The most important thing for me when buying some Christmas presents is to consider something that is cool and unique to the area that I live in. But at the same time, I also want to give something with a purpose. Needless to say a little figurine of a ship with the word “Hamburg” on it isn’t really optimal.

Plus, bringing presents from another country gives a little bit of an “exotic” factor, so you don’t have to spend very much money for the receiver to get excited!

Instead, here are my top 5 souvenir presents to bring back from Hamburg:

1. Chocolates or sweets

German chocolate and other candies are really delicious. I especially love to bring back marzipan treats from the company Niederegger, which is founded in the city of Lübeck, just an hour or so north of Hamburg. As well as being delicious, I know this is a really good quality product that is made from 100% almond paste and no sugar. Plus, it looks special to bring back a locally produced product.

2. Beer

Everyone knows that Germany is famous for having great beer. Pilsner, wheat beer and other varieties are famous, especially because of huge festivals such as the Oktoberfest in Munich. My favorite kind to bring home, however, is from a craft brewery in Hamburg known as Ratsherrn. As well as being one of my favorite beers ever, they also have lots of cool seasonal flavors that are perfect gifts for the holiday season.

3. Ornament or Decoration

German Christmas markets are the optimal place to find nice ornaments or decorations that are a great gift for the holiday season. You can definitely find ones that are in English, but I think it’s more special to give an ornament that says something in German such as “Frohe Weihnachten” (Merry Christmas). This way, it can always be a reminder of your time abroad and it’s a great conversation starter hanging on the tree! One of the most famous makers of German Christmas decorations is Käthe Wohlfahrt, which you can find at most Christmas Markets such as the Hamburg Rathaus Christmas Market.

4. Souvenir mugs

For those who love their morning coffee or tea, a souvenir mug is a great idea. I love to collect mugs from the different places I’ve visited along the way. Each morning, drinking out of one of my many souvenir mugs, I am always reminded of that happy memory of my trip. If you want to a bit of a rebel, the best souvenir mugs come from the Christmas markets themselves. You have to pay a deposit when you order a drink that comes in a mug anyway, so if you don’t return the mug you don’t get the deposit back… but hey who doesn’t want a cool mug with an interesting back-story?

5. Typical foods

It may sound silly to someone who grew up in Germany, but one of my favorite things to bring home is the bread spreads known as “streichcreme” that are sold at any supermarket. They are super typical for Germans, but as someone who grew up in the U.S. I’ve never had that before and they are totally delicious!

What are your favorite souvenirs?

Germany.

It is widely accepted that the origins of placing an evergreen tree in your home to celebrate Christmas began in the 16^th century Germany. There are a few theories to the exact reasoning behind this, however…

Early Beginnings Of The Christmas Tree

One is that the 16^th century Protestant reformer Martin Luther was walking home on a winter evening and was so taken with the beauty of the stars twinkling amidst the evergreen trees. In an effort to recapture this, he put a tree in his own living room and placed lighted candles on its branches.

Another theory states that the tree was to represent a “tree of paradise” during medieval mystery plays given on the 24^th of December, the day of Adam and Eve in many Christian countries. During these plays, the tree was decorated with apples to represent the forbidden fruit. Over time, they became popular to be placed in homes and the apples were replaced by red, shiny balls.

It should be considered, however, that the tradition of placing greenery in the home during winter dates back farm before the advent of Christianity. It many countries it was believed that evergreens keep away witches, ghosts, evil spirits and illness. The evergreens also had a connection with the winter solstice that falls on December 21 or 22^nd of each year for civilizations such as the Egyptians, Romans and Celts.

Many ancient people such as the believed that the reason for winter was because the sun god became sick and weak, the solstice meant that the god would begin to be healthy again and that the sun would get stronger. Therefore, they decorated with evergreens as a reminder that the green plants would soon come back again and summer would return.

The Christmas Tree Becomes A Religious Tradition

While the practice of placing a Christmas tree in the home was popular in Germany early on, it was considered an oddity in many other countries such as the U.S. or the U.K. In the U.S., German settlers in Pennsylvania would put up Christmas Trees as early as the 1830s, but it was not widely accepted.

As electrical lights became more available, this made the Christmas tree a safer endeavor (as opposed to candles). Along with lights, people would decorate with homemade ornaments as well as food and other sweets such as candies or Marzipan. In Europe, the trees were commonly only a few feet tall, while in the U.S. they reached floor to ceiling.

The Christmas Tree Today

Throughout the world people everywhere put up trees in their home each year to celebrate the Christmas season. Some go out and chop the tree themselves (a common tradition in the U.S.) or some even put up artificial trees.

Interesting stuff, huh?

[History]

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Tradition

Placed annually in the Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan, the tree is a symbol that the holiday season is in full swing. Every year since 1931 (officially since 1933), the tree has been put up between mid and late November and lit in early December to be kept up through early January. The lighting is a special occasion, broadcast live nationwide.

What Kind of Tree is Selected?

The tree is typically a Norway spruce, between 69 and 100 feet (20 to 30 meters) high. Now you may be asking yourself, “how many full grown spruce trees do you really find in a huge metropolitan area such as New York City?” In actuality, the trees are scouted via helicopter throughout the surrounding areas in Connecticut, New Jersey, upstate New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont and even as far north as Canada. You can also submit your tree for selection!

Once a tree is selected, it is cut and placed on a custom trailer, to be moved in through the busy streets of New York. You can imagine this must be a very interesting site! The tree is then secured in place and scaffolding is used to help workers hang the more than 45,000 multi-colored LED lights. A star is placed at the top of the tree, weighing 550 pounds (250 kg) and measuring 9.5 feet (2.9 meter) in diameter.

The Ice Skating Rink at Rockefeller Center

Below the iconic Christmas tree, you will find the world famous Ice Skating Rink at Rockefeller Center. Opened in 1936, you will find both New Yorkers and tourists (of all skating levels, from beginner to Olympian) lacing up their skates to get into the holiday spirit.

The general admission is on a first come, first serve basis, opening at 8:30 am and closing at midnight. The rink is quite small, with space for only 150 skaters, so you can imagine it gets busy during the holiday season. The best time to visit is during off peak hours.

The Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall

Any trip to New York City during the holiday season wouldn’t be complete without a trip to see the world-famous Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall in the Christmas Spectacular. Check out the trailer for this year’s show here:

[Rockefeller Center], [Wikipedia]