Like the magical delivery work he does on Christmas Eve, Santa's holidays remain mysterious. Would we even recognize him if he'd be lying on a beach next to us? We know of at least one official stop during his summer break: the World Congress of Santa Clauses in Denmark, held this year from July 23-26. But what about next door in Germany? Does anyone here miss Christmas yet?

German children who write to Santa Claus use his home address in Himmelpfort, a small town north of Berlin. His (most probably empty) house can be visited all year. There, children can get an early start on preparing their wish list. After all, it might be a smart move to be one of the first to get in touch with Santa: Over 270,000 letters are sent to his Himmelpfort address every year.

From Christmas trees to tinsel and gingerbread houses, many of the symbols associated with the Christmas season were invented in Germany. Those who want to find out everything there is to know about the country's rich Christmas traditions can do so in the summer too, at the German Christmas Museum. It is located in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a well-preserved medieval town in Bavaria.

Also in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas decor shop is opened all year round - no matter how hot and humid it gets outside. Visitors from Germany or abroad can purchase Christmas tree ornaments, along with other holiday glitz. Founded in the 1960s, Käthe Wohlfahrt is one of Germany's best-known Christmas vendors.

Some 24 million Christmas trees are sold in Germany each year. Christmas firs can take around a decade to grow before they make their way to your living room, so tree growers are busy all year round. However, many begin tagging them in August, marking those that have the proper size and quality to be felled in time for Christmas.

These crunchy, spiced cookies are typical in Germany around Christmastime. Traditionally, they used to be baked just before consumption and were not available at other times of the year. Now, the season to be jolly stretches over several months. Spekulatius and other typical Christmas treats can be found in stores by late summer.

In 2012, the over 125-year-old German cookie-producing giant Bahlsen announced it would stop producing Christmas cookies. Fans protested, which led the Hanover-based company to reconsider its decision. Bahlsen also produces Christmas cookies for the US - and starts manufacturing the seasonal treats in June.

Lebkuchen is another traditional German Christmas treat that tastes like gingerbread. For years already, the sweets have also been appearing on supermarket shelves by the end of August - leading to yearly indignation by purists. Still, Lebkuchen-lovers rejoice: After all, if ice cream is available during the coldest months, why shouldn't they have a least a few months of their favorite dessert?

A widespread myth leads some people to believe that Easter chocolate that hasn't been sold after the spring holiday is melted down to produce Christmas chocolates. That's illegal according EU law, as very old chocolate could land in products packaged as new.

The shape of your chocolate St. Nick might nevertheless remind you of the Easter Bunny you ate a few months earlier. That's because some chocolate manufacturers have "multi-functional" molds that can be turned into either. Even the contents are the same, Germans buy more chocolate bunnies (107 million at Easter 2017) than chocolate Santas (96 million in 2016).

What is Germany's favorite Christmas song? The answer to that depends on whom you ask. According to the music-streaming service Spotify, the queen of the Yuletide season is demurely attired American songstress Mariah Carey. Her 1994 hit "All I Want For Christmas is You" tops the list of most-played holiday songs among Germans.

Coming in second on the Spotify list is a song that's unusual in a number of ways. "Holz" - or "Wood" - is the brainchild of German-language rap duo, the 257ers, from the city of Essen. The chorus runs "me and my wood ... wood, wood wood." No sexual innuendo there. The accompanying video has been viewed more than 3.6 million times on YouTube.

Of course, not everyone gets music via Spotify. According to a survey carried out by yougov.com, Germany's favorite Christmas carol is that old warhorse, "Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht." English speakers know it as "Silent Night," but like "Holz," it's a German-language original, having made its debut in 1818 in Oberndorf, Austria.

The only song to make the top five on both the Spotify and yougov lists (number 3 and 2 respectively) is the George Michael-penned "Last Christmas" from 1984. The song was originally supposed to be called "Last Easter," but it was wisely renamed and released a bit earlier. Sadly, Michael died at the age of 53 late on Christmas Day 2016.

Another perennial German favorite is the 1895 carol "Leise rieselt der Schnee" (Softly Falls the Snow). It's one of many Yuletide songs to feature the Christkind, or Christ child. In parts of southern Germany and elsewhere, the Christ child plays the role of Santa Claus, visiting children and bringing them presents at Christmas.

Parked right behind "Leise rieselt der Schnee" on many German favorite lists is the Bing Crosby classic "White Christmas." In times of climate change, the lines "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas/Just like the ones I used to know" take on additional poignancy. Composer Irving Berlin allegedly considered it the best song written by anyone ever.

American singer Melanie Thronton is largely unknown in the US, but she had a string of minor hits in Europe as part of the Eurodance duo La Bouche in the 1990s. In Germany, she's best-loved for her 2001 song "Wonderful Dream (Holidays are Coming)," recorded for a Coca-Cola ad. But she didn't get to enjoy its success. She died in a plane crash in November that year.

Bells feature prominently in Christmas carols in many countries, but Germans seem to have a particular affinity for them. Among the traditional top ten are two bell songs: "Süsser die Glocken nie klingen" (Never have the bells rung sweeter") and "Kling, Glöckchen, klingelingeling" (Ring, little bell, dingalingaling). Perhaps an antidote to "Silent Night"?

Chris Rea is one of that breed of Anglo-American musicians who seem to strike a deeper chord in Germany than in their homelands. The Englishman's 1986 song "Driving Home for Christmas" was a minor hit in the UK, but it was number four on Spotify Germany this year. Of course, what the singer described as a "carol in a car" is natural for the land of the Autobahn.

Another German favorite is "O Tannenbaum," which is (mis-)translated as "O Christmas Tree." The original German lyrics from 1814 don't mention the holiday. Instead, the singer praises the evergreen tree (Tannenbaum) as a model for faithfulness the whole year round. Still, Germans still cite it as one of their favorite Christmas tunes, even if it's not really about Christmas at all.