Christmas in Germany

If any of you didn’t already know, I lived in Germany for 12 years. Oh, the stories I could tell you about growing up in this beautiful country. One of my more favorite memories of living there was going to the city of Trier for the “Weihnachtsmarkt” (Christmas Market). Trier is one of the oldest cities in Germany and lays close to Luxembourg and France, so a lot of French is spoken in this area. The city itself is simply gorgeous, but at Christmas time, Trier is radiantly picturesque.

Weihnachtsmarkts are all over Germany during the holiday season and are a collection of little kiosks all run by different individuals, families and businesses. Usually Weihnachtsmarkts are held in the pedestrian “old town,” or what we call a town square. My mother, Ilona, used to run a kiosk at the Weihnachtsmarkt in her hometown of Hargesheim. She would make and sell these extravagant gingerbread houses, making a pretty penny for each one.

I remember when I was little (between the age of 8-12) Ilona giving my brother and I some spending money to go around to the different kiosks so we could buy gifts to give to family members. My favorite kiosk at that age was the one that sold marzipan figurines. They were fairly cheap so I could get more for my money’s worth. Marzipan is an almond paste that they would use to build, and shape, different kinds of edible figures; like flowers or animals.

As I became older, my favorite kiosk became the one that sold the Glühwein. Glühwein is very popular in Germany during Christmas time. It’s a mulled wine often accompanied by a stirring stick of cinnamon. In the cold of winter, you can feel the warmth throughout your body as you sip on it, and to this day if I smell hot cinnamon it brings back memories of those times.

These memories of Christmas in Germany are ones that I will never forget and hope that I one day will get to experience again. I hope all of you have a “Fröhe Weihnachten!”