Your first December in Germany, a friend drags you to the Weihnachtsmarkt and hands you a steaming mug of Glühwein. You drink it, go to bin the mug, and they physically stop you, because that mug is worth three euros you just paid as a deposit and will not see again if you throw it away. The German Christmas market has rules, and the first one involves not losing your mug money.
German Christmas is one of the genuine joys of living here, and it runs on customs that differ from the English-speaking world in ways worth knowing. The markets, the deposit mugs, the gift day that is not the 25th, the boot full of sweets, all of it makes more sense once someone explains it. Here is that someone.
The Weihnachtsmarkt
The Christmas market is the centre of German December. Wooden stalls fill town squares from around late November (the start of Advent) until roughly Christmas Eve, selling food, drink, crafts, and decorations under strings of lights.
Markets sit inside the broader German festival calendar but dominate the season. Almost every town has one, from tiny village markets to the famous large ones in Nuremberg, Dresden, Cologne, and Munich. They are social spaces: people meet after work, stand around with a hot drink, and linger in the cold.
The atmosphere, not shopping, is the point. You go to be there, mug in hand, not to tick off a gift list.
The Glühwein mug deposit
Glühwein, hot spiced mulled wine, is the signature drink, and it comes in a real ceramic mug, not a disposable cup. You pay a deposit (Pfand) of a few euros on top of the drink price.
This works on the same deposit logic as bottles: return the mug to any stall of that market and you get your deposit back. Or keep it, the mugs are often dated and themed to the city and year, and many people collect them as souvenirs. That is a legitimate choice, you simply forfeit the deposit you already paid.
So the etiquette: do not bin the mug. Either return it for your money or keep it on purpose. The non-alcoholic version, Kinderpunsch, is served the same way for children and non-drinkers.
Why the 24th is the big day
Here is the custom that most surprises newcomers: in Germany, the main Christmas celebration is Heiligabend, Christmas Eve, on 24 December.
Families gather on the evening of the 24th, often after a church service, and that is when gifts are exchanged, not on the morning of the 25th. The tree is traditionally decorated and revealed that evening. The 25th (1. Weihnachtstag) and 26th (2. Weihnachtstag) are then public holidays for rest, eating, and visiting extended family.
If you come from a culture where the 25th morning is the focus, recalibrate: the action is the evening before. Shops also close for the holidays under the same rules as Sundays, and many close early on the 24th itself, so finish shopping in good time.
Nikolaus and Advent
Two customs run before the main event.
Advent (the four Sundays before Christmas) is marked with an Adventskranz (wreath with four candles, one lit each Sunday) and Adventskalender (a calendar with a small treat behind each door from 1 to 24 December). The calendars are everywhere and a genuinely lovely daily countdown.
Nikolaustag (6 December) is a separate gift moment for children: the night before, kids clean and leave out a boot or shoe, and in the morning find it filled with sweets, chocolate, mandarins, and small gifts. It is distinct from the 24th and not to be confused with it. Some regions also feature Krampus or Knecht Ruprecht as the darker companion figure to St Nicholas.
What to eat and drink
The market food is half the reason to go. Beyond Glühwein and Kinderpunsch:
- Bratwurst in a roll, the staple
- Maronen (roasted chestnuts), sold warm in paper cones
- Gebrannte Mandeln (candied roasted almonds), the smell that defines the market
- Lebkuchen (soft spiced gingerbread, Nuremberg is famous for it)
- Stollen (dense fruit-and-marzipan cake, eaten through the season)
- Reibekuchen / Kartoffelpuffer (potato fritters) with apple sauce
Bring cash, many stalls are cash-preferred, and a small appetite, because grazing across stalls with a hot drink is the whole experience. Dress warmer than you think; you will be standing outside in the cold for hours, and that is the tradition.
What to do this week (in season)
- Find your city's Weihnachtsmarkt dates, most open late November and close around Christmas Eve.
- Remember the Glühwein mug carries a refundable deposit, so return it or keep it deliberately rather than binning it.
- Plan holiday shopping early, since shops close for the 25th and 26th and often shut early on the 24th.
