John, I cannot answer your question directly about Christmas customs in Schleswig.  However, I will share a Christmas family tradition that my wife keeps.   My wife, Gladys "Gay" Wellendorf Black is a third generation American-German. He was born and attended public schools in Davenport Iowa.  All eight of her Ggrandparents emigrated from or had their roots in Probstei (Holstein) and Dithmarchen (Schleswig).  The tradition is that the Christmas Eve meal is Feudens or Fudgins or Fritters(American). Feudens are small balls of sweet yeast dough fried in Swedish fry pans.  When served they are dipped in sugar and accompanied by baked ham. This tradition was handed down from her mother and both her grandmothers.  In 2010 when we visited Probstei and Dithmarchen we saw several Fudgin (this is what the present day SH call them) skillets in homes and museums.  Several SH ladies Gay talked with in SH still made them, but the Christmas tradition never came up.   Hope you have a very Merry Christmas, a Prosperous New Year and  the blessing of 4.Mose (Numbers) 6: 24-26. Blessing, Tom Black   PS:  Gay also has an German family Easter tradition meal. Her family calls it Grotten Klump and in Schleswig-Holstein they call it Grotten Hans.       >________________________________ > From: John Rasch <jlrasch@yahoo.com> >To: schleswig-holstein-roots@rootsweb.com >Sent: Saturday, December 24, 2011 2:05 PM >Subject: [SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN-ROOTS] How was Christmas celebrated? > >Christmas Greetings, Can anyone direct me to a website or other documentation of how the people of Schleswig celebrated Christmas? Did they have predominately German cultural practices or Danish?  >My family, who were Lutheran, settled initially in Western Iowa.  My Great Aunts and Uncles told of how they were not allowed to see the Christmas tree or the gifts below it until Christmas morning. In fact I do not believe that the tree was even put up until Christmas eve. They had real candles that they lit on the branches too. I assume they went to mass that morning but am not sure as religion and faith were not talked of any more than politics. My Grandpa was a baker and so I assume there were lots of baked goodies to be enjoyed.  >My Dad was rather particular as to how the whole tree decorating happened too. I am wondering if this was a result of the depression era or if it has roots in his heritage. >(Rasch, Pieper, Thomsen, Thomssen, Lorensen, Evers, Trede, Thiedemann, Hitscher) > >John Rasch(Rootsweb Family Trees: Bartley2007 // Schleswig towns: Kiesbyfeld, Lindaukamp, Kius, Boren / USA: Davenport, IA; - Scott Co. IA; - Minden, IA; Denver, Co; - Herrick, SD; - Greeley, NE; - Milwaukee, WI >Merry ChristmasJohn >"...which He prepared..." Ephesians 2 >==== SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN-ROOTS Mailing List ==== >Technical Terms and Rules of the S-H-ROOTS: >http://www.genealogy-sh.com/faq-sh-roots/index.htm > >------------------------------- >To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > >