A German Christmas: Festive Tales From Berlin to Bavaria

by Jacob Grimm (Contributor), Thomas Mann (Contributor), Peter Stamm (Contributor)

In this collection, classic works by the Brothers Grimm and Thomas Mann intertwine with more recent stories from writers like Peter Stamm and Martin Suter to bring together the greatest festive tales from Austria, Switzerland and Germany. From a child lost in a snowy, pine-scented forest meeting an unlikely saviour to old lovers reuniting during a last-minute dash across the city for presents, each story creates magical moments of reflection and rediscovery.

Bursting with family chaos, carols and yuletide cheer, A German Christmas showcases those works that have helped define the festive period the world over.

Genres: Christmas, Short Stories, Fiction, Germany, Poetry, Classics, German Literature

221 pages, Hardcover

First published October 20, 2022

About the author

German philologist and folklorist Jakob Ludwig Karl Grimm in 1822 formulated Grimm's Law, the basis for much of modern comparative linguistics. With his brother Wilhelm Karl Grimm (1786-1859), he collected Germanic folk tales and published them as Grimm's Fairy Tales (1812-1815).

Indo-European stop consonants, represented in Germanic, underwent the regular changes that Grimm's Law describes; this law essentially states that Indo-European p shifted to Germanic f, t shifted to th, and k shifted to h. Indo-European b shifted to Germanic p, d shifted to t, and g shifted to k. Indo-European bh shifted to Germanic b, dh shifted to d, and gh shifted to g.

This jurist and mythologist also authored the monumental German Dictionary and his Deutsche Mythologie .

Adapted from Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a terrible collection. As a German I can confidently say that barely any of the stories used in this book are traditional German Christmas stories. The selection was very arbitrary. I’m not sure what’s festive about the slaughter of a pig or being propositioned by a prostitute and the translation was atrocious.

[Farnz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A German Christmas: Festive Tales from Berlin to Bavaria- 3⭐️

Being competent & being rich are very different things (170). Merry Christmas & happy holidays!❤️

This book is 211 pages & has 20 stories/poems! The cover was so gorgeous & it’s the holiday season so I thought it would be fun to read it. Overall, it’s just okay, it’s a fun seasonal read but it didn’t blow my mind. All the stories are German, unless stated otherwise. My 3 faves were: 1. Christmas Eve 🇦🇹 [kid’s POV, longer & cute; proba my fave. I like moss-Maggie. could’ve turned quite dark], 2. The loan [enjoyed this one too. An unemployed dad who wants to give his son a lovely Christmas], & 3. Christmas with the Buddenbrooks [really sweet. Christmas family dinner & you follow the little boy as he tries to eat as much as he can]

Christmas not just once a year: The aunt is obsessed with a Christmas tree & screams nonstop when theirs gets ruined😭they are in the middle of a war bro. The elves & the shoemaker: I’ve read this story before & this version was much shorter & “happier” than what I remember. Nutcracker & the King of Mice: Fritz is such an annoying kid. this was short & made me want to rewatch the Barbie version. Martin’s Christmas wish was very sweet. The following were poems & I found them to be meh: Advent (Austrian 🇦🇹), Christmas, & O Tannenbaum. Interview with Santa clause was funny & unique, it made me chuckle. Christmas shopping 🇦🇹 funny banter between ex lovers. The Separation was really sad. The Christmas box was 1 page & meh. Berlin at Christmastide was short & forgettable. In the outer suburbs: set in Switzerland🇨🇭, following a man drunk in a bar during Christmas. Meh. Every year once again- the client gift🇨🇭Business men discussing their Christmas client gift. Tad boring. On Christmas Eve: very bitter. A child dies & the mom causes her own destruction via jealousy & paranoia. She lost her kid by accident & her loving husband by choice. Christmas in cochinchina: Austria 🇦🇹 a child seeing moving pictures for the 1st time. Meh. After Christmas: someone exchanging their gift & appreciating a taxidermy butterfly. Meh but memorable.

[Eforw · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had a lot of hope for this book, but my hope was quickly shattered.
There should be festive tales from Austria, Switzerland and Germany, but it feels as if they just took random stories that contained the word 'Christmas' and were in German and just smashed them together in this book.
It was a huge dissapointment.

[Manic Booksy Dreamgirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really lovely little collection of German festive stories. Good mix of different authors and periods.

[Keith Allan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting but quite good. Disappointed that Krampus 😈 wasn’t in any of the short stories.

[Anna Reads Mysteries]

I looked at this tiny gorgeous book's rating and could not possibly figure out why it is 3.06...

Then I started reading the stories.
Can I just ask - why was this book created?
Which editor read the stories and thought yes, this is definitely a good idea?

I've read 6 stories and I had to stop - these were all horrible.
Like someone went around Bavaria's garbage bins and picked up only unwanted stories and weird poems.

Most felt unfinished - and those which were finished had nothing to say.

There is a story that describes a Christmas market in Berlin. The End. (felt like cut out of a newspaper advertisement)

There is a very badly translated Goethe poem. I wasn't getting any Christmas vibe from it, so unsure why it was there - it makes me wonder if the translation went awry....

There was a Grimm story (they kicked the book off with that) - which was fine, but generally Grimm collected stories lean towards the macabre. This wasn't specifically bad, but it did not have much to do with Christmas either - they just mentioned it in passing.

Then there was a story called 'The Nutcracker and the Mouse King' - which naively, I thought was the actual story the Nutcracker was inspired by. Well not only did this story not have much to do with the Nutcracker itself, but there is no Mouse King in it at all - not even a single mouse appears. So again, I am sitting here and wondering, are these story cutouts?
It also ended on a bizarre note and had nothing to say, so perhaps someone cut this out of a novel, slapped it in here and called it a day? This story was so clearly unfinished... and have the decency to say so because the title with the promised mouse is a dead giveaway. Just be upfront and say we took this from a longer story as this section beautifully describes Christmas decorations put up in German households in the 19th hundreds. It would still be a waste of page, but at least as a reader, I would not be upset.

This whole book felt like an insult to German speakers. Are you telling me these are the stories that represent the regions of Austria, Switzerland, and Germany? There was nothing better?? You had to take us on a journey slapping in here old, old stories from the 1870s (with sad and dark tones with people dying left and right) and 'modern' ones from the 1990s with stupid 'the devil may care' attitude towards Christmas?
Just no editing team, just a big fat no...

The book looks good - but it's a trap! Run!

[LudmilaM · Rating 3 out of 5]

1. The Elves and the Shoemaker (folk tale) - 5 stars (classic!)
2. Berlin at Christmastime (Heine) - 4 stars (atmospheric)
3. Nutcracker and the King of Mice (Hoffmann)- 5 stars (beloved classic, unfortunately only segment, not the whole thing)
4. Advent (Rilke) - 4 stars (so beautiful!)
5. Interview with Santa Claus (Kästner) - 3 stars (fairly entertaining)
6. The Separation (Frapan) - 3 stars (beautiful but sad)
7. The Christmas Box (Goethe) - 4 stars (a classic Christmas poem)
8. In the Outer Suburbs (Stamm) - 2 stars (not much to do with Christmas - or Germany for that matter - it takes place in Manhattan)
9. Christmas Eve (Peter Rosegger) - 5 stars (wonderful, wonderful, wonderful - best in the book, worth alone the price I paid for it)
10. The Loan (Schnurre) - 4 stars (lovely & heartwarming)
11. Christmas (Tucholsky) - 3.5 stars (post war "Christmas liberation")
12. Christmas with the Buddenbrooks - 3.75 stars (charming - hustle & bustle of Christmas Day from child's point of view )
13. Christmas Shopping (Schnitzel) - 2 stars (nah)
14. Christmas not just Once a Year (Böl) - 3.75 stars (quirky & fun)
15. On Christmas Eve (Stökl) - 3 stars (interesting but very sad)
16. Christmas in Cochinchina (Roth) - 1 stars (not a Christmas story in my book)
17. Martin's Christmas Wish (Kästner) - 4 stars (very sweet)
18. Every Year Once Again - the Client Gift (Suter) - 2 stars (did not catch my attention)
19. After Christmas (Hesse) - 4 stars (3 out of those 4 stars for the last two pages alone - very poetic & beautiful)
20. O Tannenbaum (Anchütz) - 4 stars (classic German Christmas song)

Total score: 3.5 stars

[Max · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was a difficult read with it being a vintage classic compilation of stories that dated back from the early 1800's. It wasn't the most engaging, fun book. I'm not a fan.

[Erin Sophia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not quite sure what I expected of this book? I was hoping for folktales and things like old German Christmas traditions. But really, it's like someone just searched up "German Christmas stories from the 19th and 20th centuries" and picked the most obscure entries they could find.

One extract follows an "interview" with St Nicholas in which he seems to steal stuff from an innocent man's house??? On top of that, some of the extracts are just badly translated and seem as if plugged into a translator without any proofreading or editing.

This book is a disappointment, save your money!

[Cristina G · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buyer beware this is the same collection of stories as “A Very German Christmas” which I read and reviewed just over a month ago. Please see my detailed response to this book which I borrowed as part of kindle unlimited.

A German Christmas is a book I own and is published by Vintage who I respect and admire for ensuring works of literature remain accessible to a modern audience. I love mummy copy and it was a joy to read these short stories again so soon in this Christmas season.
There is something in the tradition and customs found in these stories from their German originals.

In addition to the magic and joy of celebrating Christmas and the birth of the Saviour there are some darker stories here. Reflecting poverty and suffering alongside others in their carefree and extravagant excess. I guess this indeed reflects the tensions held amid the joy and thanksgiving. Christmas can be lonely for many; bringing back memories of loss and loved ones passed away.
I would ask you to look out three stories particularly that provide balance and an edge to this time of year.
“Christmas Shopping”, “On Christmas Eve” and “Christmas not just once a Year”.
However, I recommend all of them as they have doubly enriched my lead up to this Christmas Day.

[Kita Wendy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a collection of stories and poems relating to Christmas and Germany. It was ok. Some of the stories were annoying but some were really good. Some were old, some were new. Some of them were a bit waffly to be honest. I liked the one where the family was so poor that they “borrowed” a Christmas tree from a nearby park. the last item was an English translation of Tannenbaum. I would have liked to see the original too, as we hear it in German at Christmas-time.
They should have put the author, the year, and the author’s bio at the start of each story instead of spreading them out through the book.
I love the cover of this book but the book is a good lesson for “you can’t judge a book by its cover”.

[Margaret Holbrook · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had bought this to read over Christmas and it didn't take me too long. The stories were quite short and easy to read. There was a mix of 19th/20th century fare. Not everything was heart warming and cosy, but all of the season. My particular favourites were Christmas Shopping, set out in 'play' format, by Arthur Schnitzler, 1893, and On Christmas Eve, by Helene Stokl, 1883. The first story in the collection is The Elves and the Shoemaker. A story that I think will be well known by all from their childhood. The cover for this edition is beautiful and may hint at a jollier content than is contained within the pages!

[Carrie Seaton · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book isn’t what I thought it was going to be. My friend brought me this for Christmas and I couldn’t have been more excited. I loved the idea of a compilation of stories, poems & carols from across different periods.

It describes itself as “bursting with Yuletide cheer” but I have to disagree, it all felt a bit depressing. The extracts from the stories were, more often than not, not the happiest of stories.

I’m left feeling conflicted by this collection and feel a bit sad that it didn’t live up to creating the “magical moments” it promised.

[Ida · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some really nice stories and poems, and some that just couldn't keep my attention and were very unmemorable - also some that weren't very Christmassy.

The translation for the extract of The Nutcracker was much better than the full version I've read, it was one of the ones that really brought the collection to life and a great read, but at least one of the original and translation wasn't for me in a few too many of the pieces here.

[Margaret Gregg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this on Kindle and I think that it would have been better to have read a paper copy. The introduction at the beginning of the book was interesting but I feel that the introduction to each author would have been more productive at the beginning of each story to learn about the author. It's tricky to flick around a Kindle as you can a book.
I found the more modern stories easier to read. However, the stories do give a flavour of Germany and its history and culture.

[amy]

I purchased this at an English bookstore in Munich when I went to see the Christmas markets. I loved reading it and connecting my experiences in the Christmas markets with details in the stories. That being said, the stories themselves are not very well curated, in my opinion. They do all have a Christmas thread connecting them, but they vary wildly in tone and the degree to which Christmas is featured, so I would not exactly call them "festive tales." I will probably only revisit my favorites.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a little disappointed as this book was not what I had expected. I hoped for more of the traditional stories about the folklore of Christmas e.g. Krampus, St Nicholas etc.

I've given it 3 stars because I perhaps didn't read the blurb properly and had made assumptions. So the faults I had reading this book were largely my own.

[Sarah Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very disappointed in this little book, A German Christmas. I felt it contained a very strange mix of 'Christmas' tales. Most were very rambley, most unlike a Christmas story and not at all festive. The only redeeming feature is that the book has a nice cover. It could, have been so much better. Very disappointing.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book made up of short stories with some poems and songs that have a festive theme. A compilation by different authors. Some stories are longer than others, but at around 200 pages, it makes a relatively quick read. As with most anthologies, I enjoyed some stories more than others. Overall, it was an OK read with stories set over different time periods.

[Kari Greenhoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but was often left feeling like the stories were incomplete. This made sense once I read in the information at the end of the book that most, if not all, were excerpts of larger works. Perhaps if I had known this to begin with, my impressions as I read would have been different.

[historic_chronicles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautifully presented collection of short stories were a perfect selection for me to dip in and out of as I grabbed a hot drink, before I went to bed or even during a long commute.

Some were truly heartwarming and filled me with a sense of joy, especially as I read familiar favourites such as the Brothers Grimm's "The Elves and the Shoemaker" and ETA Hoffman's "Nutcracker and the King of Mice".

There were others that I didn't love quite as much and the selection of tales did primarily feature Victorian tales so I can understand why there has been some criticism aimed at the choice. In the end I feel it comes down to personal preference.

To me, A German Christmas was an enjoyable anthology of tales that were inspiring and emphasised the true value of family, the gift of giving and kindness during the festive period!

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lucky dip of short Winterval or Christmas themed writing from Germany (with a little Austria and Switzerland) I especially liked the two Erich Kästner stories about a suspicious Santa and a student's Christmas wish.
One to reach for each Christmas.

[Serena Locritani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the vintage Christmas style of few stories, and the narrative of few writers. But mostly was not very christmasy, I was expecting more old tales with a bit of folklore in it. But most of the stories are relatively new. And was just a mix of German writers. Bit confusing to be honest.

[Cristina · Rating 2 out of 5]

A surprisingly poor choice of texts in this “vintage classics” collection. Simplistic, naive, anemic literature with a tepid message and lifeless cheer.

[James Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice collection of tales, short stories, and poems to get you in the holiday spirit.

[Олена · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.3 stars.

[Kara French · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some nice Xmas stories but mostly meh ones

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Mary Snaddon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sure more exciting tales must be available