Christmas (Weihnachten)

Christmas has always been a special occasion for my family and I. It is a time where everyone gathers to spread our love and show appreciation for one another as well as a time to relay our family’s folklore and traditions. As a child, my Great Grandmother Sara, would tell my siblings and I stories of an angelic child with locks and wings that shined gold. This figure would bring Geschenke (presents) to children who were good of heart, but only did so if we went to bed accordingly and didn’t try to see the small angelic figure. If we did try, the Christkind would not come and we would have to wait until next year. My parents also explained the figure St. Nicholas to us. They told us that both the Christkind and Santa Claus worked together in order to spread the joy of Christmas. They explained that Santa Claus took care of most of the children in North America while the Christkind took care of most of the children in Europe. Though there is much controversy in Europe regarding Santa Claus and the Christkind (they are actually opposing figures in Europe) my family incorporated both the American and German culture into one in order for us to have a sense of where we came from and where we live to this day.