German christmas

Christmas Around the World - Germany
3. How German Christmas Influenced Our Holiday Season
The German Christmas has had more influence on our present-day Christmas than any other.
With so manyChristmas legends and myths floating around, this one piece of Christmas history remains unchallenged.
4.German Christmas Markets
Each year, people from all over the world travel to Germany toexperience the delights of a German Christmas at its famous Christmas markets.
From Germany's blown-glass ornaments to its authentic gingerbread houses, to its German Christmas trees covered in candles,there are few other places where one can soak in the Christmas spirit and enjoy an old-fashioned German Christmas.
5.German Christmas Trees
While much of the world uses electric lights to illuminateits Christmas trees, you can still find German homes that use traditional candles to light up their German Christmas trees. These trees are usually not lit until Christmas Eve at midnight.
6.GermanChristmas Trees in the 1500s
The earliest written record of an evergreen tree being decorated for Christmas is 1521 in the German region of Alsace, which had a forest ordinance saying that no one"shall have for Christmas more than one bush of more than eight shoes' length." German families would set up their German Christmas trees in prominent locations in their homes and decorate them.
7.GermanChristmas Trees in the 1600s
Much of Christmas tree history, in fact, credits Germany for either starting the traditions or perfecting them.
The German Christmas trees in the 1600s were decoratedwith colored paper, small toys, food, and candles.
Later, tinsel, silver wire ornaments, candles and small beads became common German Christmas tree decorations. The custom was to have several smallGerman Christmas trees on tables, one for each family member, with each person's gifts stacked on the table underneath.
There is little question that the German Christmas traditions originated...