Fröhliche Weihnachten! The DANK Haus Collections and Archives stores several Christmas and winter holiday-related objects, such as these German Christmas greeting cards. Unfortunately, neither of these cards are dated. The Weihnachten card featuring a smiling Santa alongside animals, however, has a message from a Heir Schaefer, which reads, “Ein frohes Weihnachtsfeir und alles Gute im Neuen Jahr.” 

The DANK Haus archives also holds a collection of German records and albums, including some Christmas-themed ones, like “Fröhliche Weihnacht,” a record printed in Austria that features Christmas songs in German like “Stille Nacht, Helige Nacht” and “Träume unterm Christbaum.” 

In addition to German records, our collections catalogs music programs from German-American choirs in Chicago, including concerts from the Deutsch-Amerikanischen Kinderchoir, such as this program from the 57th Weihnachtskonzert that took place in 1992 at the Irish-American Cultural Center in Chicago. The first Deutsch-Amerikanischen Kinderchoir Weihnachtskonzert was in 1935.

Lastly, the DANK Haus archives is home to many German toys and games, some of which could have been given as Christmas gifts, like these two small plastic dolls, or the game “Mensch ärgere Dich nicht,” which is described as a “klassische Familienspiel,” or classic family game for two to four players. 

Interested in learning more about the DANK Haus archives or visiting our museum? Contact Museum Director Sarah Matthews at sarah@dankhaus.com.