in E. Otto Schmidt is one of the best known specialty bakeries. They now take international online orders, serving 70 countries. At their site you can learn about the history, ingredients and storage of Lebkuchen.

Candles are mostly electrical, but often much bigger then mini lights and shaped like a real candle. Mini light are less common in homes. There is nothing like a Christmas tree with real candles. Unfortunately it requires a level of supervision that tends to interfere with the carefree enjoyment of the holidays. Never leave a tree with real candles unattended!

In parts of Germany, people believe that the Christ Child sends a messenger in Christmas Eve. He appears as an angel in a white robe and crown, bearing gifts. The angel is called Christkind. There is also a Christmas Eve figure called Weihnachtsmann or Christmas Man, he looks like Santa Claus and also brings gifts. Children leave letters on their windowsills for Christkind. Sometimes the letters are decorated with glue and sprinkled with sugar to make them sparkle.

Christmas Tree The undisputed focal-point of the entire Christmas period, in the community and in the family, is the Christmas tree. A German Christmas without the green fir tree is simply inconceivable. The tranquil splendor of Christmas tree lights is an essential aspect of the festival for both the individual and the population as a whole. It is the symbol of Christmas for all Germans, who have to have their Christmas tree on December the 23th (not a day before!) even if they live abroad in distant countries. Trees are also found in churches and public squares. They are used in shops as decoration, and in offices to please staff and visitors. The giant trees that stand in public are especially grown for this purpose and carefully looked after in municipal wood. They are often up to 25 metres. Decorating the treeIn earlier times, candles were perhaps enough in the eyes of children and adults. Today everyone wants a well-decorated tree in their home. You can even say that there have been areas-such as Rhinish Hesse and the Spessart-where the sweets on the tree have been more important than the lights. People there spoke of a Sugar Tree rather than a Christmas tree, and this was hung with edibles and decorations. Some families with children maintain this custom up to the present day. -