Christmas in Nazi Germany
celebration christmas nazi germany included attempt regime bring christian religious holiday line nazi ideology jewish origin jesus commemoration birth jewish messiah troubling member nazi party racialist belief government official attempted remove aspect christmas civil celebration concentrate cultural prechristian aspect festival however church private celebration remained christian nature christianity long main faith germanic people dating missionary work columbanus st boniface th–th century nazi ruled germany nazism wanted transform subjective consciousness german people—their attitude value mentalities—into singleminded cohesive national community according american journalist shirer leadership rosenberg bormann himmler—backed hitler—the nazi regime intended destroy christianity germany could substitute old paganism early tribal germanic god new paganism nazi extremist hitler nazi party promoted positive christianity early hitler falling alfred rosenberg declared official stance nazi party positive christianity exclusively christian open nontheists even promoted wotan rosenbergs myth th century early nazi celebration christmas occurred adolf hitler made speech beer hall munich supporter undercover police reporter wrote crowd cheered hitler condemned cowardly jew breaking worldliberator cross swearing rest jew lay shattered ground crowd sang carol nationalist hymn around christmas tree gift donated workingclass attendee speech taking power nazi ideologue initially sought reject germany longheld christmas traditions—renaming festival julfest propagating germanic origin celebration winter solstice majority german christian tradition remained basis holiday church outraged removal christ christmas maintained christian tradition among nazi ideologist claimed christian element holiday superimposed upon ancient germanic tradition argued christmas eve originally nothing birth jesus christ instead celebrated winter solstice rebirth sun swastika ancient symbol big dipper position spring equinox summer solstice september equinox winter solstice perceived santa claus christian reinvention germanic god wotan commonly known name norse mythology odin accordingly holiday poster made depict odin christmas solstice man riding white charger sporting thick grey beard wearing slouch hat carrying sack full gift traditional crèche replaced garden containing wooden toy deer rabbit mary jesus depicted blonde mother child christmas tree also changed traditional name tree christbaum weihnachtsbaum renamed press fir tree light tree jul tree star top tree sometimes replaced swastika germanic sun wheel sig rune swastikashaped tree light height movement attempt made remove association coming jesus replace coming hitler referred saviour führer christmas carol also changed word silent night changed made reference god christ religion word also changed hymn unto u time come remove reference jesus modified version hymn use several year postwar germany popular carol promoted nazi han baumanns exalted night clear star hohe nacht der klaren sterne replaced traditional christian theme nazi racial ideology carol popular collapse nazi germany regularly performed still sometimes performed modern day shop catalogue containing childrens toy made available holiday season featured chocolate s soldier toy tank fighter plane machine gun sign appreciation heinrich himmler frequently gave s member julleuchter yule lantern kind ornate germanic candlestick made dachau concentration camp housewife prompted bake biscuit shape bird wheel swastika child movement remove christian influence christmas lessened government concentrated war effort civil celebration christmas marked festival day remembrance germany war dead german embraced nazi rebranding christmas time reported hostility minority file national socialist womens league reported tension flared propagandist pressed hard sideline religious observance leading much doubt discontent clergy among opposed redefining christmas report say düsseldorf clergy used christmas promote womens club encourage membership catholic clergy threatened woman joined national socialist womens league excommunication religious woman boycotted christmas event organised national socialist womens league kirchenkampf religion nazi germany weihnachten winterhilfswerk photo nazi hitler christmas party dec life slideshow dec archived original december