Weihnachten customs held upon returning from church leading to the gift giving vary across the German-speaking countries. One of the most common situations sees the returning children wait to enter into their (locked) living room until a little bell rings. This bell marks the departure of the one delivering gifts. In the more Catholic regions - primarily South Germany and Switzerland - this is considered the Christ Child ("Christkind"), while those in North Germany commonly consider it to be the "Weihnachtsmann" (Saint Nicholas or Santa Claus) who is exiting. The children then enter to see the decorated Weihnachtsbaum (Christmas tree), with
Christmas Extraordinaire tracking (March 1991 – present), having sold 2,920,000 copies according to SoundScan. Christmas Extraordinaire Christmas Extraordinaire is Mannheim Steamroller's sixth Christmas album overall and the group's fourth Christmas studio album. The album was originally released in 2001. The song "O Tannenbaum" features a lead vocal by Johnny Mathis. Five of the album's tracks were included in the group's 2004 compilation "Christmas Celebration". On June 21, 2004, "Christmas Extraordinaire" was certified Triple Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipment of three million copies in the United States. As of November 2014, "Christmas Extraordinaire" is the fourteenth best-selling Christmas/holiday