Hi all

I recently kicked off a thread about what people send home for relatives as 'Swiss' gifts at Christmas; on that thread, someone mentioned about how much they were looking forward to celebrating Christmas on Christmas Eve rather than Day.

This is vaguely familiar to me as a Continental thing, but I've been thinking through the repercussions on kids. My kids are 8 and 4, so the big guy in the red suit still swings by with a gift and stocking each. How does he do that if you have Christmas on Christmas Eve?

But maybe, I thought, the kid traditions are different here... Oh, no! What if the kid traditions are different here? And I don't know, and my kids are the ONLY ones at school who don't do/ go/ receive whatever, and the whole magic of Christmas thing is broken once they return to school?

So please can those with children tell me what the whole Christmas system is here - when and what is celebrated, who brings what gifts and when, what sort of present haul would be considered locally suitable, etc etc. We're in the French side, so I'm not sure if that Santa/ Schmutzli (sp?) thing applies (see, I did try to research this first before bothering people).

Thanks for any help.

kodokan

Hi,

I found this website and it gives an idea of what happens... From what I gather it is a rather quieter affair than the UK celebrations.

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/desti...wissxmas04.htm

I know on Silvester (new year's eve) they melt a silver metal over a candle in a special spoon then throw it in a bowl of water, what ever pattern it comes out as predicts the year ahead.

Gal

The Samiclaus tradition is practiced in all of Switzerland. Usually you organise to have a Samiclaus and Schmützli to come and visit your children - we would get together with the neighbours and have the 2 come for all the children. The tradition here is that the children have to say a poem or a rhyme (which they make up or get from their friends) for Samiclaus and then he decides if they have been good or bad and they get their reward.
What I have been doing the past 13 Christmas's here is combining my traditions from home with Swiss traditions. So we would have the Samiclaus on the 6th for the kids, decorate the tree on the 24th, but open presents after midnight so its already the 25th. It is traditional to bake Christmas cookies, there are lots of recipes for Swiss ones, most people eat fondue or raclette on Christmas Eve but we eat turkey. The Christmas wreath is also traditional either on the dining table or hanging on the front door, and real candles on the tree, not electric lights.

You could incorporate both traditions by letting your kids have a few minor presents on Christmas Eve (the stocking fillers, for example) brought by the Cristkindli then assuming Father Christmas drops in overnight with his sack to enjoy his brandy and mince pie, you can have the main pressies on Christmas morning.

Sami Claus and Schmutzli only put in an appearance on the 6th December but the kids only seem to get tangerines, biscuits and nuts at this time, no big presents (but that might only be my husband's family).

Each community usually has a stock of Sami Claus characters you can book to come to your house but you have to book early. You can give them a list of details about your kids so the kids are gobsmacked that this big bloke in a red suit knows that they don't always brush their teeth, for example.

We do the same as Sandgrounder. Combine both traditions. We split the presents into two lots. The first comes from the Christkindli and are part of the big Swiss family Christmas Eve celebration with uncles, aunts, cousins etc. There's usually some moderate carol-singing and a meal that varies depending on who's doing the cooking.
Then when the kids have gone to bed, Father Christmas comes down the chimney and leaves some surprises from relatives in the UK.
We tell them the story that Father Christmas needs help and can't deliver all the toys in one night to all the children all over the world - that's why there are helpers in every country
Christmas morning is just our own family with a Christmas brunch we have introduced.
A turkey is a must for me. I try and have it on Christmas day or boxing day with friends.

Thanks for the reminder. I've just sent off the booking for this year - our first time with a "real" Samichlaus.

I realise the OP's not from Zurich, but here's the link for the Zurich Samichlause if anyone else is interested: www.samichlaus-zuerich.ch

I've already started managing expectations. I've told my kids Santa won't be coming to town this year because of the credit crunch. He's giving the presents to all the poor children on Wall Street.

We celebrate with my Swiss husbands family on Christmas eve, and they open there presents from his side of the family then. Then on christmas day we celebrate the UK way get up early open presents have a nice home cooked breakfast, invite friends over exchange gifts, and then i cook a traditional English Christmas meal, so my kids get the best of both worlds.

Aww, you all have lovely-sounding Christmases! Thank you for the suggestions - I like the idea of splitting the presents across the two days, and having The Christmas Meal on Christmas Eve, leaving Christmas Day free for relaxing with the new toys and long walks in the (hopefully) snow.

So does anyone know if the Samiclaus/ Schmutzli thing happens in the French side? - I've had a Google, but it only gave me results/ events from Swiss German towns and villages. And this happens on the 6th Dec, right? And I'm to make sure the kids know a little song, and lay in supplies of nuts, tangerines and stuff, and leave them in their shoes..?

Thankfully, the 6th is a Saturday, so if I bodge it at least it gives the kids a day to forget to discuss it at school!

kodokan

There is some more information about Samichlaus in this thread.

Also a widespread custom is the Advent_Wreath. Not sure how common it is in other countries? And not relevant for children until they're old enough to light the candles or are interested to make a wreath.

More interesting for children is the oportunity to draw their own beeswax candles in one of the tents that are mounted during Advent season. It's called Kerzenziehen in German.

A local attraction in Zurich for 4-10 years old children who know Swiss German is the Märlitram (fable tram). It's a 25 minutes tour through the city center during which two angels tell a story, and the tram is operated by nobody else than Santa. Tickets have to be booked in advance and more information can be found here and here in German.

At Christmas Eve as all my relatives celebrate it, children stay up late. The adults decorate the christmas tree and the door to the room stays then closed while everybody eats dinner. After dinner, somebody hidden rings a bell meaning that the angels have lit the candles, brought the presents and left. The room may then be entered, which happens rather quickly.

Sometimes, children make a wish list and leave it on the windowsill over night so that an angel picks it up. Wish lists can be everything from carefully written letters to collages glued together from various toy brochures.

I've lived in Geneva all my life and have never heard of Samiclaus/Schmutzli People around here do the gifts exchange either on Xmas Eve, or Xmas day. :-)

My Know-it-all passport says that December 6th St Nicholas can be seen delivering treats to children throughout the region. I never saw this happen myself last year but I really didn't look into it, we might try harder this year as they are older.

We're also planning on visiting Santa's toy factory at Rocher-de-Naye, and afterwards visit the christmas market a Montreux.

I do know that if you send a letter to "Pere Noel c/o La Poste", you will get a letter back! Hope that helps a bit

Kate

I heard that the trip up to the toy factory is really magical. Found this website with what's going on at the Rocher-de-Naye at in Montreux this year. The Christmas Market can get a bit hectic, but I do enjoy visiting it each year. Roll on Christmas!

No it isn't. Like some posters have pointed out not in Geneva. However the french version does exist: Saint Nicholas. So I'd imagine the reason he doesn't come to Geneva is because it is protestant.

I am english and I grew up in Geneva. My mother always celebrated Christmas the english way with stockings, a big meal on the 25th and Christmas pudding and I loved it.

If you are both british I would do it the british way and if you are married to a swiss person I would try to find a compromise but wouldn't give up on the stockings.

As a child, my family (Swiss living in the US) went out on Christmas Eve..either to church or to Friends' homes for dinner..Santa came while we were gone and we stayed up half the night opening the gifts.