Zu Weihnachten esse ich ein Plätzchen.

to eat

Breakdown of Zu Weihnachten esse ich ein Plätzchen.

• ich: I
• zu: at
• Weihnachten: Christmas

Questions & Answers about Zu Weihnachten esse ich ein Plätzchen.

Why does the sentence start with “Zu Weihnachten” instead of “Ich”? Is that allowed in German?

Yes. German main clauses follow the verb‑second rule: the conjugated verb must be in second position, but what stands in first position is flexible.

• Standard / neutral: Ich esse zu Weihnachten ein Plätzchen.
  (Subject in first position, verb in second.)
• With time in first position: Zu Weihnachten esse ich ein Plätzchen.
  (Time phrase in first position, esse is still the second element.)

Putting “Zu Weihnachten” first emphasizes when it happens. Both versions are correct and mean essentially the same thing.

What exactly does “zu Weihnachten” mean? Is it literally “to Christmas”?

Literally, zu often means “to”, but here it’s idiomatic:

• zu Weihnachten ≈ “at Christmas / at Christmastime”

With holidays, zu + holiday name often means “on/at [that holiday]”:

• zu Weihnachten – at Christmas
• zu Ostern – at Easter
• zu Neujahr – at New Year

So, don’t translate it word‑for‑word as “to Christmas”; take it as a fixed way to say “at Christmas”.

Why is it “zu Weihnachten” and not “an Weihnachten”? Are both correct?