No Santa comes to Germany. Find out why he notoriously ignores us and why there is a sort of "Christkindl / Weihnachtsmann - Divide" in Deutschland at this following nice link from Australia. Btw, the Christkindl is female and brings the gifts in our "Heilige Nacht",  the Holy Night on the 24th of December: http://www.billanookps.vic.edu.au/German/christmas_files/origin.htm.

But wait....we not only have the "Christkindl" in Bayern. We also have these two guys, which visit very small children at the 5th or 6th (depends on the region) December every year: The "Heilige Nikolaus", who brings small gifts, and his servant, the "Kramperl". Last one´s duty is, to punish the 4 - 10 year old kids hardly with his willow birch when having behaved badly throughout the year and even put the worst of them into his sack. Lucky parents. Yes, yes, so do we Germans raise our children.... That Holy Nikolaus is based on a historical person who was a bishop. And no, it´s not Santa Claus. The man in the red bishop robe in the pictures above is our Heilige Nikolaus. Mistaking these two aged men could end up badly - just look at these two Kramperl on the top left picture.  Seems, they focus you already...

On the early morning of the 24th of December, there can be seen a very rare phenomenon. Rare,  because this particular christmas tradition is (still) known  and kept alive  by only a few families in Bayern and Austria. There is namely jumping a little golden male foal, named the "Goldene Heisserl", over the roof of  these few family houses and loses some chocolate and sweets on his impetuous jump. "Heisserl" is an old bavarian/austrian word for a male foal. Why it´s male, I can´t tell. But that´s the same with the question, why is the Christkindl female, when the "Christkind" (christ child) Jesus was actually a boy. If I ever find out, be sure I will add this information here. The Goldene Heisserl never has been seen by children yet, only by adults. The same as with the Christkindl btw. The only evidence children get from the existence of the Christkindl, are the presents which lie under the Weihnachtsbaum (Christmas tree) and the ringing of the bell, for with she finally releases the children from their expectant strain after having waited the whole day and got shooed away from the locked living room door, any time they became too curious about what´s going on in there. But back to this seldom exemplar, the Goldene Heisserl. Obviously, this wonderful being and tradition isn´t much common in Bayern and definately not known in other german regions, but still in some regions of Austria as much as I know. Even over the houses of my neighbours, the Goldene Heisserl never has jumped. But my parents knew this from their childhood, and so they gave it forward also to us children. And so will I. Traditions are not always good and worth to keep. But have you ever seen a child, who dislikes chocolate and sweets or voluntarely would give up on traditions which guarantee that? And more important, these tired but very smiling, happy children eyes, which were brought to gleam mostly not because of these few sweets, but by this wonderful imagination of a boisteriously jumping golden foal over their roof on the morning of this most looked-for day of the whole year. So, I will take very, very care of "my" Goldenes Heisserl! Even, if maybe someday he only is jumping for me.