Living in Germany as an expat, the holidays seem to hit pretty hard. Among all the warm lights and smells of cinnamon, the distance from family can be felt more than ever. Traditions surrounding the holidays are different, foreign, and even clash. Good luck trying to explain the multi-day appearances of the various German Santa-like figures AND Santa himself to a toddler. I’m gonna have to make a chart to keep them straight myself. But anyway…

While I do miss sharing holiday time in person with my family, there are some perks to celebrating the holidays over here by also adopting and trying out new traditions. It is fun to introduce American traditions to Europeans (like the whole Thanksgiving thing) and even more fun to blend some German traditions into the mix too!

Here are some fun and heart-warming German Christmas and Advent traditions that are worth giving a try.

1) Advent calendars

I know this is not an unknown thing in the States, but this is a well-established tradition here in Germany. Everyone has one. They start selling them at stores before Halloween, which just seems obscene to me.

The ultimate way to show someone you care is to make and fill an Adventskalendar for a friend or partner. They can be filled with special chocolates, holiday stories, certificates for time together or fun winter activities, small ornaments or games, etc.

A German saying goes Vorfreude ist die schönste Freude, meaning anticipation is the greatest joy, especially true for the biggest holiday.

So if you are looking for a way to spread some holiday cheer and show those around you you care, jump on the bandwagon and buy or make your own advent calendar. Pinterest is your best friend. You can get pre-made calendars that you just have to fill, or you can go all in, making bags, boxes, and fillers from scratch, depending on your creative urges and time constraints.

I love this kind of thing, plus it’s so cute to see the kids’ eyes glow with anticipation while opening their “doors”. Have fun with this one!

2) Christmas Markets

This is hands-down my *absolute favorite* thing about Europe during the holidays – the Weihnachtsmarkt! This is one that you will need to really seek out in the States if you are interested in attending, but some of the bigger cities do have them. If they are anything like the ones over here, it would be worth a holiday trip!

Sometimes called a Christkindl Market or an Advent market, the name conjures up images of tables of Christmas decorations, but these markets that are open daily for the month before Christmas are So. Much. More.

Imagine an outdoor market square downtown packed full of decorated wooden huts that ar filled with handmade crafts, be they games, figurines, dishes, soaps, candles, wool or leather items, or ornaments…you get the idea. Then squeeze in some more stands with tasty seasonal treats (like gingerbread, sausages, candies and roasted nuts, cookies, stollen and breads, cheeses, dried meats, and various other edible slices of heaven) to take home with you. THEN add the actual food stands (think: grilled sausages and pork steaks, sauerkraut, fries, donuts, mushrooms, crocques and raclette, Dampfnudel, Schmalzkuchen) plus the drink stands (basically festive open-air bars featuring mostly hot alcoholic drinks, like the most famous one, Glühwein, or mulled wine, with or without an extra shot of rum or amaretto added). Finally, stir in a carrousel for the kids a live gypsy band playing Christmas carols, and some decorations and you have a recipe for the cozyiest way to spend an evening with that special someone in Advent EVER!

Lots of German coworkers even head out to the Christmas markets togeher after work, and entire companies go to celebrate their Christmas parties (another very popular occurance here) there too.

These markets often have a theme, too. Here in Hamburg, you will find many Christmas markets. Besides the main “historic” one downtown at the city hall square, there is also a modern “Winter Wonder” market at the Alster, a Scandinavian one near the harbor, a Maritime Flair one, an “adult” and LGBTQ one in the red light district, an alternative artists market in Altona, several craft ones, a gingerbread village one on Gänsemarkt, and many more, each featuring theme-appropriate foods, stands, decorations, crafts, and treats.

3) Advent wreaths

In case you haven’t noticed yet, Germans are big on advent. They love the countdown, and do so not only day-by-day with the advent calendars, but also Sunday-by-Sunday with advent wreaths. When mentioning a date in December, Germans will often refer to a certain weekend as the “2nd advent weekend”, for example, rather than the actual calendar date. So wreaths are found on many dining room tables in German homes, adding warm candlelight to dinners. Side note: for the diy-inclined, wreath-making is another fun craft to do yourself!

4) St. Nicholas Day

While not unheard of in the States, this day is not celebrated like it is over here! On the eve of December 6th, or Nikolaustag, children put a shoe by the front door in hopes that St. Nicholas will bring sweets and toys during the night. This tradition is based on the historical figure by the same name, who actually did run around delivering presents, basically forming the origin of Santa as well. A nice treat for the kiddos, it’s also a nice way to show people you are thinking of them, with neighbors often anonymously putting chocolate or cookies outside their neighbor’s front doors.

This makes the stocking tradition on Christmas seem a bit redundant, but we actually do both to honor both cultures and traditions.

5) Goose for the Christmas Days

Yep, you read it right – Germans celebrate more than one day over Christmas! This is a good one; all that advent-ing pays off because both the 25th and the 26th are national holidays! Plus most stores are open on the 24th only until early afternoon because they start the festivities that evening at dark with food and presents.

The 1st and 2nd Christmas days (Erster und Zweiter Weihnachtstag), as they are called, are basically spent lounging around with family, maybe walks (weather permitting) or a movie, eating yummy goose legs with cabbage as well as other specialties (although sausage with potato salad is also common on the big day, plain as it is). Not to forget the beloved afternoon coffee and cake tradition, which takes on epic proportions to often include multiple pieces of tortes and cookies.

We usually spend the 24th at my in-laws and meet with them for dinner on the 26th as well. Since they have Polish roots, they like to have carp, poppy seed bread pudding (Makówka), and red beet dumpling soup (Borscht) on the 24th. The 25th is for American traditions, including stockings and presents in the morning and glazed ham for dinner. We usually eat goose sometime before Christmas.

So this year, make the most of Advent and Christmas time and add some German traditions! You won’t regret it, although your waistline may…