To summarise the difference between Christmas in the UK and Germany in one sentence, I’d say: Advent is much bigger and decorations are a lot less, and a lot more sensible.
Flashing lights are generally unpopular, and kitsch is nothing.
Having been used to singing one carol singing service during advent as a main community event in England, I was surprised to find the Christmas market down the road is (seemingly) open every day of the week through most of advent. And there’s even a ‚special‘ market for just one weekend, with extra stalls, in a now ‚ex-‘church used only as a concert hall and for other community events.
Christmas tree decorations are a bit different in Germany (but remember, the Christmas tree was brought over from Germany by Prince Albert, a German Prince, who married his cousin Victoria (I didn’t know that beforehand either though)). First of all, the Germans abheration for flashing lights is also reflecting in that you won’t find them on a German Tannenbaum ever, as far as I’m aware (though that’s not that common in England either). Often lights are just white.
And four main differences are the use of Laminta, strands of silver glitter, which hang on the branches; there seems to be less tinsel though (or that’s my impression at least). Stars made of straw are popular here (and for me ‚typically German,‘ but that may be wrong...), hung on the Christmas tree, and sometimes at the top too; the Germans also like hand-carved wooden decorations (either small, hung on the Christmas tree (e.g. the crib scene), or bigger and lit up, which sit in windows, and can be very expensive (130€ anyone?) as they’re handcarved.
The latter two can be bought at Christmas markets, along with mulled wine from various countries, roasted sugar-coated almonds and other nuts, sugar-coated apples and the like, even cherry beer, which I tried, but perhaps wasn’t worth the two euros or whatever it was I paid.
Another decoration I’ve come across in France (but I’m told it’s originally from Germany!) is a contraption with 4 candles, which make a small propellor spin, which in turn makes small wooden or metal angels fly around in a circle, sometimes around a crib scene.
In some families they even decorate their Christmas trees as close to Christmas as the 24th (and, as it were, everytime in between) but leave them decorated and everything still in place til well into January, even February I think (as with some window decorations – typical is the nativity scene, hand carved out of light, sometimes olive wood, and often in great detail, lit up, on the window sill).
Good for them, I’d say, that they don’t put pressure on themselves to get all the decorations down, else it’s „bad luck“, as the New Year kicks off.
Then again, if you decorate your Christmas tree up on the 24th, it’s not likely you’ll want to pack everything back in its box again a week later.
Christmas trees, when no longer in use, are sometimes seemingly dumped on the street (though not that many at all, so it’s not a problem). Not sure what happens to them after that, perhaps I should keep my eyes open.
It’s made me ask myself the question ‚what happens to all the Christmas trees in England after Christmas?‘
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| A typical German Christmas tree, with straw stars, plus fancy camera effects (not from my camera). |
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| Candle-powered, spinning German Christmas decoration thing. |
