Creating an extraordinary Christmas

The Miele for Life team love celebrating Christmas as it is a glorious time of year filled with family, friends and food. This month we delve into how people around the world celebrate the festive season and their different cultural traditions.

Photo by Jennifer Pallian on Unsplash

Germany: Nativity of Miele

Christmas in the birth place of Miele is full of snow, cosy nights by the fire and unique Christmas traditions. Germans often begin their festivities in November with many towns hosting traditional German markets filled with wonderful decorations and an array of lights.

On the 24th of December, Germans exchange gifts with their loved ones for Christmas Eve, before coming together with family and friends on Christmas day to celebrate and enjoy hearty traditional meals. This ranges from duck or goose to rabbit – all roasted with delicacies such as apple and sausage stuffing, cabbage and potatoes. These warming dishes are perfect for the cool weather and are accompanied with homemade mulled wine, made with red wine, citrus fruits and cinnamon to create a tasty drink that warms the stomach.

To finish off the day, German families often enjoy a traditional Stollen Christmas cake made with a range of fruits such as currants, sultanas and oranges, alongside the rich taste of rum and marzipan.

For the final touch, Germans add their iconic spicy gingerbread cookies, which can act as a homely decoration to place around the house or on the dining table.

Spain: Bienvenidos Seafood fiesta

Many Spanish families have their Christmas meal on Christmas Eve ahead of attending a midnight mass known as the La Misa Del Gallo, the mass of the rooster, where they celebrate their faith. In the lead up to Christmas, young children also partake in Christmas carol singing for their neighbours to liven the streets and fill them with Christmas cheer.

Historically, a Spanish Christmas meal was a turkey stuffed with truffles or a roasted chicken, however, now they tend to celebrate with a range of seafood dishes such as paella, entremeses meat boards or a conchinillo asado which is a roast suckling pig.

The weather during December is one of the coolest and wettest for the year with fewer daylight hours, making it a great time to tuck into the Spanish cuisine and entertain family and friends inside the house.

If you want to try and cook a succulent roast pig yourself, it’s best to use your Miele oven on the Select Moisture Plus setting. This function allows you to select automatic bursts of steam throughout the cooking process, preventing the roast from drying out. Additionally, the Auto Roast function is great to set and use so you can sit back and relax on Christmas day while the oven does all the hard work, perfectly set to the meal inside.

England: Keep cosy in Britain

Most people are familiar with how Christmas is celebrated in England thanks to numerous movies shared over the years that depict what many now identify as a ‘traditional’ white Christmas. The day revolves around a long, decadent lunch that is usually served around two o’clock with the whole family in tow.

On the table there will always be a large array of Christmas decorations, complete with Christmas crackers – with their paper hats and popular jokes, candles, tinsel, confetti, lights and more. Lunch is often served with pigs in a blanket, delicious roasted vegetables such as parsnips, brussels sprouts, carrots and potatoes, and at least three types of meat such as turkey with cranberry sauce, stuffed chicken and pork with apple sauce.

With Christmas in the heart of winter, building a snowman is always on the agenda for those who are brave enough to face the cold. Alternatively, a relaxing afternoon watching festive movies and munching on typical desserts like Christmas cake, pudding and mince pies is always a welcomed option.

To make your own Christmas Pudding try our ambassador Shannon Bennett’s Christmas pudding recipe here.

Australia: Shrimp on the barbie myth-busted

To finish up, we thought it only right to skip down under and over the other side of the globe to Australia. We all know that the weather here is completely different, with a bright sun, morning beach swims, summer attire and barbeques. It is the polar opposite to those who have grown up in cooler climates and are accustomed to snowy scenes, woolly printed jumpers, mistletoe and snowmen.

Christmas in Australia is varied across the country, however, it’s generally a relaxed day filled with family, food and afternoon naps or outdoor cricket. As it can be quite hot, many families tend to enjoy decadent seafood platters, cold meats and salads, while some hold onto traditional meals from their heritage countries, making it an inclusive multi-cultural Christmas meal.

Entertaining is made easy with minimal table settings sat outside under a large umbrella with Christmas BonBons and native flowers.

Most Australian Christmas’ finish with pavlova and a glass of champagne or beer for an evening spent with friends and family.

Try a delicious pavlova for yourself with this recipe from our website.