45:56 German Christmas songs for kids
December is the one month when German is sung out loud everywhere — in kindergartens, at markets, around the tree. That makes it the easiest month of the year to pick up German words, because the same twenty songs come around again and again.
The classics every German-speaking child knows
These are the songs sung in kindergartens and at home. We list what each one is about — the lyrics themselves belong to their authors and publishers.
| Song | What it is about |
|---|---|
| Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht | The best-known Christmas carol in the world — first performed in Oberndorf near Salzburg, Austria, in 1818. |
| O Tannenbaum | A song of praise to the fir tree that stays green all year. |
| Ihr Kinderlein, kommet | An invitation to the children to come and look at the manger. |
| Kling, Glöckchen, klingelingeling | A little bell asking to be let in out of the cold — the first one most toddlers learn. |
| Lasst uns froh und munter sein | A counting-down song for the evening before St Nicholas Day. |
| Schneeflöckchen, Weißröckchen | A snowflake in a little white skirt is asked to come down and visit. |
| Alle Jahre wieder | Christmas comes back every year — quiet, simple and very short. |
| O du fröhliche | A joyful, formal carol; the one that traditionally closes the evening. |
Stille Nacht is worth pointing out to a child: it was written in a small Austrian village, and it is now sung in over 300 languages.
German Christmas vocabulary
| German | English | Sounds roughly like |
|---|---|---|
| Frohe Weihnachten! | Merry Christmas! | FROH-uh VY-nakh-ten |
| der Weihnachtsbaum | Christmas tree | VY-nakhts-bowm |
| der Heilige Abend | Christmas Eve, 24 December | HY-li-guh AH-bent |
| das Christkind | the Christ Child (brings the presents) | KRIST-kint |
| der Weihnachtsmann | Father Christmas | VY-nakhts-mann |
| der Nikolaus | St Nicholas, 6 December | NEE-ko-lows |
| der Adventskranz | Advent wreath with four candles | ad-VENTS-krants |
| die Kerze | candle | KAIR-tsuh |
| das Geschenk | present | guh-SHENK |
| der Schnee | snow | SHNAY |
| die Plätzchen | Christmas biscuits | PLETS-khen |
| der Weihnachtsmarkt | Christmas market | VY-nakhts-markt |
How Christmas works in Germany and Austria
- The presents arrive on the evening of 24 December, not on the morning of the 25th. That evening is called der Heilige Abend.
- Who brings them depends on the region: das Christkind in Austria and southern Germany, der Weihnachtsmann in the north.
- St Nicholas comes earlier and separately, on 6 December, and traditionally leaves small things in a boot or a plate.
- The four Sundays before Christmas are marked by der Adventskranz — one more candle is lit each week. For children this is the actual countdown.
- The tree is often only decorated on 24 December itself, which is why children are kept out of the room until the bell rings.
Why December is the best month to start German
A Christmas song is short, extremely repetitive and comes with a picture in every shop window. A child hears the same handful of words for four weeks straight, in a context they already understand — that is exactly the setup language learning needs, and it happens on its own.
Songs to practise with
Free on YouTube, sung slowly and with an English explanation on every song page.
Questions people ask
What is the most famous German Christmas song?
Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht — known in English as Silent Night. It was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818 in Oberndorf near Salzburg in Austria and has since been translated into more than 300 languages.
When do German children get their presents?
On the evening of 24 December, called der Heilige Abend. In Austria and southern Germany they are brought by das Christkind, in northern Germany by der Weihnachtsmann.
How do you say Merry Christmas in German?
Frohe Weihnachten — roughly FROH-uh VY-nakh-ten. Frohes Fest works too and is slightly more general.
What is the German for Advent calendar?
der Adventskalender. The wreath with the four candles is der Adventskranz — one candle is lit on each of the four Sundays before Christmas.
Keep going
German numbers for kids — 1 to 20 and beyond German numbers 1 to 20 and the tens, with a simple pronunciation guide, the two traps English speakers always fall into, and songs to practise counting. German animal names for kids Farm animals, zoo animals and forest animals in German, each with its article, an English pronunciation guide and the sound it makes in German. Plus songs to practise. The German alphabet for kids All 26 letters of the German alphabet with their spoken names, plus ä, ö, ü and ß — and why the German ABC song fits the same melody as the English one. German lullabies for children The German lullabies families have sung for generations, what each is about, the bedtime words that go with them, and what makes a lullaby work at all.