It was a busy day for the Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga, as the transfer business stepped up a notch and the first friendlies were played.
Hoffenheim and Darmstadt in friendly action
The two Bundesiga sides were the first two to take to the field during the winter break, and there were mixed results against tough 3. Liga opposition. The Lilies managed to fight off a spirited performance from Chemnitz, who had new signing Daniel Frahn in the squad. He came on after the break but that wasn't before Dominik Stroh-Engel and Tobias Kempe had scored within five minutes of each other just before half-time to seal the win for Darmstadt.
Hoffenheim were having a much tougher time against high-flying Sonnenhof Großaspach, who are currently second in the third tier. The first-half ended goalless, but the deadlock would be broken five minutes before the end. Großaspach's Roussel Ngankam netted the opener, but Primin Schwegler denied them a famous win in the final minute. The side from Sinsheim seem to be no closer to solving their problems from the Hinrunde.
Schalke sign Belhanda, Großkreutz completes Stuttgart switch
After the Royal Blues had been rebuffed by both Renato Augusto and Alessandro Schöpf, they were finally able to bolster their attacking options with Younes Belhanda. The Moroccan midfielder joins on a six-month loan deal from Dynamo Kyiv and will add some much-needed depth to the midfield department. With just a handful of players being used there by André Breitenreiter, they can now look forward to more of a rest. He has already joined up with the squad for their winter break camp in Orlando.
The other major move of the day involved Borussia Dortmund cult hero, Kevin Großkreutz. He has joined Stuttgart for little over €2m, having left Dortmund in the summer for Galatasaray. He never played for the Turkish club once after FIFA decided that paperwork was not completed on time for him to be registered. That, and homesickness, meant a return was likely and the Swabians will be delighted to have snapped him up.
The midfielder joins Artems Kravets as their second Winter signing. Stuttgart were also buoyed by the news that Filip Kostic seems set to remain at the Mercedes-Benz-Arena, a decision that would massively help their battle to avoid the drop.
Kirchhoff off to Sunderland, Popovic joins the Billy Goats
There have been two other Bundesliga deals during the day, one which is yet to be confirmed and the other involving a talented youngster. Jan Kirchhoff seems to have left Bayern Munich behind, after traveling to Sunderland to complete his medical ahead of a proposed move. The former 1. FSV Mainz 05 centre-half promised much, but superstar signings, Jerome Boateng and injuries has meant a move was required to get first-team football.
A less publicised move was 1. FC Köln's decision to bring in Milislav Popovic from Regionalliga side TSV Havelse. The 18-year-old is an Australian youth international and turned down both Borussia Dortmund and Hertha BSC in favour of Peter Stöger's side. An attacker, Popovic has signed a deal through until 2018 and will continue his studies in Köln while playing in their youth ranks.
Kumbela returns to Braunschweig, Börner extends with Bielefeld
After he left Greuther Furth just a few days ago, Domi Kumbela has already found a new club. It comes as little surprise that he is now back with Eintracht Braunschweig, where his career really began in Germany. The forward shot Braunschweig to two promotions and, as a result, shot himself to cult-hero fame at the club. Back once again, he'll be hoping to have a similar effect on a one-and-a-half year deal.
Julian Börner's contract extension will be music to the ears of the Arminia Bielefeld faithful. The centre-half has played a key part in their solid, if unspectacular, start to life back in the second division. His contract was set to run out at the end of the season, but has now committed his future to the club until 2019. His partnership with Stephan Salger has been vital, and will need to continue if they are to maintain their impressive form.