Christmas in Germany

hannover-l
1

My Father, now 84 years old, told stories of his young childhood with
Christmas in a very German family that the parents spoke German in the home. The
five children would go to bed Christmas Eve with no presents out, tree or
decorations. When they woke up on Christmas Day, the living room would have a
tree, decorations, and presents wrapped under the tree. My Grandmother was the
first generation born in the USA, and my Grandfather was the third
generation born in the USA. Also, when they went to the Lutheran Church, the sermon
was in German until sometime around the 1940's or 1950's.

Have a nice day and smile, Jill Leimkuehler

I am currently researching:
Barlag,Bochenski,Bogdanski,Bredehoft,Brinkmann,Cawley,Ciesielski,Cieszkiewiez,
Drehs,Dress,Dufelmeyer,Dufelmeier,Fuelling/Fulling,Freese,Fresen,Hunken,Klindt
worth,
Hirschy,Jalonski,Kaminski,Kozielecki,Kozielewski,Kurgan,Leimkuehler,Leimenkuhl
er,
Lydon,Mazgaj,Mesch,Obyc,Oesterhagen,Ostmeier/Ostmeyer,Obrock,Piechalski,
Pieper,Poertner,Pranten,Quell,Rak,Reker,Redecker,Schwetscher,Speckmann,Springhorn,
Thiessecharpen/Thieschaper,Thunhorst,Viel/Viets,Vischer,Winteregg,Wistinghause
n,Wolers,
Wohlerst,Zinzack, Zynczak,Zinczak

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2

Aah, Christmas in Hesse:

When I was a child in the 1940s, the bells of our Evangelical-Lutheran
church in town - the only one - would start ringing at 5 p.m. on Christmas
Eve, all the time until the church service was begun. Everybody in town
would get dressed up and walk to church, even if they had cars, they
wouldn't drive.
Church service on Christmas eve was always much too long, with the sermon
and the all-male choir singing song after song. I would wiggle in my seat
and could hardly wait for the sermon to be over and to hurry home to see
what the "Christkind" had put under the tree. The tree, decorated with
ornaments handed down through many generations, was enhanced by a generous
helping of tinsel. On the outer end of the branches, small plain white
candles were stuck into metal clip-ons. Electric lights were unheard of at
that time.
Mom would prepare a simple meal of hot potato salad with ring bologna and
hot cocoa. After the meal, I was allowed to open my gifts...usually only
one, as it was shortly after WWII. I remember one year getting a large blue
teddy bear. Another time I got a porcelan doll that cried 'mommy', which my
foster dad had traded for a pair of boots for a Polish lady, whose daughter
was too big to play with dolls. I still have the doll. Her name is
Rosemarie and she immigrated with me to America.

Unlike in the US, in Germany we celebrate Christmas, New Years, Easter and
Pentecost over two days. On the first Christmas day we went to church again
in the morning and the rest of the day was spent lounging and listening to
the Christmas music being broadcast over our old Grundig radio.

On the second Christmas day we visited aunts, and uncles and cousins, in
the hope of getting more Christmas presents.

Those were the days my friend....

Happy Holidays!
Ursula

MagdalenaJLM@aol.com wrote:

3

To all the fine people who are sharing their Christmas stories thank you
very much. I know this list is primarily for genealogy research but I have
immensely enjoyed each and every remembrance and traditions posted here.

Bill Bartling

4

Priceless