The preparation for Christmas in Germany is expressed by a wide variety of projects: from the more traditional, such as exhibitions of Christmas cribs, to the more innovative. On-line Advent calendars are proliferating (as in the dioceses of Paderborn and Dresden-Meissen). There is also an ecumenical version (http://www.advent-online.de), and even an Advent podcasting set up by the Bavarian Church on the website http://www.adventsmomente.de. Apart from calendars, the young are being offered many Christmas texting services on cell phones and messages via e-mail with gospel passages and cues for reflection. Spiritual exercises for the laity in preparation for Christmas are also available on the Internet, such as those offered by the diocese of Mainz. Over 40,000 Christmas events, including church services, midnight masses, ecumenical events, and representations of the Nativity are listed on www.weihnachtsgottesdienste.de, organized by the Catholic Church and by the Evangelical Church. The listings service has been available on the website since 8 December. Its aim is to help "those who are spending the Christmas holidays with relations and friends or who go on holiday and may in this way inform themselves in advance about events being organized by local communities", explained Karsten Henning, delegate for the Media of the Secretariat of the German Bishops’ Conference.
