In Great Britain, the 24th of December means actually nothing. In all German cities and families, it is probably the most exciting day of the year. Great smells, bright children´s eyesand a lot of food make the day and the whole Christmas time so special.
Personally, I enjoy the whole day. Starting by waking up with a smile to pleasant anticipation to see all my family members and friends again – I must say, that loads of them don´t live in my hometown Rostock anymore.
Let me explain the common Christmas days in Germany. Maybe you decide to stay here in the Christmas time someday. Actually, Christmas lasts from the 24th – 26th of December. The 24th is not an official holiday. Many people have to work for some hours, but to be honest, the X-Mas celebration starts in the afternoon. Depending if someone has small kids, Santa Clause brings everyone some presents. Unfortunately you get less presents the older you are. I must admit that sometimes someone in the family dresses as Santa, while other families prefer to rent a man in a costume for children. When I was younger, the handover of the presents started at 3 pm – now at about 5 pm – although it is still hard to wait that long, because to me, everyone´s still a child. After it, the families enjoy a great Christmas dinner, for example some noble fish or sausages – depending on the family background.
The next days, the 25th and 26th, are pure “eating days” – at least in my family. In the past few years, I always let the breakfast pass because I knew, what great things my family will put on the table. As I mentioned before, it is different what people are going to eat. We´ll have duck or goose for lunch and rabbit for dinner. Between the supper and dinner, loads of families take a long walk through the snow or watch some fairy tales on TV. I don´t like this at all, so I try to watch some Premier League football on boxing day – this is the perfect ending as a big football fan on the 26th of December. God bless the UK!
Everyone all over the world has different Christmas habits, but I hope you now noticed how we celebrate it here. Merry Christmas to everyone! Cheers!
