While public celebration of Christmas faced both religious objections and adverse social conditions in England, the German people were enjoying a wonderful and expansive Christmas tradition that had been building up over the centuries. It is very likely that the American love affair with Christmas that began in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, so influential in the way the whole world now views the holiday, would never have occurred if it had not been for the enthusiastic influence of Christmas-loving German immigrants.

The Germans had long espoused the idea of keeping the spirit of Christmas alive inside—in one’s heart, mind, and spirit—and turning that feeling outward in mass celebration. The German Christmas is one filled with trees, gingerbread houses, cookies, feasts, and carols; but most of all, it is the Christmas of childhood wonder and joy.

The Christmas season in Germany is about the longest anywhere: a month and a half. Starting with St. Andrew’s Night on November 30, the country throws itself into a festive abandon that doesn’t wind down until January 13, the Octave of Epiphany. Between those days, 16 holidays are observed, and life is filled with both strict devotion to the Christ Child and joyous merriment. The cities are brimming with Christkindlmarkts (Christ Child Markets), fairs, parades, and carolers. The smell of gingerbread and other delicious treats is in the air, and Christmas trees are everywhere. Other German contributions to the world’s celebration of Christmas include the timeless carols “O Tannenbaum” (“Oh, Christmas Tree”) and “Silent Night.”

One of the beneficiaries of the German love of Christmas was Victorian England. Queen Victoria assumed the throne in 1837 at the age of 18; three years later, she married Prince Albert, who became Prince Consort. Albert, being of German descent, brought with him to England many of his homeland’s wonderful Christmas traditions.