Getting ready for Christmas in Germany — in the summer

Like the magical delivery work he does on Christmas Eve, Santa's holidays remain mysterious. Would we even recognize him if he'd be lying on a beach next to us? We know of at least one official stop during his summer break: the World Congress of Santa Clauses in Denmark, held this year from July 23-26. But what about next door in Germany? Does anyone here miss Christmas yet?

German children who write to Santa Claus use his home address in Himmelpfort, a small town north of Berlin. His (most probably empty) house can be visited all year. There, children can get an early start on preparing their wish list. After all, it might be a smart move to be one of the first to get in touch with Santa: Over 270,000 letters are sent to his Himmelpfort address every year.

From Christmas trees to tinsel and gingerbread houses, many of the symbols associated with the Christmas season were invented in Germany. Those who want to find out everything there is to know about the country's rich Christmas traditions can do so in the summer too, at the German Christmas Museum. It is located in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a well-preserved medieval town in Bavaria.

Also in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas decor shop is opened all year round - no matter how hot and humid it gets outside. Visitors from Germany or abroad can purchase Christmas tree ornaments, along with other holiday glitz. Founded in the 1960s, Käthe Wohlfahrt is one of Germany's best-known Christmas vendors.

Some 24 million Christmas trees are sold in Germany each year. Christmas firs can take around a decade to grow before they make their way to your living room, so tree growers are busy all year round. However, many begin tagging them in August, marking those that have the proper size and quality to be felled in time for Christmas.

These crunchy, spiced cookies are typical in Germany around Christmastime. Traditionally, they used to be baked just before consumption and were not available at other times of the year. Now, the season to be jolly stretches over several months. Spekulatius and other typical Christmas treats can be found in stores by late summer.

In 2012, the over 125-year-old German cookie-producing giant Bahlsen announced it would stop producing Christmas cookies. Fans protested, which led the Hanover-based company to reconsider its decision. Bahlsen also produces Christmas cookies for the US - and starts manufacturing the seasonal treats in June.

Lebkuchen is another traditional German Christmas treat that tastes like gingerbread. For years already, the sweets have also been appearing on supermarket shelves by the end of August - leading to yearly indignation by purists. Still, Lebkuchen-lovers rejoice: After all, if ice cream is available during the coldest months, why shouldn't they have a least a few months of their favorite dessert?

A widespread myth leads some people to believe that Easter chocolate that hasn't been sold after the spring holiday is melted down to produce Christmas chocolates. That's illegal according EU law, as very old chocolate could land in products packaged as new.

The shape of your chocolate St. Nick might nevertheless remind you of the Easter Bunny you ate a few months earlier. That's because some chocolate manufacturers have "multi-functional" molds that can be turned into either. Even the contents are the same, Germans buy more chocolate bunnies (107 million at Easter 2017) than chocolate Santas (96 million in 2016).