Welcome to the fifth installment of The Mindful Christmas Home! Today's focus: getting back to basics and pure joy during the holidays - like learning about new and different Christmas traditions from around the world.

Having just visited a number of European towns along the Rhine river, I have so much beauty and history to share with you. But in light of the upcoming Christmas holiday, I specifically wanted to talk about the German Pyramid and Swedish Angel Chimes. 

So which came first -- the German Pyramid or the Angel Chimes? Read on for a narrative regarding these two iconic Christmas decorations and how one led to the other.

This post contains affiliate links. A purchase of any one of these items helps to support this blog and its creative efforts at no cost to you. To read more, please see my disclosure page.     

This time of year in Europe is the time for Christmas Markets. While we missed all but one market by just one week (sigh), we got to witness many a Christmas market in the making. Each year numerous towns in France, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands rebuild their annual Christmas markets. (Other countries have Christmas markets as well, however, these are the countries that we visited.)  

Every Christmas market in the making had one of these: a German Christmas Pyramid, sometimes called a Nativity Pyramid. It's a hand made wooden pyramid known as the Weihnachtspyramide (pronounced vine-ox-peer-uh-meed-ah), usually with candle powered rotors. The one above was in Speyer, Germany.

We were in awe of the craftsmanship and size of these structures. I really wish we were able to see one all lit up and actually spinning at night. This one was set up in Basel, Switzerland for one of their Christmas Markets.  

Angel Chimes trace back to the Weihnachtspyramide in Germany. In the early 20th century, Swedish artisans began crafting their own version, reimagining them in brass and metal to create a smaller, more elegant design. 

Hence the angel chime. In Sweden, Christmas angel chimes are popularly known as "änglaspel." I've elevated mine on a vintage column riser to give it some extra height on our living room mantel. 

Angel chimes work on the principle of convection, where the heat from lit candles creates an updraft that spins a top turbine. This spinning motion causes a series of small angel figures to rotate and lightly strike small bells, creating a soft chiming sound.  

I've always wanted an angel chime, so when I spied one in a Christmas shop in Basel, Switzerland I knew it was coming home with me. You can also get an angel chime in the U.S. as well. (They also sell refill angel chime candles.)

The brass chime structure is only 7 inches tall, decked out with four 4 inch tall candles, three angels and two bells. It's truly elegant in its simplicity. 

I could sit and watch/listen to my Angel Chimes all day long. It's a lovely respite from the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season -- a mindful way to spend some time remembering the reason for the season.   

So, to answer my initial question -- which came first,  the German Christmas Pyramid or the Swedish Angel Chimes -- I'd have to say it was the wooden pyramids, followed by the chimes! Bottom line: I love them both, and am so happy that my family and I can enjoy the angel chime's gentle bells this Christmas. And who knows -- maybe some day we'll go back and see a fully functioning Weihnachtspyramide at one of Europe's incredible Christmas Markets!

It's never too late to institute a new family Christmas tradition, and I'm looking forward to using this one in our family for years to come.   

If you're interested, traditional angel chimes also come in some non-traditional (but also lovely) forms: 

Hummingbird Rotatable Scented Candle Gift 

Christmas Tree Rotatable Scented Candle Gift

Butterfly Rotatable Scented Candle Gift 

Snowflake Rotatable Scented Candle Gift 

Fairy Rotatable Scented Candle Gift 

 Well, that's it for today, friends!

I hope you've enjoyed reading about my

 German Christmas Pyramid