When the tour director/wife informed me that we would tour
the German Christmas Museum I had my doubts. The museum is actually the second
floor of a mansion on Herrngasse (Gentlemen’s Street) where anybody who was
anybody built massive testaments to their wealth. The first floor
is—surprise—the largest, most visited Christmas store in the known world—Kathe Wohlfahrt.
I thought, “Museum, my foot…this is a sales pitch, and worst of all, they
charge you an entrance fee.” First impressions can be way wrong.
The mission of the German Christmas Museum is to collect and
research Christmas decorations thus preserving them for future generations. One
trip through the museum is like a walk down Memory Lane, with every showcase
prompting one of us to say or ask, “Look at that” or “Do you remember these?”
From antique ornaments to the coolest tree stands ever, the museum owes a large
debt of gratitude to a wealthy Viennese widow who donated her entire collection
of Christmas memorabilia.
Top left: antique ornaments; Top right: cookie molds and stamps
Bottom: glass blowing tools
Although focusing on Germany’s Father Christmas, the museum
also included references to the Netherland’s Sinterklaas, and of course, North
America’s Santa Claus—all of whom derived from the third century clergyman, St.
Nicholas. But perhaps the most endearing German contribution to the Christmas
celebration is the tree. The museum houses many, many unique ornaments and also
the tools used to create them. It was noted that long ago trees were festooned
with sausages and cheese and were “plundered” by eager children on Christmas
morning. All throughout Rothenburg hundreds of trees were on display both
inside the buildings and all along the streets.
Perhaps, the museum was, after all, exactly as I suspected.
Like every self-respecting museum whose exit is directly through the gift shop,
this one was no different except as I said, the “gift shop” is probably the
most remarkable collection of Christmas-related merchandise anywhere on earth.
Of course, identical Kathe Wohlfahrt shops in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and
Bethlehem, PA; Arlington, TX; Baltimore, MD, Tysons Corner, VA; Chicago, IL;
and Vancouver, CA might be able to make similar claims!
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| Early electric lights |
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| Better to be nice than naughty |
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