It’s common knowledge, or at least it should be, that when you move to another country there are bound to be many, many differences in culture, customs and traditions. But sometimes, you just don’t know HOW big the differences are until you’ve been there long enough to make a huge a** list of all the differences between home and your adopted home country. What American comforts are you willing to give up to live in Germany?

Since moving to Germany 4 6 years ago, I continuously seem to have one main conversation whenever I meet someone new. It goes something like this:

Friend/Student/Stranger: “Where are you from?”

Me: “I’m from California”

Friend/Student/Stranger: “WHY did you move to Germany?”

Germans are a traditional people and if you want to learn how to celebrate Christmas like a German, there are a few things you need to know! Each country has their own Christmas traditions that make every year special. Learning these new traditions is half the fun of living abroad! Here’s what I have learned!

Let’s just face it: Germany is an AMAZING country! I dare not say the best because each and every country we have ever visited is amazing in it’s own right, different and more unique than the last, but I can honestly say, after having lived in Germany twice now, it makes it hard to leave and even harder to stay away. Germany is loaded with amazing history, fantastic architecture, delicious food and so much more! Something must be said about the strict, rule book way of life Germans live by and without it, nichts wäre in Ordnung!