A Touch of German

Nestled in the heart of downtown Cullman, we find «A Touch of German,» a Prussian Shangri-​La. And should that appear oxymoronic, so be it — the shop’s byline, «und das ist gut!,» is an understatement — such a selection seems truly improbable outside a Big Apple or Easy.
You may ask, «yes, but in Cullman?» Don’t. Cullman County’s history basically began with a klatsch of German immigrants (led by Frankweiler, Bavaria native Col. John Gottfried Cullmann) who alighted upon the sparsely populated plateau in what is referred to as the «German Settlement of 1873,» carving a life for themselves out of Alabama wilderness.
Truly for the Germaniacal, one might feel themselves a Wandersmann in an outpost of Nürnberg’s Christkindlesmarkt: cuckoo clocks, Old World Christmas ornaments, and beer steins (Bierkrüge) abound.
Standouts are the Räuchermännchen, anthropomorphic censers that make an art of second-​hand smoke… and happenstance might even reveal a creation of the «Deutsche Demokratische Republik,» a holdover from a divided Vaterland, a keepsake of historic as well as aesthetic import. One can find traditional Nutcrackers (Nussknacker), whose fixed stares, combined with the smokers’, hearken back to the salad days of the Children of the Corn.
The authoritarian crackers, a Christmas staple, originated as an «in joke» between German woodworkers who scoffed at the king or soldier relegated to cracking a lowly pecan.
The smokers, utilizing incense that reeked of religious ritual (think Frankincense and myrrh) and myth, originated circa 1850 when toymakers paid homage to the popularity of the pipe by recreating typical village dwellers, such as peddlers and chimney sweeps, puffing away on their mini-​meerschaums. I, of course, had to get one. And it was made in East Germany! Neat.
Once here, St. Nikolaus will find holiday candies needn’t stop with Advent Calendars… one can also add a «Trim of German» to their Tannenbaum with foil-​wrapped Santas and other chocornamentation.
Pick up a few to complement your Lebkuchen and Stollen, just a few of the holiday edibles they offer and I buy!
DO check them out! Wanna talk stocking stuffers?