Christmas in a German family

A group of senior citizens in Magdeburg has been inviting foreign students to spend Christmas with them since 2003. Anita and Rolf Fleischer were among the first to start this unique holiday tradition.  

Plätzchen backen macht Spaß, Foto: Königl/DAAD

“Alright, now fill this last sheet and then we’ll put them all in the oven,” Anita Fleischer instructs her hardworking biscuit bakers. She is calm and collected despite the commotion in the kitchen. Fabian, Guoxing Cheng, Penelope and her friend diligently roll out the biscuit dough, and each of them try their hand at kneading the mass and cutting forms out of the dough. Meanwhile, Sophy and Funny are busy preparing more baking sheets in the living-room.                      

Christmas is about friendship and family

For Funny, as she calls herself since hardly anyone here can pronounce her real name Fu Xiao, this will be her third Christmas in Germany. “I especially love the delicious food at Christmas,” she confesses. Chenyi Yang, who calls herself Sophy and has just learned the word “besinnlich” [reflective, solemn], particularly enjoys the Christmas atmosphere. “I like the Christmas trees and how everything is so beautifully illuminated at this time of year.” For her, Christmas means “friendship, family, warmth, good food and presents” – a bit like the Chinese Spring Festival. “But unfortunately, we don’t have Christmas trees,” says Junqiang Zhang, alias Fabian, and starts singing “Oh Tannenbaum, oh Tannenbaum...” In his enthusiasm, he forgets the piping bag in his hand and a huge clump of biscuit dough plops onto the sheet. “You ought to pay more attention to what you’re doing,” his ‘aunt’ Anita Fleischer admonishes, laughing. “What are these biscuits called actually, Aunt?” asks Guoxing Cheng. “Spritzgebäck,“ she replies. “Spizzebäck” he repeats.

The tradition of baking biscuits

Die Fischers und ihre Gäste, Foto: Königl/DAAD

Over the years, the Fleischer family has hosted 12 Chinese students. “We’re still in contact with most of them,” Rolf Fleischer says happily. “And that really makes it feel like they belong to the family.” Baking biscuits together is a long-cherished tradition in their family. “We’ve been doing this for eight years now.” He and his wife visited China and were lucky to meet many nice people. In return, they want to pay back some of that warm hospitality.  “Some of these students come to Germany and feel a little lonely without their family.” For the senior citizens, it’s all the more reason to help them feel at home in Germany. “We’re here for our guest children anytime they need us. No matter if it’s renovating a flat or coping with a broken heart, we’ve gone through it all,” he recalls with a smile. “I always say, if you have problems, give me a call, even if it’s a curtain rod that you need help fixing to the wall.” Like a real grandpa. But he’d rather prefer they call him ‘Uncle’ so as not to get his grandchildren jealous. “Plus, it makes me sound younger,” says the 75-year-old with a smirk.  

The preparations for the Christmas festivities with their guest children are in full swing.  “We’re going to eat lunch together, I’m making a roast with dumplings. And of course, we can’t forget the green cabbage. And then we’ll all decorate the Christmas tree together, and after that comes Bescherung, the opening of the presents,” Anita Fleischer explains while she and the students place the sheet of freshly baked biscuits onto the table.