How do you celebrate the winter holidays in your respective country? Is there caroling? religious ceremonies? anything distinguishable or special?
It is pretty standard to carefully assemble and arrange an advent calendar for someone you love. We go to the Christmas market and drink GlĂĽhwein or Feuerzangenbowle. We put a little present and sweets into the shoes of children (or adults) before the morning of the 6th of december, Nikolaustag (=St. Nicolas day). The main event is christmas eve on the 24th, were we distribute and unwrap the presents under the christmas tree. New years eve is classically celebrated by eating jelly doughnuts (Berliner) and watching a very old sketch that runs several times during the day on many channels, called "Dinner for one". At midnight we toast with sparkling wine and watch (or make) fireworks.
Yes, in this country it is an old custom that when the frost freezes over all the water channels and small rivers people put on their ice skating gear and roam the channels and skate to far places and carry with them food and drinks and do it in groups and meet on the ice and hug and celebrate winter. My ex girlfriend adopted that and now misses it completely in her life.
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