German Advent Calendar: Fact of the Day

17. Dezember – The Secret Christmas Tree

Der Tannenbaum als Geheimnis • The Secret Christmas Tree

A German Tannenbaum with gifts in a living room around 1911. PHOTO: Wikimedia Commons

In the 1970s, 1980s, and into the 1990s, most German families did not even set up and decorate the Tannenbaum until Christmas Eve. They didn’t even purchase a tree until the last of the four Advent weekends. The tree was not decorated and gifts weren’t placed under it until December 24th. After die Bescherung (exchange of gifts) that evening, the family relaxed. The tree stayed up until January 6th, Epiphany (Dreikönigstag, Three Kings Day).

Although the “secret” tradition is much less common today, many German families with young children (and a house with enough rooms) maintained the old German custom of keeping the Christmas tree hidden away or locked in a room where the kids couldn’t see it until Christmas Eve. The parents put up and decorated the tree, keeping it a secret until the big “unveiling” on the 24th. It was a big event when the children got to see the family Tannenbaum for the first time on Christmas Eve, the night of exchanging presents around the Christmas tree – not on Christmas morning, as in the US.

To non-Germans it may seem strange to keep one of the key symbols of a German Christmas hidden from sight until the last minute, but it was a long and revered tradition which made the tree a wonderful surprise for children and a central element of a family’s Christmas. And the tree stayed up until at least January 6 – Epiphany, the “Twelfth Day” of Christmas – so the children could still enjoy the decorated tree for almost two weeks.

Recent Christmas Tree Trends
In recent decades (2010s and 2020s), there has been a major shift in German Christmas tree practices. For a variety of reasons Germans have gradually aligned more with international and US Christmas tree customs, particularly when it comes to buying and setting up the family Christmas tree.

Of the 27 million holiday trees sold annually in Germany, more and more are being purchased earlier in the Christmas season. (Germany is also the largest producer of Christmas trees in Europe.) Whereas in the past the family tree was not selected and bought until the last Advent weekend, most trees are now sold in the second or third Advent week. And the tree does not stay up as long as in the past.

The BVWE, a German association of Christmas tree and wreath producers, reported in 2022 that only 12 percent of German Tannenbaum buyers still wait until Christmas Eve to set up the tree. About a third of German families set the tree up and decorate it a few days before 24 December. More than half of purchasers now buy their tree in early or mid-December, and take it down by January 2nd or sooner. Many early buyers also feel they have an advantage. Those who wait until later probably won’t find the best trees!

The Covid-19 pandemic (die Corona-Pandemie) in Germany accelerated this trend towards buying and setting up the Christmas tree earlier than in the past. Restricted contact made people desire a cozy, family Christmas celebration at home with a nice decorated tree to enhance the holiday mood. And following the pandemic, people decided this new custom was a nice way to extend the enjoyment of the Christmas season at home. There is an ongoing debate in Germany about the pros and cons of waiting until Christmas Eve to put up the Christbaum – and so far the debate has been moving more towards doing it earlier, and enjoying the tree longer, but taking it down sooner than in the past.

“O Tannenbaum, o Tannenbaum,
wie treu sind deine Blätter!
Du grünst nicht nur zur Sommerzeit,
Nein auch im Winter, wenn es schneit.”

MORE: CAROL lyrics > “O Tannenbaum” (“O Christmas Tree”) – Lyrics in German and English

More | Christmas from A to Z

Related Pages
AT THE GERMAN WAY

• Christmas from A to Z – German Christmas traditions and terms
• Advent – The Latin word means “arrival.” This custom begins on the first Advent Sunday around December 1.
• Photo Gallery: Christmas in Germany – Berlin – A visual tour of Christmas markets and other December sights in Berlin
• Christmas in the USA and Germany– A comparison chart
• German Christmas Carols – Popular carols with lyrics in German and English
• Barbarazweig – The legend and the Christmas custom
• Epiphany and the Sternsinger – January 6 in the Germanic Christmas tradition
• Erntedank (“harvest thanksgiving”) or Erntedankfest in Germany and Austria is different from the American Thanksgiving tradition.
• St. Nicholas – The many German St. Nicks
• Thomas Nast created the modern Santa image.
• The Christmas Pickle Ornament – Fact or fiction?
• Silent Night (Stille Nacht) – Our “Silent Night” page has the true story and related links.
• Holidays and Celebrations in Austria, Germany and Switzerland
• Glass Ornaments – a history

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