Have a Very Nazi Christmas
Left: A swastika-shaped cookie cutter. Right: Recipes for Nazi and Germanic-themed breads and cakes. Photos via dailymail.co.uk.
A new exhibit at the National Socialism Documentation Center (warning: in German) in Cologne, Germany, showcases World War II era Nazi-themed Christmas paraphernalia, including the swastika cookie cutter, above. Mother and daughter team Judith and Rita Breuer became interested in the secularization of the holiday under the Third Reich while collecting antique Christmas ornaments, and started coming across strange iconography: bombs, soldiers, Iron Crosses. Included in the collection are recipes for pro-Nazi baking projects that make allowances for war rationing.
They weren't just messing with Christmas, either: the Nazis wanted to wipe the entire holiday season clean of any nasty Christianity. St. Nicholas, who brings candies and gifts to children on December 6th, was replaced by the Norse God Odin. The exhibit is open until January 17th, so if you're in Cologne, and want to have the creepiest holiday ever, check it out.
—Paula Forbes
