For the past three Christmases whilst living in Germany, my partner and I have spent the big day back in the UK. They say Christmas is the time of year for family and friends, and that is where the majority of them are and so that is where we shall go. Except this year we considered staying in Germany. The reason for this being we could take a rest during the holidays, make sure we had quality time together, experience the German Christmas and to celebrate the festivities together in a different way to the usual routine.
I know that contradicts with what I have just said about Christmas being a time for family and friends, however, as many expats will know when you return home for breaks your time is short so you squeeze in seeing as many people as possible. For the past few years, we have found ourselves hiring a car (oh, how car rental companies enjoy hiking up the prices at this time of year, a time for goodwill and profit-making) and driving from the south to the north and then back to the south seeing as many members of our family as we can. It’s very tiring and anyone who has done this will probably tell you how grateful they are for their own bed after camping out in different relatives spare rooms with half-unpacked suitcases. I’m sounding very ‘bah, humbug’ right now.
With all of this in mind, we planned to stay in Germany, maybe do another road trip to Bavaria as we did in 2017, perhaps try out some winter skiing in Garmish-Partenkirchen with friends. This would still involve packing suitcases but less stress over how we were going to fit in everyone’s gifts. When it came to making the crucial decision though we weighed up the pros and cons and the UK won. We’ll be heading back for a full week with family and friends before returning for Silvester (New Year’s Eve) in Hamburg. Christmas simply wouldn’t be Christmas without seeing people back home. If we could fly everyone out to Bremen, we would certainly choose that option. Our final decision is a nice compromise though as we’ll be joined in Bremen by some of our British friends to celebrate the start of 2019.
Cologne Weihnachtsmarkt besides the famous Kölner Dom PHOTO: Sarah E
It’s ironic that in the home of Weihnachtsmarkts (Christmas markets), I find it a struggle to get into the Christmas spirit. I’m always late to the party anyway. November is a month when a lot of people I know celebrate their birthdays so only when it hits the first of December can I start thinking about Weihnachten. I have plenty of catching up to do when everyone else has probably been to the Christmas market at least five times already. I love the Christmas markets here, I really do, even if they don’t quite work their magic for me. So far I have visited them in Bremen, Hamburg, and Cologne, in order of preference. How can you not get into the festive spirit with hoards of happy people huddled around drinking Glühwein (a mulled wine, usually red wine with spices like cinnamon), eating Kartoffelpuffer (a fried potato pancake) and singing along to Christmas songs on repeat you ask? But I miss the things from the UK that remind me of this time of year and get me excited for the holidays, the edible treats you have on the lead up to the 25th, the Christmas work parties to celebrate the past 12 months of success (I work remotely so miss out on these), or buying a special outfit (a big thick coat is the only accessory you need here) to dance around the Christmas tree in.
Back when I lived in Leeds the German Christmas market would arrive in the city in late November and stay for a few weeks. I have numerous great memories from my visits there. It’s funny how I now live in the perfect place for Christmas markets yet the best memories I have are from my time visiting the lesser version in Leeds. The difference is that I was spending time with good friends I’ve known for many years. And also wearing a Christmas jumper, something that seems to escape German people. Each year there was a competition to appear in a better (or worse) design than the previous year and outdo your friends with the cheeky slogan emblazoned across it. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone wearing them here, if they are, I conclude that they must be expats. My original point being that to have yourself a merry little Christmas, it’s important for me to have those closest to me around to laugh, reminisce and have one too many mulled wines with.
Here are some of the nostalgic British treats that put me in the festive mood year on year pitted against what I think are the Deutsch Weihnachten equivalents:
Mince pies vs Plätzchen
Yesterday I took part in Plätzchenzeit, a Christmas cookie making session, and an annual tradition for our German friends. It was my first time and in return, I showed my friends here how to make mince pies. For me, the pastries filled with sweet mincemeat are the epitome of festive British food and I wanted them to try them for the first time. Usually, I tend to throw a curve ball in and make a chocolate version but this year I went with the traditional recipe for this reason. The Plätzchen are very tasty but mince pies remind me of my Nan so bring nostalgia. Each year without fail she will make boxes upon boxes of them, all the same, and equally delicious. Once the first mince piece is consumed, Christmas can commence. Whilst I’m in Germany I can make do with my version but look forward to sampling her mince pies when I return home.
The results of an afternoon making Plätzchen PHOTO: Sarah E
Baileys vs Eierlikör
The leading producer of Eierlikör, family-owned Verpoorten Company, have been making this popular drink since 1876 from the town of Heinsberg on the Dutch-Germany border and the Germans have been consuming it by the bucket loads since. Known in the UK as advocaat or eggnog, I’d give it a miss if you prefer to avoid hangovers, it’s often very strong. I remember having a ‘snowball’, a cocktail using advocaat many years ago and I have been put off it since. I much prefer sipping a Baileys on ice, and Christmas is the only time of year that I tend to indulge in this treat. This year’s bottle is already open…
Hot Toddy vs Glühwein
Glühwein, or ‘glow wine’ wins hands down as my favorite compared with the hot toddy, that originates from Scotland. If Glühwein wasn’t alcoholic enough, you’ll find that at the German markets they like to offer you Glühwein mit schuss, basically an extra shot of spirits, either rum, amaretto or brandy. It certainly helps keep you warm whilst browsing the market stalls.
Christmas cake vs Christstollen
I like to think that with the British Christmas cake I am getting several of my five a day as it’s packed with fruit. Stollen is very similar in that it contains dried fruit, nuts and spices and is equally as heavy but is a bread rather than a cake. It’s all about the Christmas cake for me, especially when you can eat it with a piece of Wensleydale, a cheese produced in Yorkshire. Anything that can be paired with cheese is fine by me.
As you can tell Christmas is all about excess for me, eating delicious treats, sipping seasonal drinks and spending time with those close to you. Of course, that can happen in your host country but for me, there’s no place like home and Christmas brings out this feeling in me. It’s ok to miss the traditions from home as well as indulge in those that the German culture offers.
What is it that makes Christmas come to life for you?
Merry Christmas, Frohe Weihnachten
-Sarah E
Hi Sarah, enjoy reading your posts. Unfortunately i am not able to post a comment on your first post
‘ how to work remotely whilst living in Germany’ – I would like to ask a question on how that all worked out with taxes and legallities as i have a similar offer to work remotely in Germany for a British firm.
Thanks