Christmas with a Twist: Fresh Ideas for the Holidays

Christmas is a special time of year. For children, the whole of December is often one of the most exciting months – adults often associate Christmas with stress and monotony. Keeping up traditions is all well and good, but what if you feel a calling to revolutionize Christmas in your family? We have a few ideas on how you can put a fresh twist on your Christmas. Who knows, maybe it will lead to a new tradition that everyone enjoys and isn’t just maintained out of habit.

Christmas with Friends

One way to avoid family stress at Christmas is to celebrate with your closest friends instead. This often means you don’t have to travel home because you may all live close to each other anyway. What’s more, getting together with friends is often less contentious than family gatherings. Plus, there are no established traditions you have to follow: everyone can bring their favorite customs (or games) and you can create your own fun mix. Or you can stock up on mulled wine and cookies and watch a few Christmas movies. If your parents insist on a visit, a compromise can help: Christmas Eve with friends and family meals the next day.

Gifts Under the Christmas Tree that Really Hit Home

For some people, Christmas presents are the best thing ever—the more, the better! Others have all too often gone home with bags full of tchotchkes that they don’t really need. Why not suggest to your family that you give each other fewer gifts, but ones that are well thought out and high quality? After all, less is more! One way to do this could be Secret Santa. Everyone receives only one gift and only has to buy one gift. Who gives a gift to whom is decided by drawing lots. This way, everyone can put a lot more thought into their gift andput something really nice and useful under the Christmas tree. Audiophile relatives and friends, for example, will surely be delighted with a high-quality Headphone Holder by K&MOpens in new tab, which presents on-ear headphones in a fitting manner and keeps them tidy. Or you could give a bag that protects headphones from scratches and splashes, such as our deuter x Teufel SUPREME ON BagOpens in new tab. You can find even more practical gift ideas for audio fans hereOpens in new tab.

Ring in the Holiday Season with Teufel

Learn about international Christmas traditions

How do other countries celebrate? Looking beyond your own backyard at Christmas can be very exciting. In the USA and France, the big gift-giving doesn’t take place until December 25. Children might not be so thrilled about the idea of having to wait a little longer for their presents. But it’s worth a try: the anticipation lasts longer, and breakfast with presents sounds pretty good. In Poland, on the other hand, the traditional gift-giving may only begin once the youngest member of the family has spotted the first star in the sky on December 24. This is an ideal opportunity for a walk, during which “Santa Claus” can secretly place the gifts under the tree. Unfortunately, this only works when the sky is clear.

A somewhat curious custom in Ukraine is to decorate the Christmas tree with cobwebs – not real ones, of course. It sounds strange at first, but the story behind it is cute: supposedly, there was a poor woman who had no money to decorate her Christmas tree. During the night, spiders did her a favor and covered the tree in cobwebs that sparkled beautifully in the light. Incidentally, this could also be a good opportunity to recycle Halloween decorations. And you can, of course, combine the cobwebs with classic Christmas decorations.

Nontraditional Christmas Dishes

In addition to international customs, adding international dishes to your Christmas feast can also enrich your own Christmas celebrations. In Italy, for example, no meat is eaten on December 24, which actually a sensible preparation for the lavish food offerings on Christmas Day. In South Korea, a cute, kitschy, colorfully decorated Christmas cake is traditionally served. In Denmark, rice pudding with chopped almonds is served for dessert. A whole almond is hidden in one serving: whoever finds it receives a small gift.

Alternatively, you could cook a completely vegan meal for Christmas. This will certainly require a change in thinking for many people, but it can be an exciting experience. Or you could all work together to create a festive menu: everyone is responsible for one course and prepares it themselves. That way, no one person is left standing in the kitchen at the end. Going out for brunch or grilling for Christmas also makes for a whole new experience. With mulled wine, pretty lighting, and a firepit to keep you warm, an outdoor Christmas dinner has all the charm of a traditional German Christmas market.

Listening tip(s): Want to listen to a couple of Christmas songs while cooking & baking but you’re sick to death of the classics like Last Christmas?

Christmas Vacations

For many people, going “home” for Christmas is part of the tradition – often to the home where they grew up. But that can mean stress for those very parents. Perhaps, after all the children have moved out, they sold the big house and there is not enough room for everyone. Or maybe there are other family circumstances that make you look for an alternative. Whatever the motivation, a Christmas vacation is guaranteed to breathe new life into the same old Christmas celebrations. This could be the opportunity to start a new tradition of a family vacation: every year at the end of December in the mountains – snow guaranteed.

Another option: travel to a warm destination alone or just with your partner. Christmas on the beach is an unforgettable experience. Some relatives may not be too happy about you shutting yourself off for the holidays. But if the annual family drama at Christmas tends to annoy you, this could be a chance to treat yourself to some peace and quiet and relax as the year draws to a close.

Celebrate Christmas with Teufel and Gift Merch

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It’s almost that time of year again: Christmas is just around the corner! And unless you and your family have decided to forego gifts this year, the annual question arises as always: What should go under the Christmas tree this year? We have a few ideas:

▶ TEUFEL CAP Opens in new tab“Opens in new tabTeufel”Opens in new tab: Snapback cap with embossed “Teufel” logo, ideal for daughters and sons who want to spend every free minute outside in the park.

▶ TEUFELOpens in new tab BAG: Looking for a stylish tote to show off your passion for Berlin sound? It also makes a great gift for friends and family.

▶ SLIPMATOpens in new tab: Does your father cherish and care for his record collection and enjoy putting a vinyl record on the turntable? Then this is the perfect gift.

▶ TEUFEL BABY BODY “Sound Generator”Opens in new tab: And of course, we have something for our little fans too!

▶ For more options, check out the Teufel FanshopOpens in new tab.

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• Image 1: ©Sandra Seitamaa. Unsplash LicenseOpens in new tab. Source: UnsplashOpens in new tab.
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