Christmas traditions when living abroad

Hi all

I'm doing some research for an article (German speaking website in Australia) about Christmas traditions in a foreign country. Since you live in Germany as an expat, do you keep the traditions from your country of birth alive or did you take some of the host country tradition on? I would assume in a family where both parents are of the same origin they would celebrate as they always have. But how do you celebrate Christmas when one partner moved to Germany and the other one is German?

What are your experiences?

Thanks

germania

We celebrate both. The German Weihnachten on the 24th and Christmas Day on the 25th.

When I was married to a German we had a German Christmas. He called it besinnlich, I called it boring to tears.
When we split up our kids had two Christmas celebrations: One on Christmas Eve German style, one on Christmas Day American style with a big breakfast and taking turns opening presents until the Christmas feast was done.
Now my Scottish partner and I have a UK/US style Christmas: Easy on the breakfast, get the feast started, open presents with the extended family, Christmas feast, play the new board games, Christmas snack, play the new video games, Christmas cookies/mince pies/Stollen (you can't shut your host country out completely).

We do the presents christmas morning at the moment. Once they are older this may change.

They do get a present on the 6th as well.

I'm still struggling to deal with St Nick and the Weihnachtsman not being the same person and this Christkind bit is also a little hard to resolve.

Me and Mrs. Boba do the present thing auf Deutsch on Christmas Eve and then the English thing on Christmas day i.e. eating, drinking, watching TV and falling asleep.

Personally I do all the things the Germans do...none of our South African traditions...cos deep down it's not really Christmas.
How on earth can one celebrate Christmas in cold...snowy weather.
I go through the motions...but real Christmas is at home...sunny and warm

Mrs Tom34

Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye would like to have a word with you.

@Mrs Tom34.

Quite probably post of the day.

I laughed really hard about the besinnlich part, that shit you to tears. I can understand that. Having grown up in Germany, lived there for 32 years and then come to Australia wow - what a difference.
In Germany it is more a family thing, meaning parents and children on Christmas Eve on their own. Most people catch up with relatives on the 25th or 26th. Here people catch up with family on the 25th - but they don't celebrate the 24th.

My mother-in-law came to Australia from Germany when she was 11 years old. She kept the tradition of baking a ginger bread house and putting real candles on the christmas tree. Naturally they bend because of the heat But what the adult kids still love is the Weihnachtsteller. Am I right in assuming this is a German Tradition only? I as a kid loved my Weihnachtsteller, not only did it look good, but hey plenty of sweets on it.

Mrs Tom - I know how you feel because I feel the same. Christmas in Australia feels wrong. Presents in broad daylight, putting up the christmas tree on the 1. of Dezember the food is different, hell they even put the presents under the tree as they buy them. So the kids have plenty of weeks to get excited about presents and Christmas and I would rather run away.

Someone here said they do both (can't look the post up while I'm writing). How exactly is that working?

I always loved Nikolaus. As far as I know St. Nikolaus was some guy who gave to the poor. How "he" ended up to put sweets in kids shoes I don't really know and care as long as the shoe is filled. But that's a good example of how I lost some of my German traditions living abroad.

This will be my first Christmas spent in Germany since I moved here in 2005. I've already been briefed on what will take place: tree goes up on afternoon of Christmas Eve, presents are opened, big dinner. Followed by nothing on actual Christmas Day except the eating of leftovers. Not really my preference, but of course I'm going along with it anyway since I am the guest and a foreigner to boot.

I'm reminded of one of my all-time favourite TT posts.

I posted on this several years ago. Mods need to pull it out of the archive as it had some good answers.

Eurovol, if you posted it, and you're going through the trouble of posting that you posted about it, can't you just find the post yourself and repost it?

THAT is part post of the week

With us the German side's Xmas presents are given on the 24th with the whole Christkindl bollox and the UK side's presents on the 25th with the turkey's bollox

I don't have access to the archives.

You mean literally in the archives as opposed to just buried somewhere on the forum? I see. Sure it wasn't just deleted because it was rubbish?

I told my kids that santa claus (who is on the shows and such here more and more anyway) had to outsource parts of the world or he would never be able to do it all at once.

So the Christkind covers Germany on the evening before, but Santa comes by to the good American kids and drops their presents off at midnight

Oh - and the 6th is for putting your christmas wishlist in your clean shoes and putting them outside the door - the angel or whatever picks it up and gives them oranges and nuts

They've sussed it all out now though - but it worked for almost 10 years.

Can't really do my traditional NZ Xmas here, weather and lack of beaches prohibit it. So, Xmas for me over here is just another day...just the way I like it!

Really? God, my mom would have a heart attack, Christmas decorations go up like right after thanksgiving...

Same with my mom. The tree and decorations go up immediately after Thanksgiving, even earlier if my dad would let her get away with it.

When I explained to my German BF that we normally put up our tree up about a month before Christmas, he looked a bit confused and in typically German fashion asked, 'But doesn't it drop it's needles and make a mess on the floor?' I explained that yes, it does, but we just clean it up and it's a small price to pay for being able to enjoy the tree for longer. He just shook his head and said, 'That's not very practical.'

Sigh.

Sure you don't want the shops to open?

So I'm guessing I am not going to see any houses completely covered in lights ala national lampoons christmas vacation on my first german xmas, huh?

Our (my parents) tree goes up on the 24th and stays up as long as humanly (or botanically) possible. There have been several occasions that the damn tree was still up on birthday (Feb. 18).

Christmas is my Moms thing and Dad and I let her celebrate it any way she wants to. We also have a big turkey dinner a la American style on the 25th to satisfy my dads need to stuff himself silly.

Not to forget the lighting of the advent candles...

When still celebrating with the in-laws (wasn't brought up a Christian so this is my only experience) it'd be meat fondue on the 24th (WTF!! Apparently great social bonding time as it lasts forever) followed by opening of the presents and getting tanked whilst playing crappy games such as memory. Wake up on the 25th hungover to be greeted by a goose lunch and sauerkraut - get pissed again... Have extended family come over and eat and drink some more...

Plus MIL too lazy to have a real tree (dropped needles) so a plastic tree was erected a couple of days before. The laziness factor (although I don't blame her) extended to not baking Christmas cookies but having them shop bought.

Oh Christ, you've just reminded me of the bit I left out of my summary: playing crappy games. I think he even mentioned that using your exact words. Plus we will apparently 'enjoy' listening to some German Christmas carols.

I would like to see them open year round every single day, however in NZ, by law, they must shut on Xmas day

So important question - are bars going to be open on xmas day in Germany or am I going to need to stockpile booze?

We also. The evening of the 24th is myself, my wife & the two children (teenagers). Prezzies in the late afternoon followed by nice meal such as Raclette which the kids love (made mistake of making this once for my parents when they visited & it went down like a Led Zeppelin...).

On the 25th usually parents-in-law (the German side) come over to enjoy turkey a la GB with stuffing etc followed by the high-density Christmas pud. The afternoon is then spent sleeping it off...


Its not THAT bad - at least up here it isnt...

Last year we broke away from tradition and celebrated Christmas & New Year on Hawaii... This year the children are looking forward to being at home...

Beware, there is no such thing as Weihnachtsman in (catholic) Bavaria (and since you are in Rosenheim ...). True Bavarians call him "heiliger St. Nikolaus" (and tradition has it that it is actually on the evening of the 5th, but that's subject of change).

The Weihnachtsmann is reserved for Protestants, who invented this guy as a replacement to still be able to celebrate that day. Protestants do not believe in Saints, and thus cannot have a St. Nick or Nikolaus.

My German mother-in-law kept the tree up until Lichtmeß/Old Lady's Day (as in Maria Lady, not hag), 2 February. Was the tree dry? Like frigging tinder!

@ lilplatinum: The Hofbräuhaus is open 365 days a year, seriously.

That sounds like something my fiancee would say about a tree. He will suffer because I will have my way with a tree!!! Granted I have no idea where we will put it but I want a tree!!! My family usally put it up some days after my birthday (dec 7th) or a week before Christmas, then we take it down after new years...sometimes.
On Christmas eve my family would give me one present to open and then I got the rest the morning of the 25th. Normally we didn't really eat breakfast because of the big meal around 2. So we normally just picked, or in my case I stole deviled eggs.
What my fiancee told me is that his mother does a fish for him. Something I am not looking forward to as we normally have some sort of bird, or ham. Ok last year my oma made prime rib, but fish just sounds really weird to me. I guess his family lives too close to the Ostsee.
Oh also for Christmas eve we drink and have small things to eat, like cheese and crackers and smoked sausages and some cakes.

It still tickles me that here in former Communist east Germany the whole season is celebrated so thoroughly. People wish each other happy 1st, 2nd 3rd Advent Sunday respectively and on the first Advent Saturday each year all the neighbours meet up in someone's house on an annual rota system. The blokes freeze outside with beer and the women get to actually go in the house for sparkly stuff and cake. (Most of my friends in the UK look totally blank when you mention Advent). The kids when younger were very happy to have extra Santas appearing all over the place - St Nic on the 6th, even though we didn't know about the clean shoes; our real Father Christmas who wangled his way in without any chimney, and the village Weihnachtsman who turned up on horse and cart on the afternoon of 25th flanked by two shivering angels. (Mummy, why has Santa got two beards?) The neighbours thought we were cruel parents when the kids said they hadn't got any presents ... we always do the big unwrap when everyone's finally up on The Day.

Is it correct to say a whole nation (Americans) eats the same meal on Christmas (turkey) and the whole British population eats ham traditionally? What would be a traditional meal in South Africa or Canada?
Amber127 fish sounds weird to me, too. But I guess it really depends in what region you live in Germany. We would've never eaten Sauerkraut for Christmas, we preferred Rotkohl (red cabbage).

Do you light advent candles? Do you have the advent calendar for kids? Do you have a Christmas market with the little wooden Buden like we have in Germany?

It sounds to me that the people living with a German partner found some good compromises to celebrate.

Sarabyrd, what exactly bored you to tears?

I still try to understand what having a good time means for some people. Apart of eating, drinking and unwrapping presents, what do you do when family comes over, if you are not into "crappy" board games? Can't imagine people sitting around the dinner table for hours on end. I assume watching tv is only an option if you don't have any guests?

Turkeys thanksgiving - i'm not sure its "traditional" American christmas fare... Ham is big.. We did steak and lobster at xmas.

We eat Turkey in the UK and my mum also does beef...

Best part of Christmas in Germany?

Not going to the shops the first day that they reopen when 60 million people try to exchange unwanted gifts, buy the right batteries and convert ties into cash.

Yep Turkey in the UK and also often beef and christmas crackers (no I don't eat them) that I usually persuade my mum to send me or I buy them when I go home & later a christmas pud. We normally put up our tree 12 days before and it MUST come down by 12th night cause it's unlucky . I have noticed here in Heidelberg that a good majority of people have their trees up really early, often at the beginning of December.

As for places being open, most places here are closed xmas eve but open xmas day, we have a couple of bars open & the Greek restaurant on xmas eve.

They do christmas here EXACTLY as we do in MN. Must be because of this.

(and if you're too lazy to scroll down on that page: dispersal of German Americans according to the 2000 census

Agreed. I worked at an extremely large supermarket for a few years in Highschool (in Minnesota)...Turkeys don't sell very well at all around christmas, as we JUST had a turkey holiday. Ham is big, goose is fairly popular...but turkey? no...wouldn't even consider it for christmas.

Most Canadians do Turkey at Christmas. Ham and Goose are not unheard of though.

What about Poutine?

I think a mix is best - so you get the best of both. I wouldn't want to compromise on goose (can't stand dry turkey) but love UK Christmas pudding and Christmas crackers. And we unwrap some prezzies on 24.12. and leave some for 25.12. - double the fun ;-)

I try to do both

Thanks for the link, for clearing the turkey question and to everyone who took the time to reply.

Do you have any favourite Christmas Movies? I always liked A Christmas Vacation (as mentioned by someone here before) It's A Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story (when Ralphy wants a Red Ryder BB Gun for Christmas and everybody warns him You'll shoot your eye out)

We have had 3 Christmasses in Germany. i asked what were the German traditions. It was so varied they could not even agree what the traditional meal was. some did this some did that. So we had a traditional Brit Christmas but it was not the same as home.

Here's a start: Favo(u)rite Christmas movies.

We try to get back to Oz most Christmas's to escape the winter for one month, but the 2 times we have been stuck here we have had 2 Christmases - Smoked Salmon platter etc on the 24th with Stollen, plätchen etc and pressies for the Germans, and the next day we go to a restaurant and I get my pressies.

Back "home" it starts with putting the tree up about a week before Xmas and decorating it together. Mum starts cooking about a month before! Christmas Eve we stick the presents under the tree as late as possible to reduce the time the cats have to climb the tree and open their presents - yes they do seem to have a knack in working out where the dried fish has been packed.

Christmas Day has changed over the years. When we were kids, opening the presents happened at daybreak. Now we have croissants and coffee, and champagne first and then open the presents, followed by either the traditional turkey or more recently due to the hot weather a seafood platter. Plum pudding and brandy butter, Christmas cake, fruit mince pies, sugared almonds are available and eaten every day until NYE or until they are finished. NY day lunch is always roast pork and crackling with apple sauce.

Being as both of us are English we mix them.Pressies on Xmas eve and i do the cooking on Xmas day.They then do the washing up after while i am playing with the toys. :lol:We do however put up the tree 12 days before Xmas and take it down 12 days after.

Sitting around without any conversation, just gazing at the tree like a stuck calf and thinking thoughts about candles. No singing, no laughter, no joy.
Or maybe it was just my ex.

Don't think that's a traditional German situation - most families have a bit of a fight on one of the days - loads of entertainment...

NOFXmike: I'm from MN and we don't do xmas the German way. We do it the Swedish way! Lefse, fish, swedish meatballs on the the 24th. THe 25th we have a huge turkey dinner (usually to make up for the fact that I miss Thanksgiving with the family every year.)