.8 veg@_.8 /6_ 8 ~e y eo~e te ~ r9e ~ Vee e8 0. @._@er @at_ ~_@0t @O06 @ 00 (Ps a_607r @ O87 a Ore oere Or @ (ee Enjoying The Sweets Of A German Christmas (NAPSA)—Christmas is a time for family, friends, celebration and delicious mouth-watering treats. This year, why not add some variety to your holiday mix with deli- cious and creative German sweets? After all, German confections are considered among the best tasting in the world, having evolved from age-old traditions. In Germany, holiday festivities start with Advent, originally a month of Christian preparation for Christmas Advent, Day. Germans During celebrate Advents Kaffee, a turn on the clas- sic German coffee klatsch, with families gathering around an Adventskranz, a flat wreath with four candles, to light one of the candles (they light an additional candle each Sunday). This Sunday afternoon ceremony features the traditional Christmas stollen, a sweet fruit bread sometimes containing nuts and marzipan, which can be purchased in America as well. All sorts of traditional holi- Many Germanfestivities form the basis of our traditional Christmas celebrations. various Christmas shapes with fruity fillings, different kinds of chocolate coverings and sugar glazing are also sold in the U.S. Germans also share sweets on St. Nikolaus day. St. Nikolaus, a benevolent bishop, rewards the good children by tucking candies and treats into their shoes. Very day cookies like cinnamon stars popular on this day are chocolate treats mixture of gingerbread, almonds and nutmeg. For the adults, St. (zimtsterne) or fruit-and nut-filled (plaetzchen, printen), marzipan candies (mandelho- ernchen, nussecken, dominosteine) and of course, that delicious German coffee, are available in U.S. stores. Many Germans enjoy opening the doors of the Adventskalender starting on the first day of Decem- ber. Behind each door lies a piece of chocolate, shaped to resemble ornaments and Christmas characters. The countdown continues until December 24. Fortunately for us, Adventskalender are avail- able in stores across the U.S. during the holidays. Andlet’s not forget the famous Gingerbread house (hexenhaus). Christmas time in Germany often includes the construction and decoration of a gingerbread house. In the U.S. authentic German gingerbread houses are available ready made. An assortmentof gin- gerbread cookies (lebkuchen) in Santas and pfeffernuesse, a tasty Nikolaus brings a variety of liqueur filled pieces of chocolate, some with cherry or Schnappsfillings. After the traditional Christmas Eve dinner of roast goose, duck, hare or fish, accompanied by apple and sausage stuffing, red cabbage and potato dumplings, everyone gathers around the Christmas tree and shares delightful treats often hung as decorations. These include chocolate wreaths, candies in glittery holiday wrappings and—of course— more cookies. Wondering how to incorporate someof these delightful sweets and treats into your own holidayfestiv- ities? Log onto www.germanfoods. org for a list of stores and online shops where authentic treats can be bought for your own friends and family. A variety of mouthwatering recipe ideas is also available.
