Germany is the place of origin of a well known Christmas tradition that has spread across the globe. The advent calendar was common in the 19th century by marking the days until Christmas with chalk or lighting candles, but the first printed advent calendar originated in Germany in the early 20th century with Gerhard Lang. When Gerhard was a little boy his mother made him a calendar with 24 small candies attached to cardboard, one for each day before Christmas. Lang grew up to operate the Reichhold & Lang printing company, which printed the first calendar with the little doors that everyone loves to open.

St. Nicolas Day (Sankt Nikolaus Tag) is another much anticipated part of the Christmas season for children. On the night of December 5, children clean and polish their boots and leave them outside the door before going to sleep. In the morning they find their shoes filled with nuts, candy, and small gifts from St Nicholas.

With a history that stretches back eight centuries, lebkuchen was one of the earliest types of gingerbread in Germany, created by Franconian monks in the 13th century. Early recipes often contained rye flour, honey and various spices. According to some, the Germanic gingerbread originally contained seven spices – such as ginger, pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg – which represented the seven days it took God to create the world. Today lebkuchen is a beloved Christmas cookie in both Germany and Austria.