A Very German Christmas: The Greatest Austrian, Swiss and German Holiday Stories of All Time

Very Christmas #5

by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Heinrich Heine, Rainer Maria Rilke

A continuation of the very popular Very Christmas series conveying a festive spirit from the place where many Christmas traditions were invented. A delightful and unpredictable collection redolent of candle-lit trees, St. Nikolaus, gingerbread, the Christkindl, roast goose and red cabbage, Gugelhopf and stollen cakes, accompanied by plenty of schnapps.

The fifth volume in our popular Very Christmas series, this collection brings together traditional and contemporary holiday stories from Austria, Switzerland and Germany. You'll find classic works by the Brothers Grimm, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Heinrich Heine, Thomas Mann, Rainer Maria Rilke, Hermann Hesse, Joseph Roth and Arthur Schnitzler, as well as more recent tales by writers like Heinrich Böll, Peter Stamm and Martin Suter. Eine fröhliche Weihnachten—A Merry Christmas—made all the more festive with these literary treats redolent of candle-lit trees, St. Nikolaus, gingerbread, the Christkindl, roast goose and red cabbage, Gugelhopf and stollen cakes, accompanied by plenty of schnapps.

Genres: Christmas, Short Stories, Germany, Fiction, Anthologies, Classics, Holiday

140 pages, Hardcover

Published September 15, 2020

About the author

A master of poetry, drama, and the novel, German writer and scientist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe spent 50 years on his two-part dramatic poem Faust , published in 1808 and 1832, also conducted scientific research in various fields, notably botany, and held several governmental positions.

George Eliot called him "Germany's greatest man of letters... and the last true polymath to walk the earth." Works span the fields of literature, theology, and humanism.
People laud this magnum opus as one of the peaks of world literature. Other well-known literary works include his numerous poems, the Bildungsroman Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship and the epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther .

With this key figure of German literature, the movement of Weimar classicism in the late 18th and early 19th centuries coincided with Enlightenment, sentimentality (Empfindsamkeit), Sturm und Drang, and Romanticism. The author of the scientific text Theory of Colours , he influenced Darwin with his focus on plant morphology. He also long served as the privy councilor ("Geheimrat") of the duchy of Weimar.

Goethe took great interest in the literatures of England, France, Italy, classical Greece, Persia, and Arabia and originated the concept of Weltliteratur ("world literature"). Despite his major, virtually immeasurable influence on German philosophy especially on the generation of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling, he expressly and decidedly refrained from practicing philosophy in the rarefied sense.

Influence spread across Europe, and for the next century, his works inspired much music, drama, poetry and philosophy. Many persons consider Goethe the most important writer in the German language and one of the most important thinkers in western culture as well. Early in his career, however, he wondered about painting, perhaps his true vocation; late in his life, he expressed the expectation that people ultimately would remember his work in optics.

Reviews

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of holiday and Yule themed stories unfamiliar to me as an American. Still, a nice selection of positive stories and optimism much needed of late by this reader.

[Mariangel · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite stories in this book were by Thomas Mann, Helene Stokl, Peter Rosseger and W. Schnurre.
There were also excerpts from Hoffmann’s Nutcracker and Kastner’s Flying Classroom, which I had read before in their full books.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Edelweiss+ and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have always been a fan of Christmas stories and this book is full of new and unique (to me) stories to enjoy. Although the stories are very different from the traditional U.S. Christmas stories they are still a lot of fun and great for the upcoming holiday season. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone looking to expand their view of our “traditional” holiday stories and learn more about other cultures through their holiday tales.

[gary a. guetzlaff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I laughed, I cried

A glorious collection, thoughtfully assembled. There is joy, there is sadness, nostalgia, mirth -- everything you need to get you in the spirit of Christmas.

[Classic reverie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed almost all and a couple were outstanding! Merry Christmas with some sad and happy endings.




*THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER- an old couple is helped by elves. Very Good
1806

*AFTER CHRISTMAS Hermann Hesse- Appreciating the gifts that give long pleasure. Good

*BERLIN AT CHRISTMASTIDE Heinrich Heine- shop windows, 1822. Good

*CHRISTMAS Kurt Tucholsky- poem 1918 -Good

*INTERVIEW WITH SANTA CLAUS Erich Kästner- 1949- Cute

*THE SEPARATION Ilse Frapan- The reason for a couple's separation. 1890 Truly sad.

*EVERY YEAR ONCE AGAIN—THE CLIENT GIFT Martin Suter -Okay 1995

*THE CHRISTMAS BOX Johann Wolfgang von Goethe-poem 1807 Good

*IN THE OUTER SUBURBS Peter Stamm 1999 Not my couple of tea.

*ADVENT Rainer Maria Rilke-poem. 1898, Good

*CHRISTMAS SHOPPING Arthur Schnitzler- A play about too old lovers meeting while Christmas shopping. Reminds me of Guy de Maupassant's writing, Very Good 1892

❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert for the next several passages❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌
"Gabrielle—But I wanted to help you find something for the sweet thing. Anatol—It’s fine. Gabrielle—How I wish I could be there when you bring her the Christmas present... I’d love to see the small room and the sweet girl. She has no idea how lucky she is! Anatol—Mm... Gabrielle—But now give me my packages. It’s so late!"
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Anatol—Here you are, but there’s a cab. Gabrielle—Could you wave it down? Anatol—You’re in a hurry, all of a sudden?! Gabrielle—Please! [He waves down the taxi.] I thank you. But what are we doing to do about the gift ...? Anatol—Here, it’s stopped. Gabrielle—Here, please take these flowers, these simple flowers. They’re nothing more than a
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greeting, but please give them to her for me. Anatol—Dear lady—you’re so kind. Gabrielle—You promise me? Anatol—With pleasure, why not? Gabrielle—So tell her... Anatol—Yes? Gabrielle—So tell her: “These flowers, my ... sweet girl, are sent to you by a woman, who can love just as well as you, but who didn’t have the courage...”
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Anatol—Dear ... lady!? [She gets into the taxi, it drives off as he watches it disappear. He stands still for a moment, looks at his watch and rushes off. Curtain]



*CHRISTMAS WITH THE BUDDENBROOKS Thomas Mann- Different members of a family enjoy Christmas together with some uncomfortable incidents.-1901 Good

❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌
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Now and then relatives came over to little Johann, and laying an arm on his shoulder and stroking his sailor-suit collar, they would examine his presents and admire them with the ironic exaggeration adults typically show for the treasures of
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children. Only Uncle Christian was free of this adult arrogance. He sauntered over to Hanno’s chair—he wore a new diamond ring, a gift from his mother—and he was as delighted with the puppet theater as his nephew. “By George, that’s a dandy!” he said, raising and lowering the curtain; he took a step back to size up the scenery. He fell silent, looking strangely serious, as if troubled by something, and his eyes wandered about the room, “Did you ask for it?—I see, so you asked for this,
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did you?” he suddenly said. “Now, why was that? Where did you get that idea? Have you ever been to the theater?—Oh, you saw Fidelio, did you? Yes, they did it well. And now you want to stage it yourself, is that it? Put on your own operas? It impressed you that much, did it? Well, listen to me, boy, let me give you some advice. Don’t spend your time thinking too much about such things—theater and all that. It won’t get you anywhere—trust your uncle. I’ve always been too interested in the stage myself, and I’ve
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never amounted to much. I’ve made some big mistakes, let me tell you.” He lectured his nephew with sober insistence, while Hanno looked up at him in curiosity. But then, after a pause, during which his bony, gaunt face brightened again as he examined the theater, he suddenly brought one of the figures forward on the stage and, in a hollow, croaking vibrato, began to sing, “Oh, what horrible offenses!” And then he pushed the harmonium stool over in front of the stage, sat down, and began putting on an opera, singing
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and gesticulating, now waving his arms in imitation of the conductor, now playing the various roles. Several members of the family gathered behind him, laughing and shaking their heads in amusement. Hanno watched with genuine delight. After a while, however, to everyone’s surprise, Christian suddenly stopped. He fell silent and a restless, earnest look passed over his face; he rubbed his hand across his bald head and then down his whole left side. He turned around now to his audience

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nose wrinkled up, his face drawn and anxious. “You see, as usual I have to stop,” he said. “The same old punishment. I can never have a little fun without paying for it. It’s not a pain, really, it’s an ache, a vague ache, because all these nerves here are too short. They’re all simply too short.” But his relatives took his complaints no more seriously than his jokes and said little or nothing in reply. They casually drifted away again. Christian sat staring mutely at the theater for a while, blinking
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his eyes as if deep in thought. Then he got up again. “Well, my boy, have fun with it,” he said, stroking Hanno’s hair. “But not too much. And don’t neglect your schoolwork because of it, do you hear? I’ve made my share of mistakes.... But now I’m off to the Club. I’m going to the Club for a bit,” he called to the other adults. “They’re having a Christmas party, too. Until later.” And he left, walking down the columned hall on stiff, bowed legs.


*CHRISTMAS NOT JUST ONCE A YEAR Heinrich Böll-After the war a mother who had to give up her Christmas tree during the war becomes a nervous case when the tree is taken down; nothing but putting it back up quiets her down. 1952 Very Good

*ON CHRISTMAS EVE Helene Stökl- 1883 A lonely lady in search of some comfort from the past. Favorite, the best.

*NUTCRACKER AND THE KING OF MICE-children and gifts 1816, good.

*CHRISTMAS IN COCHINCHINA Joseph Roth- remembering past and not being able to relive the joy. 1929 Good

*CHRISTMAS EVE Peter Rosegger-A remembrance of a Christmas Eve when a young boy lost on a path after midnight mass and rescued by a mad widowed old lady. 1877, a favorite!! Loved it!

❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌spoiler alert.❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌
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The frost was cutting right into my limbs. “Sepp! Sepp!” I shouted once more with all my might. Again nothing but the long drawn-out echo. Then a fearful anguish took possession of me. I called quickly, one after another, my parents, my grandmother, all the farmhands and maids of our household by name. It was all in vain. I began to cry miserably. There I stood trembling, my body throwing a long shadow aslant
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down the naked rock. I went to and fro along the ledge to warm myself a little, and I prayed aloud to the holy Christ child to save me. The moon stood high in the dark heavens. I could no longer cry or pray, I could scarcely move anymore. I crouched down shivering on a stone and said to myself, “I shall go to sleep now; it’s all only a dream, and when I wake up I shall either be at home or in heaven.” Then on a sudden I heard a rustling in the juniper bushes above me,

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and soon after I felt that something was touching me and lifting me up. I wanted to scream, but I couldn’t—my voice was frozen within me. Fear and anguish kept my eyes fast shut. Hands and feet, too, were as if lamed, I could not move them. Then I felt warm, and it seemed to me as if all the mountain rocked with me. When I came to myself and awoke it was still night; but I was standing at the door of my home and the house dog was barking furiously. Somebody had let me slip down on the hard-trodden snow, and had
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then knocked loudly on the door and hurried away. I had recognized this somebody; it was the Moss wife. The door opened, and grandmother threw herself upon me with the words, “Jesus Christ, here he is!” She carried me into the warm living room, but from thence quickly back again into the entrance. There she set me on the bread trough, and hastened outside and blew her most piercing whistle. She was quite alone. When Sepp had come back from church and not found me at home, and when, too,
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the others came and I was with none of them, they had all gone down into the forest and through the valley and up the other side to the high road, and in all directions. Even my mother had gone with them, and everywhere, all the time, had called out my name.
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Later, when the servants were all sitting at the evening meal, Moss-Maggie was with them at table. During the morning service she had been out in the churchyard, cowering on her husband’s grave; and after High Mass my father went and found her there and brought her with him to our house. They could get nothing out of her about the event of the night, save
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that she had been searching for the Christ child in the forest. Then she came over to my bed and looked at me, and I was scared at her eyes. In the back part of our house was a room in which there were only old, useless things and a lot of cobwebs. This room my father gave Moss-Maggie for a dwelling, and put a stove and a bed and a table in it for her. And she stayed with us. She would still very often go rambling about in the forest, and bring home moss, and then return and sit for hours
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upon her husband’s grave; from which she could never more tear herself away to return to her own district— where, indeed, she would have been just as lonely and homeless as everywhere else. Of her circumstances we could learn nothing more definite: we could only conjecture that the woman had once been happy and certainly in her right mind; and that grief for the loss of her mate had robbed her of reason. We all loved her, for she lived peacefully and contentedly with all and caused nobody the least

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trouble. The house dog alone, it seemed, would never trust her, he barked and tore furiously at the chain whenever she came across the home meadow. But the creature was meaning something quite different than we thought, all the time; for once when the chain broke he rushed to the woman, leaped whining into her bosom, and licked her cheeks. At last in the late autumn, when Moss-Maggie was almost always in the graveyard, there came a time when, instead of barking cheerily,
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the dog howled by the hour together, so that my grandmother, herself very worn and weary by then, said, “You mark my words; there’ll soon be somebody dying in our neighborhood now, when the dog howls like that! God comfort the poor soul!” And a little while after that Moss-Maggie fell ill, and when winter came she died. In her last moments she held both my father and mother by the hand and uttered the words, “May God requite you a thousand and a thousandfold,
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right up into heaven itself!”

*MARTIN’S CHRISTMAS WISH Erich Kästner- Parents are missing their young son, Martin who is away at school for Christmas, they are poor and are surprised when he shows up with presents. His schoolmaster gave him money so he could go home.
1933, Very Good!

*THE LOAN Wolfdietrich Schnurre-A poor father and son borrow a Christmas tree from a park and return it soon after for it to grow. 1881 Very Good!

Brehm’s Life of Animals,
❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌Spoiler alert❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌
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Now we did begin to feel sad. Not very sad; but at any rate it was enough for Frieda to furrow her brows even more than she usually did and ask us what was up. We had got used to keeping our troubles to ourselves, but not this time; and Father told her. Frieda listened carefully. “That’s it?”
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We nodded. “You’re funny,” Frieda said. “Why don’t you just go to the Grunewald forest and steal one?” I have seen Father outraged many times, but never as outraged as he was this evening. He went pale as chalk. “Are you serious?” he asked hoarsely. Frieda was very surprised. “Of course,” she said, “that’s what everyone does.” “Everyone!” Father echoed, “everyone!” He stood up stiffly and took my hand. “You’ll permit me,” he
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said, “to take the boy home first before I give you the answer that deserves.
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“Good,” he said then, “we’ll come back to your place tonight and you can lend it to us.” It was later that night before I discovered what he had planned. “Come on,” Father said and shook me, “get up.” Still drowsy I crawled over the bars of the bed. “What on earth is going on?” “Now listen,” Father said and stood in front of me, “stealing a tree, that’s bad; but borrowing one, that’s okay.” “Borrowing?” I asked, blinking.
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“Yes,” Father said. “We’re going to go to Friedrichshain park and dig up a blue spruce. We’ll put it in the bath in some water at home, celebrate Christmas with it tomorrow and then afterward we’ll plant it back in the same place. Well?” He gave me a piercing stare. “A fantastic idea,” I said.
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Then Friedrichshain park appeared before us and we fell silent. The blue spruce that Father had his eye on stood in the middle of a round flower bed of roses covered in straw. It was a good meter and a half tall and a model of regular growth. As the earth was frozen only just under the surface it didn’t take long at all before Father had exposed the roots. Then we carefully tipped the
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tree over, put it roots first into the sack, Father hung his jacket over the end sticking out, we shoveled the earth back into the hole, spread straw over the top, Father loaded the tree onto his shoulder and we went home. Here we filled the big tin bath with water and put the tree in. When I woke the next morning Father and Frieda were already busy decorating the tree.

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The next morning the tree stayed standing in all its finery. I was allowed to lie in bed and Father played gramophone music all night and whistled the harmony. Then, the following night, we took the tree out of the bath, put it in the sack, still decorated with tinfoil stars, and took it back to Friedrichshain park. Here we planted it back in the round rose bed. Then we stamped the earth firm and went home. In the morning I took the gramophone away too.
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We visited the tree frequently; the roots grew back again. The tinfoil stars hung in its branches for quite a while, some even until spring. I went to see the tree again a few months ago. It’s now a good two stories high and has the circumference of a medium-sized factory chimney. It seems strange to think that we once invited it into our one-room apartment. 1958

*O TANNENBAUM Ernst Anschütz- poem, 1824 very good.

[Steve Maxwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slightly misleading title as the book features stories from Austria, Switzerland, and Germany. The stories range from modern (the last 30 years or so) to the 1700s and early 1800s.

I enjoyed reading some of the 'classic' tales such as 'The Elves and the Shoemaker' and 'The Nutcracker' as well as some of the more recent stories.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. This is an eclectic collection, and I’d be curious to know how they selected these pieces. (The cover says they’re the greatest stories of all time from German-speaking countries.) I feel like the stories are “ok” on a good day, and I wish they had included some more female authors, even if they had to be modern authors. (The selections in the book represented 2 women and 17 men.) As for the stories themselves, it’s definitely interesting how these compare to traditional American Christmas stories. These are fairly random and some are a tad dark — very different than American Christmas stories would usually be. All in all, I’m glad I read this, but I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it.

[Catherine Puma · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not my first foray into New Vessel Press' popular "Very Christmas" series, for I have read and enjoyed "A Very Russian Christmas" and "A Very Italian Christmas". So perhaps I was primed to like this edition, or perhaps I came in with high expectations; either way, I was not disappointed.

I quite enjoyed reading this collection of short stories and poems as part of this year's Christmas season celebration. I was familiar with The Brothers Grimm and E.T.A. Hoffmann contributions, and was also introduced to many other good authors. Some stories are just silly, like "Every Year Once Again--The Client Gift", while others are quite heart-wrenching, like "The Separation". Peter Rosegger's "Christmas Eve" is one of my favorites for how it envelopes readers in the spirit of the season, has some action set in the wintery wilderness, and concludes with a nuanced moral message (also features a very good dog).

However, there are some production choices which confused me, taking me out of the reading experience, and thus preventing me from giving this a 5/5 star review. I was very confused as to why works from Austria and Switzerland are included in this "A Very German Christmas" collection, so an explanation or confirmation that these had originally been published in the German language would have helped. I defer judgement to Austrian and Swiss readers as to whether presenting their country's works in this way is offensive or not.

In addition, I didn't like how the countries are listed in the Table of Contents but not at the end of the works themselves, and similarly I didn't like that the original publication dates weren't included in the Table of Contents but they are at the end of each work instead. Title, author, country, and date should have been included both with the Table of Contents and the works themselves. Separated out as they are, it is quite disorienting.

Finally, I have no idea why the works are organized in the sequence in which they are presented in this collection. While works span publication dates from 1806 to 1999, they are not presented chronologically but rather bounce all over the timeline. Similarly, we do not move geographically from country to country, but rather the Swiss and Austrian works are wedged in among their German counterparts. The poems are sprinkled throughout, so perhaps there was some thought to varying the length of the works throughout the collection, but who knows; there's no Editor's Note to explain the collection's presentation.

Regardless, I enjoyed reading the contents of this collection and many of its tales will stick with me. My husband is of 1/4 German descent and I am OBSESSED with The Nutcracker, so I'm glad to add this to my knowledge base. I'll definitely be tuning into other installments of this Christmas-tale collection series.

[Susan Molloy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Shorts.

🖊 Following is my rating of each piece in this anthology:

THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER by The Brothers Grimm • Germany ⭐️⭐️⭐️
AFTER CHRISTMAS by Hermann Hesse • Germany ⭐️⭐️
BERLIN AT CHRISTMASTIDE by Heinrich Heine • Germany ⭐️
CHRISTMAS by Kurt Tucholsky • Germany ⭐️⭐️⭐️
INTERVIEW WITH SANTA CLAUS by Erich Kästner • Germany ⭐️⭐️
THE SEPARATION by Ilse Frapan • Germany ⭐️⭐️⭐️
EVERY YEAR ONCE AGAIN—THE CLIENT GIFT by Martin Suter • Switzerland ⭐️⭐️
THE CHRISTMAS BOX by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe • Germany ⭐️⭐️⭐️
IN THE OUTER SUBURBS by Peter Stamm • Switzerland ⭐️
ADVENT by Rainer Maria Rilke • Austria
CHRISTMAS SHOPPING by Arthur Schnitzler • Austria
CHRISTMAS WITH THE BUDDENBROOKS by Thomas Mann • Germany
CHRISTMAS NOT JUST ONCE A YEAR by Heinrich Böll • Germany
ON CHRISTMAS EVE by Helene Stökl • Germany
NUTCRACKER AND THE KING OF MICE by E. T. A. Hoffmann • Germany
CHRISTMAS IN COCHINCHINA by Joseph Roth • Austria
CHRISTMAS EVE by Peter Rosegger • Austria
MARTIN’S CHRISTMAS WISH by Erich Kästner • Germany
THE LOAN by Wolfdietrich Schnurre • Germany
O TANNENBAUM by Ernst Anschütz • Germany

I dumped this book after the “Suburbs” story. It was not for me, and what I read up to that point was a bust anyway. 🗑 Conversely, other readers may find this collection their cookie jar of spritz.

📕Published – 2020.

જ⁀🟡 Kindle Unlimited.
༺ ༅ ✬ ༅ ༻ ༺ ༅ ✬ ༅ ༻








𝕄𝕪 𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕓𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕕𝕠𝕨𝕟:
ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕥𝕖𝕟𝕥: ★★☆☆☆
𝕎𝕣𝕚𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕤𝕥𝕪𝕝𝕖: ★★★☆☆
𝕃𝕒𝕟𝕘𝕦𝕒𝕘𝕖: ★★☆☆☆
𝔾𝕣𝕒𝕞𝕞𝕒𝕣: ★★★★☆
𝔼𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘: ★★★★★
𝕄𝕪 𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: ★★☆☆☆
𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: (3.0)
47%

[Karen Koppy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting mix of German Christmas stories. Some old, some newer - some sad, some happy. You can tell the 1st and 2nd world wars had an impact on the life in Germany. I particularly liked the stories by Hesse, Kastner, Frapan, Suter, Mann, Boll, Stokl, Rosegger and Schnurre.
The one by Kastner was particularly clever. Lots of them told of how people historically celebrated Christmas. Worth while reading around the holidays.

[Steven Schend · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review copy provided by publisher via Edelweiss

Great collection of holiday and Yule themed stories (translated from German) unfamiliar to me as an American. Still, a nice selection of positive stories and optimism much needed of late by this reader.

[Daniel Rosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good selection of Christmas stories. Even though the title says ‘German’ Christmas, there are enjoyable stories from Austria, Switzerland, and Germany. These stories are a very good look into the seasonal events, happenings, and family traditions that occur in the festive Christmas season. An enjoyable read that can be re-read year after year.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Kathryn Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this because of a read along on Booktube. I loved reading a short story every day leading up to Christmas and look forward to reading another installment in this series next year!

[Vickie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting reading. Some of the stories were from the 1800's - writing was different back in the day!

[Faye · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found most of these boring and/or depressing, but a few of them were good. Not the best bringer of Christmas spirit.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

The start of the stories I enjoyed and there really were some great stories but continuing the book felt like a chore, and I skipped more stories than I had hoped to.

[Violet · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.8

[Arina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic Christmas stories, mostly secular, which I didn't expect at all.

[Sherry C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed several of the stories in this collection, some were vivid, culturally interesting, and a refreshing change from typical Christmas tales. However, the overall tone was uneven, and many pieces didn’t capture the festive warmth I expected from a holiday anthology. While there were memorable moments, the mix felt more like a literary sampler than a satisfying seasonal read, so I’d recommend it more for readers curious about German-speaking holiday literature than those seeking a consistently heartwarming Christmas book.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I’m starting to feel a little more in the mood of Advent and all things Christmasy.

Being of a more Germanic background there is sometimes the hint of poverty, hard times and struggle within these stories. Yet, amid the darker tones, hints of faith, shared joy and family traditions overwhelm bringing the hope and celebration this time of year merits.

Many celebrated authors and famous writers have been collected into this anthology of Christmas stories.

What I like especially is a sense of time and place. These are almost a window on a bygone age. Historical narratives of life, religious beliefs and communal celebration. Each well chosen contribution enriches the piece so that you have the largest spread of any Christmas buffet and feast of literature to help find and trace the traditions around this special time of the year.

I believe reading such stories can stimulate our minds and reflect on what Christmas is today because of those who went before. A gift in itself to delight and treasure. For me it is the emotional connections that such tales impart that brings joy and prepares my heart to celebrate Christmas with humility and thankfulness.