Objekt des Monats
Jedes Objekt in der Sammlung des Deutschen Auswandererhauses erzählt eine ganz persönliche Auswanderungs- oder Einwanderungsgeschichte. In dieser Rubrik stellen wir Ihnen jeden Monat ein anderes Objekt vor – eine Fotografie, ein Dokument oder ein persönliches Erinnerungsstück.
December 2020
Casting mold, around 1987
On the occasion of St. Nicholas and Christmas
© Collection Deutsches Auswandererhaus
Historical context
The round, older gentleman with a white beard, wearing high boots, a red winter coat, and a red pointed hat, has the peculiar task of visiting the homes of people in the night from December 24th to 25th, arriving on a flying reindeer sleigh and leaving gifts stored in a large sack – the ‘Santa Claus’ has become a familiar figure wherever Christmas is celebrated. This figure incorporates traits from many characters – along with elements from various illustrators:
The legendary Saint Nicholas of Myra (in present-day Turkey) likely passed on to the German “Christmas Man” not only his masculinity and age along with their signature, the white beard, but also the commendable task of bringing gifts to (well-behaved) children as early as the 18th century. The fact that this was to occur on December 24 or 25, and not on December 6, was noted in the schedule by Luther’s “Christ Child.” His outfit was completed in the 19th century: the boots and sack were contributed by some of his European companions (one of whom was, for example, “Knecht Ruprecht”) as he made his way to America. Upon arrival, the British “Father Christmas” outfitted the immigrants with a winter coat, and the red-and-white color, along with the pointed hat, was definitively assigned to him by the German-American cartoonist Thomas Nast. It was in the USA that authors like Washington Irving, William Gilley, and Clement C. Moore taught him to fly on a reindeer sleigh. “Santa Claus,” as he was called in the States, was already well-fed by the time he signed the contract with Coca-Cola in 1931, where the advertising artist Haddon Sundblom established an image for him that he has been unable to shed to this day.
Short biography of Albert Kirchmayr
Albert Kirchmayr was born on September 9, 1959, in Niederhofen in Swabia. At 16, as an apprentice cook, he began to feel his ‘wanderlust,’ but the planned trip to Switzerland failed right at the Austrian border – the authorities would not let him continue with only his fishing license. It wasn’t until two years later, after completing his apprenticeship, that his plans for Switzerland and a job as a cook came to fruition. After further stints in Stockholm and Bermuda, he found his way to Baltimore, USA, in 1979 through a friend. Soon, the plan matured to build his own company there. His first business had to close after two years, after which he worked as a head chef in a country club for the following years. Yet, the desire for his own shop remained – it would be a chocolate company. Albert Kirchmayr took a thorough approach: he spent a year learning the necessary craft in Germany and Switzerland, and he also bought the required machines there. Back in Baltimore, he opened ‘Kirchmayr Chocolatier’ in 1987. Initially, the business faced a tough start: on one hand, high-quality products were to be offered at a good price, while on the other hand, the demand for the sweets perceived as European had to be created. However, in the 32 years of ‘Kirchmayr Chocolatier’s’ operation, the company not only grew to employ four staff but also became a regional name. When Albert Kirchmayr made the ‘heavy-hearted’ decision in the spring of 2020 to close the store at 64, in light of the Corona pandemic, several newspapers in Baltimore and the surrounding area reported this – and countless customers reached out to express their gratitude and support.
Significance of the object
The Santa Claus, due to his diverse origins and widespread presence, is a figure that could likely be used for a German chocolatier in the USA – or so one would think. Thus, Albert Kirchmayr had a mold for Santas produced by a German company early on in the history of “Kirchmayr Chocolatier.” Despite the popularity of such chocolate figures on both sides of the Atlantic, the desired sales success did not materialize – the Santa that emerged from a German mold simply looked “too angry” for American customers. Albert Kirchmayr had no choice but to create another model, requesting a gentler expression. The “Santa Claus” must match his image – and should not appear to bring out the stick along with the gifts. Or as if he only had what the German poet Hoffmann von Fallersleben put in the sack in 1835:
“Drum, flute, and rifle, / Flag and saber and more, / Yes, an entire army” – not everyone wants this for Christmas anymore.
Do you also …
… have a migration or immigration story from your family to tell and would like to pass it along with the accompanying objects and documents to the German Emigration Center for its collection? Then please contact Dr. Tanja Fittkau at the phone number 0471 / 90 22 0 – 0 or via email at: t.fittkau@dah-bremerhaven.de
Archive: Previous Objects of the Month
Show all objectsDo You Also Have …
… a story of emigration or immigration in your family that you would like to share with the German Emigration Center together with the related objects and documents for its collection? Then please contact Dr. Tanja Fittkau by phone at +49 471 / 90 22 0 – 0
or by e-mail at: t.fittkau@dah-bremerhaven.de