Every family is a world with diverse traditions that are passed down from generation to generation, and the Christmas season is perfect to relive them. We enjoy this season just once a year, searching for the ideal tree, opening dusty boxes of Christmas decorations, and wrapping gifts for loved ones. In the Wohlfahrt family, the Christmas decorations are not covered in dust: these holidays have never ended for almost sixty years.
The founders of the German brand, Wilhelm and Käthe Wohlfahrt, are from Saxony, a German region known for its wooden Christmas decorations. In 1956 they decided to leave their homeland to settle in West Germany, taking only the most necessary things with them. In their suitcase they transported a music box that soon became a family jewel, and that's how the whole story began. Takuma Wohlfahrt, manager of the company, is the third generation of the Wohlfahrts, the most Christmassy family in Europe, whose stores sell winter decorations all year round.
How did the story of Käthe Wohlfahrt begin?
Once my grandparents Wilhelm and Käthe Wohlfahrt were celebrating Christmas with some American friends. As usual this season, the entire house was decorated and what caught the eyes of his friends was a music box, very typical of Saxony. They were dazzled! Without thinking further, the grandparents decided to give them something similar. They started searching, but they ran into two great difficulties.
First, at that time Saxony, where they had brought their box, was part of the Soviet occupation zone, that is, East Germany, therefore exports between the two Germanys were difficult to carry out. Second, after Christmas, no store had these objects in stock, so my grandfather had to buy ten music boxes wholesale and try to sell them later.
Who were the first customers?
Near Stuttgart there is an American military base that my grandfather toured to sell the boxes to his staff. However, he did not take into account that it was illegal, so the military police soon arrested him. Upon seeing him, the wife of a general recommended that she not go door to door, but rather participate in charity events, organized by women from the base, where, perhaps, she would find his first clients. He was successful from the first attempt, so he began to buy more decorative objects, sell them at weekend markets and ended up selling them at home, transforming the basement into a warehouse with a sales room, in 1964.
What Christmas traditions does your family have?
We started pretty early with the decorations. Although I left my parents' house a long time ago, I have been decorating their Christmas tree for ten years, which is the main one in the family, because we always celebrate Christmas Eve together in the living room of their house. We all have quite different tastes: my parents' tree is the most classic and traditional, with wooden elements that symbolize the beginning of our story, mine has more glass ornaments, my sister's is always very attractive and my brother, On the contrary, he prefers something minimalist, he doesn't even put up a large tree.
And I assume the decorations are by Käthe Wohlfahrt?
Clear. Every year we design something new that also hides nods to my family. One of my favorites is called Santa's Office, it is a figure of Santa Claus sitting at the table and writing names of children to whom he is going to bring gifts. If you look at the list carefully, you will find names of my family members, including mine. This year my sister had a baby and in the catalog there are strollers with her name, because we wanted to preserve this precious moment in the history of Käthe Wohlfahrt.
Have you also inspired some collections?
I have a boyfriend, so it was very important to me to make more inclusive Christmas decorations. As a result, a collection with the rainbow flag. Furthermore, since I am committed to sustainability and nature, a few years ago I launched a collection with endangered animals that now adorns my Christmas tree.
What is it like to be in the Christmas season all year round? Don't you get tired?
Christmas is still my favorite holiday, every year I am very excited. We grew up with the company, since we were children, my father, my aunts, my brothers and myself, we started helping with the store, working on holidays and vacations. We have employees who are already like family, because they have been working with us for about forty years, they have known us since we were little, from when my parents took us to company meetings.
With just a few days left until Christmas, my father and I stay in the office until late at night. That is why for us Christmas is more than a magical celebration, it is a rewarding moment, when we realize that we have once again achieved all the objectives, keep the traditions and maintain the relationship with our usual collaborators. Our year ends on Christmas Day, not December 31st.
