Christmas [Surviving Germany]

[Alofat]

Right, we should do it the Brit way, put on silly hats and throw around bricks, which they call fruit cakes.

[FredericBayer]

Weird, it really tends to be a rural vs urban thing. Here in Cologne, hardly anyone goes to Church. Most people are basically factually atheists.

[downhill240]

By jove! I don't think I got it either!! LOL

[arandavisionfan]

Your skills in gift-wrapping something are just as good as mine :D

[DerKork]

At least there's no christmas pudding over here in germany. :-)

(The closest we got is Christstollen, which is supposed to kind of represent baby jesus himself... [hooray for symbolic cannibalism?])

Merry christmas, happy hanukkah, happy kwaanza and happy (your celebration here as I'm bound to forget at least one) to you and your loved ones!

[AmelieBrooks]

*lmao* genau am 24 Kartoffelsalat und Wiener und am 1. Feiertag lecka Gans mit Rotkohl und Klößen XD...mhhhh Walmart became Real XD...I guess having some Glases of "Glühwein" makes german Christmas "Rituals" get a Sence...but I am not sure...cuz I dont get it either...How could X-mas become comercialised eeeeevaaaar O.o...?! ROFL...Deutsche beim Weihnachtslieder singen ?! (Gott bewahre) Ist eeeexelent getroffen u.u...however a very happy X-mas to you und Deine Frau und die Katzen Ó.o !

[oLynxXo]

I always try to imagine that the teenage girl is a effeminate looking boy. Also, I'm an atheist and that's probably the main reason why I have the most fun possible on Christmas. No church for me! *laughs* Food traditions are a bit strange, that's true. I'm happy I don't celebrate Christmas at my grandparent's this year, because it is tradition to eat Sauerkraut with Potatoes and Weißwurst (not the Bavarian kind). D:

[LorenzPalme]

Man hätte vielleicht noch erwähnen können, dass Weihnachten für viele Deutsche der einzige Tag ist an dem sie in die Kirche gehen. Ist zumindest bei meiner Familie so und ich glaube das Phänomen ist recht verbreitet.

[Lasers04]

Großartiges Video!

[drewnetwork]

As I'm exactly 1/4 German Catholic ("Ebert") -- I'm going to come down on the Catholic side of your discussion. So, exactly who do I need to lynch to put an end to this "Christmas Man."

Also, the German Catholic in me is offended by your English holier-than-though condescending cynicism.

I guess the moral here is -- avoid religion and you won't offend the German Catholic in me.

Also, the German-Catholic in me dares you to do something condescending like this about muslims.

[rewboss]

@drewnetwork Well, before I do that, can you promise me that the other 3/4 of you isn't Muslim?

[GretaBuena]

Please tell us WalMart has not invaded your Christmas celebration?

[rewboss]

@GretaBuena Wal-Mart tried to invade Germany a few years ago. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, the German courts had this crazy idea that German labour laws should apply even to Wal-Mart. So, obviously, Wal-Mart couldn't continue to trade in Germany under such draconian conditions, so that was that.

[hmpeter]

Gute norddeutsche Tradition: keine Kirche, dafür reichlich Kartoffelsalat. ;-)

Gegen Rotkohl mit Klößen habe ich aber auch nichts.

Frohes Fest!

[shadowofchaos725]

"The Catholic Church has a curious habit of casting The Christ Child... a teenage girl."

I expected something like that from Japan.

[Ranylyn]

@shadowofchaos725

I don't get it either :P

[gringhidu]

Ja lieber Rewboss^^: Wir Schweizer haben immer noch den Nikolaustag (Samichlaus, was das gleiche bedeutet auf Schweizerdeutsch)^^ ;) also wurde es nicht ganz verdrängt

[lubberkin]

even the cnn did a shot on a german christmas market recently...

[EinRobbat]

Du unterschätzt die Wirkung eines selbstgemachten (vor allem von Mutti) Kartoffelsalates samt Wiener Würtschens gewaltig ...

Ebenso was die Weihnachtslieder angeht. *grummel*

[thubtb]

Sehr, sehr gut gemacht :)

[comen83]

Actually I don't know any (German) family that eats their goose on Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve is mostly potato salad and Frankfurter sausages (or Eintopf) (nothing fancy) and the big Christmas meal will be on the next day and possibly on the second Christmas Day. I'm totally looking forward to our goose on December 25th. :D BtW, I was in a church choir for most of my teenage life and I can totally relate to your comments about the church organist and slow (way too slow) Christmas songs.

[lubberkin]

@comen83 my (german) family actually eats their goose on christmas eve, and because of the huge amount of goose for such a small family, we keep on eating it for the following days...

[comen83]

@lubberkin Ist ja interessant. Ich habe einen sehr großen Freundeskreis in West und Ost und da essen die meisten Würstchen und Kartoffelsalat am Heiligabend. Aber letztendlich hat halt jede Familie ihre eigenen Traditionen...Frohe Weihnachten!

[lubberkin]

@comen83 Ja dir auch! Auch wenn ich dieses Jahr Channukkha gefeiert habe :D

[epop444]

Good advice, i'll be sure to visit Germany next Christmas, I'm sure I won't get it either

[rewboss]

@epop444 The best thing to do is to go to a Christmas market and drink copious amounts of mulled wine. Things tend to make a bit more sense after that.

[entewente]

Beim Weihnachtsessen hast du Raclette vergessen.

Sehr beliebt ;)

[rewboss]

@entewente Naja, Raclette kommt eigentlich aus der Schweiz. Und ich dachte eigentlich eher zu Silvester, oder liege ich da falsch?

[entewente]

@rewboss

Ja, es kommt aus der Schweiz, ist aber trotzdem bei vielen Familien als Weihnachtsessen beliebt :)

[MrCepstrum]

Or you don't go to church (we are atheists), enjoy beef bourguignon with red cabbage and potato dumplings (at least this year, it varies from year to year), exchange presents, sleep in on 25th, have a late brunch and enjoy a few free days. Not typical german but this is how we do it :-)

[entewente]

@MrCepstrum

Ich habe Weihnachten nie anders gefeiert O.o

[rewboss]

@MrCepstrum Ah, but you haven't experienced the true meaning of Christmas if you haven't spent an hour being bored rigid in a badly-heated church.

[DMAXCHECKER]

true true true



[ornleifs]

Ha Ha - but it's not all bad, you could have mentioned the wonderful Lebkuckhen and Stollen and Lubecker Marzipan !!!

[toraxmalu1]

Ey - in opposite of the humor-video you spotted it this time very well. How we say: You hit the Nail right on its head...

[alameachan]

Oh so true. ^^

[pbalwaysinformed]

Das hast du gut auf den Punkt gebracht^^ Mich würde auch interessieren wie Weihnachten in England abläuft, vielleicht kannst du darüber mal etwas erzählen.

[AndreR241]

@pbalwaysinformed Würde mich auch interessieren. Zum amerikanischen Weihnachten weiß ich recht viel, aber über unser archpieleskes Nachbarland habe ich mir noch nie Gedanken gemacht.

[bearchay889]

Does the x-mas advertising start as early as it does in america cause it starts here these days before halloween.

[lina149]

@bearchay889 yes it does. :D

[rewboss]

@bearchay889 Oh yes. Christmas starts around the end of September. Easter begins on 2nd January.