Christmas around the world 

There are so many different traditions we have for Christmas in Germany, but my favorite of all is baking Christmas cookies.  

We bake from the middle of November until Christmas: more than once because the cookies are eaten up pretty fast. The first Christmas cookies are kind of inheriting the Christmas time.  

The baking itself is always really fun. We come together, listen to Christmas music and start the process. We have different kinds of flavours for the cookies, but even more important are the shapes. Especially for kids, this part is really fun, because they can choose their favourite shapes. After the cookies are baked it’s time to decorate with sprinkles.  

I love this Christmas tradition because you can share this time with your friends and family. In the kitchen, it gets warm and comfortable in this cold time of the year and of course it smells and tastes really good.  

This tradition reminds me of the message of hope, peace, joy and love at Christmas because you can enjoy a peaceful time together with your loved ones and you can even share this love by giving Christmas cookies to others. 

Noa Fechner, Mennonitengemeinde Altona-Hamburg, Germany