Preparing for Christmas in Germany-experience needed

[Lizzi29]

I know it's still too early to decorate but I've been wondering if I will be able to
get all the things I need over here in terms of decoratiosn and food?

What are you looking for? Typical British food?

You can buy turkey - we went to a local farm for ours.

Anything like Mincemeat Pies, Christmas Cake/Pudding, Brandy Butter etc, you will have to import or go to a UK food store. Or you substitute Stollen for that.

What else?

Or an online store like this one

Although my mum said that Tesco were starting overseas delivery, but I guess that won't be food.

Yep, typical British food! What did you ask for when buying your turkey? Pute or Truthan?

Pute and Truthahn are the two names for the same bird so ask for either one.

I think that Pute is more common in the South of Germany, but am not sure. My DH's family in Bavaria talk about Pute anyway.

i loved christmas in germany. we didn't ever have a problem getting hold of seasonal stuff. it's just such a lovely time of year - make sure you find out where all the christmas markets are within a day's drive and spend your weekends visiting them all! and don't forget to buy lots of kathe wohlfahrt wooden ornaments and little houses for tealights...

as an aside - don't buy those beautiful arrangements that feature heavily on market stalls at around this time of year. they aren't for your house. i know a few british couples who made that mistake...

Get yourself to one of the German markets! The Germans really know how to do Christmas.

no, no belgo, get yourself to all of the christmas markets!

germany is the best place in the world to do christmas.

oh, and have a gluhwein for me at every single one of them.

please.

did i mention how much i miss germany at christmas?

I shall have a Glühwein or two for you as well, madwoman. But what are the arrangements you shouldn't buy? (I bought a red candle once, thinking it was a nice colour. DH later informed me it was a candle to put on a grave.)

DD1's teacher told me that Truthahn is the word for the bird and Pute is the word for the meat (the sliced meat that I buy is definitely called Pute), although that may just be an Austrian thing.

Crackers are a lot less common over here; you may be able to find some, but there definitely won't be the choice that there is in the UK.

LOL at that red candle thing. Yes they go on graves. You Brits are funny...
Mind you, I'm married to one so must enjoy it on some level

You will be able to get beautiful wodden and handcrafted decoration at the Christmas markets, personally I love the handrolled beeswax candles and stars made out of straw. Look up the story of the 'Rauschgoldengel', it is very lovely, too.

In Germany we generally don't do bright coloured lights and garish neon decorations, all has to look calm and angelic. We don't wear funny hats and we don't do crackers but what happens at your table is up to you, just sayin'

Yes, do not muiss the Gluehwein and try some Dominosteine...hmmm...the latter are chocolate covered Lebkuchen cubes with marzipan and jam filling. Very addictive...

We use real candles (red) on a real tree and go to church in the late afternoon of the 24th. We open presents on that evening, too...so we can sleep in on the 25th and not be dragged out off bed by our excited offspring...

Germany is the best place on earth to have Christmas - can you guess I miss Germany? With all the gluehwein, kartoffelpuffer, sausages, zimtsterne, lebkuechen, dominosteine and gluehwein (oh, did I already mention that? [hwink]) and beautiful decorations (all wooden and understated and don't forget to make your kranz for the front door and the star or half crown to go in your window) you won't have time to miss crackers.

Mincemeat and mincepies are super easy to make so I don't bother importing. The only thing I get from home is the Christmas pud and brandy butter. Christmas cake, bread sauce, etc. all gets made in this household. Talking of which I'd better get on and start soaking the fruit.

I agree Germany does Christmas exceptionally well, but I want my kids to know both traditions, so we do a bit of a mix and have a British style turkey dinner (although a bit scaled down, just the one course) on 24th before the Christkind magically puts the presents under the tree - on 25th we go to MIL for a German style Christmas meal with a Croatian twist - very international!! I love the presents on the eve of the 24th rather than being woken at 5am on Christmas day :) We also do both Nikalous on 6th and Father Christmas fills stockings, which are opened on 25th in the morning of course...

If you want to do British Christmas food as well as/ instead of German most things you can make of course, but you won't find suet for mince pies anywhere, for love or money - well maybe a local butcher will be able to get you some if you ask well in advance. I made veggie mince meat last year - also good as I am not a huge Christmas addict so not one of the people who start making mince meat and Christmas cake in September... the veggie mince meat only needs making a week or so in advance.

You will easily find smallish frozen turkeys in the supermarket btw, and also tinsel and the like if you want that, and tree lights (personally with 3 small children the real candles on the tree are a step too far, though MIL does that).

Go to Christmas markets for the wooden decorations and the atmosphere, drink lots of glühwein yes :) My favourite thing is going to a Christmas market in a forest clearing, from which you ride out in a tractor trailer into designated areas of forest to pick out and cut your own tree - the kids absolutely love that!

We do a mixture of traditions. The kids insist on Nikolaus on the 6th, but we open presents on the 25th rather than the evening before (we have got round the 'being woken up at 5am' problem by having a rule that the kids can open their stockings by themselves when they wake up, but are then not to disturb us until at least 8am, and we have breakfast together and then only open the presents afterwards).

We order our Pute from a local Bio-Supermarkt (organic food supermarket) at the beginning of December. You specify the rough weight you would like. We then pick it up on the morning of the 24th so it doesn't take up much space in the kitchen.

While Glühwein in the open air at a Christmas market is sublime, for the kids (and car drivers) there is the non-alcoholic Kinderpunsch. Or if you want to get really sloshed you can have a Grog (hot brandy) or Glühwein with a shot of spirits in it.

One of my favourite Christmas treats is Spekulatius biscuits, in the shape of Santa Claus and flavoured with cinnamon and spices. Great for dunking in the Glühwein!

If you're anywhere near Berlin there are quite a few expat shops stocking the main Christmas goodies - mincemeat, crackers etc. I think Cologne has a shop as well.

jeez, my earlier post is full of spelling mistakes. sry

meant to add there's a british shop in stuttgart and they have a website and will send items to you if you order.

There's a British shop in Hamburg too but I think I did have to import my suet.

We also do a split tradition. German 24th and British 25th - presents and kartoffel salad on the 24th and stockings and turkey on the 25th. And a feuerzangenbowle at some point along the way (although we struggle to find hard enough alcohol for in here in France).

I'm so glad to have found this thread :) DP is German, living in England (hope you don't mind me gatecrashing the overseas topic!), and this is our first Christmas living together. I will definitely be doing Nikolaus on the 6th and we are having a feuerzangenbowle for our friends. He will also be getting his first Christmas stocking...nice blend of traditions.

He is refusing to make Vanillekipferl until 1st December so I am waiting impatiently.

Mmmmh, Dominosteine and Gluehwein! I am so looking forward to spending Christmas in Germany. The kids are already praying for snow. Weihnachtsmarkt, here we come!!!!!