In Lebanon we celebrated Christmas according to German traditions – including the Advent season, making cookies and everything else you could imagine when thinking of Christmas in Germany. Marzipan potatoes were particularly valuable, as the ingredients are quite expensive in Lebanon. Considering the country’s past, it is customary to eat Bûche de Noël – a French dessert, also known as a Yule log – for Christmas. It is often served with one end cut off to further resemble the chopped off branch of a tree. In our home, however, we usually had meat fondue for Christmas Eve, which again is a very German holiday dinner.

 

Decoration-wise, the Lebanese really devote themselves to turning their towns and villages into sparkling Christmas wonderlands, sometimes even resulting in actual rivalries between cities. Some of my Muslim friends celebrated Christmas, too. And although it is a Christian tradition, they even put up a Christmas tree in their homes, simply because they considered it a beautiful sight.