Looking to practise your German over the holidays? Need something to get you into the festive spirit? Germany is well-known for celebrating Christmas to the max, but what is perhaps less well-known is the fantastic selection of German-language Christmas movies the country boasts. Here are some of the best German holiday movies to get you into the festive spirit!
A remake of a Dutch film of the same name, Alles ist Liebe is a romantic comedy which tells the story of 10 men and women from Frankfurt am Main. The protagonists struggle with relationship issues and the dilemmas of love in the run-up to the holidays, and end up embroiled in several days of pre-Christmas chaos. The film brings the message of Christmas love to the forefront of viewers’ minds, reminding us all that love really is everything. Think of it as Love Actually, only in German.
Zwei Weihnachtsmänner is a two-part TV comedy series about the adventures of two men desperately trying to find their way back to Berlin on Christmas Eve. Arrogant flight passengers, lost luggage, broken-down trains and a drug-dealing Santa Claus stand in their way. Will they ever make it home in time for Christmas?!
This film plays fast and loose with historical accuracy to bring you the story of how the Christmas carol Silent Night came to be. It's about a priest who comes to a village that is divided by a bitter class struggle between the poor bargemen and their greedy employers. He creates the famous song to mend the village's wounds and restore the Christmas spirit. Heartwarming stuff.
This satirical Christmas comedy tells the story of Kati, a high-powered advertising executive who has been dating her boyfriend Jonas for over eight years. Normally, they spend the holiday season in Mauritius, but after an argument over Jonas' unwillingness to get married, Kati decides to spend Christmas with her family. As you can probably guess, things don't go entirely to plan...
This iconic tragic-comedy first came to German screens in 2012, gaining more than 6,8 million viewers for its first showing on TV. The movie follows the Christmas celebrations of an apartment building in Munich, whose residents unexpectedly meet up for a party on Christmas Eve after their pastor becomes injured.
Though not strictly speaking a movie, Weihnachten bei Hoppenstedt is a classic German comedy from 1978, following Christmas at the Hoppenstedts’ home. A tale of typical Christmas chaos with the family, this show really does have it all: laughter, love and festivities - what Christmas is all about!
Meine schöne Bescherung tells the story of Sara and her three children, all from different fathers, living under the same roof together with her new partner and his son. Wanting to share the Christmas spirit, Sara invites her entire blended family of partners and exes, children and step-children, to enjoy Christmas together. What could possibly go wrong...?
This 1933 novel by Erich Kästner has been adapted for the big screen more than once, most recently in 2003. It tells the story of an orphan who starts at a new boarding school a few days before Christmas. When a fierce rivalry starts brewing between the pupils and those at a neighbouring school, a teacher tries to resolve the situation by having the naughty kids put on a play called The Flying Classroom.
Based on the true story, this French-English-German epic war drama film tells the story of the Christmas truce of December 1914 - when soldiers from different sides put down their weapons at Christmas, crossed trenches, and exchanged seasonal greetings, food, and even gifts. Depicting events through the eyes of French, Scottish and German soldiers, Joyeux Noël was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 2006.
Let's end with a classic. Literally meaning Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella, this Czech-German film - a kind of Christmas version of the classic Cinderella story - was first released in 1973 and has since acquired the status of a cult classic. It is shown at least once on German TV every year and contains all the essential ingredients for a great Christmas film: a loveable heroine, a charming prince, medieval costumes, true love... and owls.