Pros & Cons of Living in Germany: Christmas Edition

I feel I should preface this post by saying that it was REALLY HARD trying to come up with any cons for this post. I was literally 'scraping the bottom of the barrel', as they say. Christmas in Germany is all around delightful. But, for the sake of keeping with the theme of my favorite pros & cons posts, I rustled up a few cons just for the sake of having them. Most are just things I could do without, but aren't necessarily reasons not to enjoy Christmas here. Many of you that have experienced Christmas in Germany might even like a few of the cons...to each, his own. So, without further adieu, here's my list of pros & cons of living in Germany during Christmas time! ENJOY!!

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PRO: Glühwein

You guys had to know this would be the number one pro on my Christmas in Germany list, right? Gühwein is the nectar of the gods, I've decided. I don't quite remember what my life was like before I took that first sip of delicious mulled wine at the Cologne Christmas Market 2 years ago. Guess it really doesn't matter much. My life is so much better having tasted this German treat! Glühwein is basically red wine (or white, if you prefer) that's been heated with mulling spices (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, star anise, orange peel) and poured into these ADORABLE mini-mugs that are unique to each Christmas market. D and I have acquired quite the glühwein mug collection these last 3 years. I've even started collecting various glühwein mulling spice packets to take back with us when we move. I can't give up this Christmas treat just yet! It's such the perfect beverage to enjoy when the cold December wind is nipping at you while shopping the markets. But be careful...they serve that stuff PIPING HOT! When the crowds are thick in the Christmas Markets and you're trying to dodge strollers with a mug of glühwein in hand, make sure you've got gloves on or you'll probably burn yourself. I've got a special wine-colored pair of glühwein gloves just for that reason (patent pending...ahem). ;)

CON: Magenbrot & Stollen

I am not a fan of either of these German sweets. Magenbrot not only sounds dubious, but looks like blocks of turd. They're far from turd-tasting (hallelujah!), but these soft, glazed cocoa squares do have an off gingerbread flavor to me. Magenbrot is essentially known as "stomach bread" because of its tummy-friendly spices like clove, nutmeg, cinnamon and star anise. It allegedly helps aid in stomach digestion, but the star anise addition is what gives Magenbrot a licorice flavor that I just can't stomach. Ironically enough. Another sweet offender? Stollen...Germany's version of fruit cake. Need I say more?

PRO: Christmas Handicrafts

Ornaments, smokers, and nutcrackers...OH MY! If you want to deck your halls like the Germans do, then save all your holiday decor shopping for the Christmas Markets. Each market across Germany features stalls upon stalls of various local Christmas handicrafts all for the buying. Some 'must have' German Christmas decor? Nutcrackers, incense smoker figurines & Christmas pyramids, straw ornaments, anything from Käthe Wohlfahrt, hand-painted glass ornaments, pewter ornaments, beeswax candles, wooden nativity scenes, and advent calendars. One thing to keep in mind while shopping, make sure to note prices from various stalls. A nutcracker at one stall might be cheaper at another, so grab a mug of glühwein and shop around! And be weary of where your handicraft is made. Avoid anything 'MADE IN CHINA'...go for the real German deal!

CON: The crowds

Like with any major holiday, the crowds in stores, streets, and well...everywhere else can be pretty unnerving. Everyone's trying to get their Christmas shopping done and enjoy all the wonders of this magical time of year in just a few short weeks time. Crowds of people are just unavoidable...especially at German Christmas Markets. If you find yourself in Germany during this special season, try to visit the Christmas markets during the day and avoid weekends, if possible. The crowds are much less troublesome during those times and you can leisurely enjoy the markets and glühwein to your heart's content! Maybe even try smaller, more unknown markets if you really want to avoid the hustle and bustle. And be prepared to park far away and walk a lot. 'Tis the season!

PRO: Spiced & Candied Nuts

The smell of candies nuts wafting through the aisles of Christmas market stalls is almost enough to make you want to pitch a tent and stay right there forever. And if you wanted to try all the flavors and varieties of nuts they have, you'd absolutely have to stay forever because the list goes on and on! My personal favorite? The Nutella covered almonds. Shut up, right? Their traditional Mandeln (candied almonds--pictured above) are pretty stellar as well. I suggest grabbing a bag the second you hit the Christmas market so you can munch as you shop!

CON: Feuerzangenbowle

The name literally translates to 'fire-tongs punch'. Picture this--A giant pot of piping hot glühwein with some kind of contraption hanging over top of it. In this contraption, there's a giant loaf of sugar (a giant sugar cube, if you will) that's soaked in rum. Someone then lights this sugar cube on fire and the cube begins to melt into the giant pot of glühwein below. That, my friends, is a Feuerzangenbowle. German's love this drink during the holidays. If fact, you can buy Feuerzangenbowle sets and have ceremonious Feuerzangenbowle parties in your own home! Quite the spectacle. I know what you're thinking...WHY IN THE WORLD would this be on my cons list?! It's very simple, I hate rum. I blame honeymooning in Jamaica for that, but the addition of rum basically ruins glühwein for me. It's quite a strong drink. The glass I had at the Frankfurt Christmas market last year had me sloshed. Totally 'Gemütlichkeit' worthy. These days, I tend to avoid those stands. Although, if you've never watched the Feuerzangenbowle being made, it's worth a look. Everyone loves watching things lit on fire! Me? I'll stick with my traditional glühwein. (UPDATE: I tried Feuerzangenbowle again this weekend (for research purposes) and really liked the mug I had at the Mannheim Christmas Market. It wasn't too strong and rum-flavored. So, I guess it just depends on the stand!)

PRO: Chocolate Advent Calendars

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Just as November starts, you begin to see chocolate advent calendars pop up in almost every store in Germany. Well, most of Europe for that matter. Germans love their candy advent calendars! And we've grown to love them, too. It's so fun opening up new door each day to find a yummy piece of chocolate waiting for me. If a 27-year-old gets a major kick out of this, I can only imagine the joy they must bring to kids! It's amazing, though, how many different kinds of candy advent calendars there are here. Sometimes it's hard to choose! But I guess that's also half the fun. Just be weary, depending on the type of candy, those suckers can get expensive! Just this morning I saw one that cost a whopping 52 euro!

CON: Heart-shaped Lebkuchen (Gingerbread Cookies)

Ok, so let me start by saying that I do like gingerbread. Very much. But there are a few different kinds of gingerbread (lebkuchen) that aren't super tasty and should be just for decoration (and adorableness). The heart-shaped cookies pictured above, prime example. They're ALL OVER the Christmas markets as well as almost every other big German festival year-round. But they're hard. Like, rock hard. Makes me wonder just how long some of those cookies have been hanging around, ya know? I've bought a heart cookie or two, but merely for souvenir purposes. However, the soft lebkuchen (the ones that are round, not covered in colorful icing and hanging from a string) are worth eating mounds of! They taste like taking a bite right out of Christmas! Find those, eat those.

PRO: Nikolaustag

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Some days I so wish D and I had kids so we could participate in fun holiday traditions like this. Nikolaustag (St. Nicholas Day) is a holiday occurring on December 6th of each year here in Germany (as well as all around Europe). It actually starts the night before, when children leave their shoes outside their doors so that St. Nicholas can come and leave goodies inside them. If the child was good this year, St. Nicholas will leave treats like oranges, candy, cookies and small toys. If the child was bad, they'll get a shoe full of twigs. The twigs are usually given by St. Nicholas' evil sidekick, Krampus...but I'll get to him a bit later. Many small towns throughout Germany also hold St. Nicolas parades the morning of Dec 6th. Although the American Santa Claus is based on St. Nicholas, Santa Claus doesn't visit German children on December 24th. A man name der Weihnachtmann does. I met him in Rothenburg ob der Tauber this week. Nice guy! :)

CON: Jägertee

You guys know I'm more of a wine and beer gal, but hey, I'm up for trying almost any kind of alcoholic beverage. This concoction, however, I will never ever drink again. It's exactly what you think it is...Jägermeister and hot tea. So, my stupid idiot self got a glass of this after skiing one day in Austria our first year living abroad (it's a very popular Après-ski beverage). Thought it would be sweet (for some ridiculous reason...I knew I wasn't in the South!), but it's just straight up tea and gross Jägermeister. If you love Jäger bombs or unsweetened tea, then this combination might be for you! I'll stick to hot chocolate with Baileys, thank you very much.

PRO: Weihnachtspyramide (Christmas Pyramids)

The Weihnachtspyramide (Christmas Pyramids) are Christmas staples around Germany. You can find them in small versions for sale as home decoration or in larger than life versions atop glühwein stands at the Christmas Markets. The Christmas pyramid concept is said to have originated somewhere in the Ore Mountains in Germany and is a predecessor to the Christmas Tree (which was also thanks to the Germans!). Most Christmas pyramids are decked with candles, garland, and religious figurines such as angels and nativity scenes. Other more secular pyramids feature mountain folk, forests, and reindeer. Either way, they're a festive addition to the holiday season here in Germany!

CON: Krampus: The Christmas Demon

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A demon, at Christmas? Honestly Bavaria (and Austria), what in the world? Krampus is a beast-like creature of Alpine folklore. He's said to accompany St. Nicholas to children's homes on St. Nicholas Day (Dec 6th) to place twigs in the shoes of bad children. Thankfully, I've never actually witnessed Krampus wandering the streets of Germany, but according to friends who've visited Christmas markets in Austria and Bavaria, you can find many versions of him lurking around market stalls and featured in devil parades on St. Nicholas Day. I don't know about you guys, but if I had kids, I'd sure as heck not want them to see one of these guys out and about during Christmas time. Scarred for life, for sure! Although, most kids are scared of Santa Claus, too...so, whatevs.

PRO: Kartofflepuffers

I know these bad boys already made an appearance in one of my previous pros & cons lists, but heck, they're so yummy, the deserve to be added to the Christmas pros list as well! They're basically fried potato pancakes, but in Germany, they're served with either applesauce or homemade knoblauch (garlic) sauce. I much prefer the garlic sauce to the applesauce, but you can't lose either way. Fried potatoes....sign me up!

CON: Eierpunsch (Hot Eggnog Punch)

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D LOVES eggnog. I, on the other hand, basically gag at the sight of it. D only drinks eggnog cold, so imagine our surprise when we started seeing Germans walking around the Christmas markets with what looked like mugs of HOT eggnog. The thought of cold eggnog gives me the shivers. The thought of hot eggnog makes me dry heave. GA-ROSS. Then we found out that Eierpunsch (literally translated means eggnog punch) isn't exactly like traditional eggnog. It's a combination of eggnog, rum, white wine and orange or lemon juice. I can't even describe what the thought of what that tastes likes makes me want to do. Die, maybe? I know, dramatic. But even D, the eggnog LOVER, doesn't like it. He tried it for the first time this past weekend (mostly because I begged him to, for blog research purposes, of course) and while it's reminiscent of traditional eggnog...D couldn't get over it being warm. Traditional cold eggnog lovers beware! 

PRO: Chocolate Covered EVERYTHING!

Need I say more? I don't know what it is about Christmas time in Germany, but Christmas market vendors LOVE covering just about anything in chocolate! Believe me, I'm not complaining! The Christmas markets are notorious for having numerous stalls with chocolate covered fruit. Those chocolate mice above...they're chocolate covered pears! You can also find chocolate covered chili peppers, fruit kabobs, potato chips (I wonder where they go that idea from...haha), pretzels, marshmallows (pictured above), and popcorn. Truly a chocolate lover's paradise!

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*Please keep in mind that all of these pros & cons are formed simply from my experiences and perspective as an American living abroad. You can find the other installments of my Pros & Cons of living in Germany here, here, here, here, here, here, & here.*