Hello everyone!

I just received a "grow your own bonsai" kit for Christmas, and am very eager to get started. Unfortunately, the kit came with extremely limited instructions. I'm doing my best to read up on the proper conditions and care required for the 5 types of seeds that came with the kit (Chinese Red Pine, Japanese Maple, Royal Poinciana, Japanese Black Pine, and Chinese Wisteria), but am still confused about the first steps.

A couple of the seeds apparently require stratification, but on another gardening website I read that if you live in a colder climate (I live in northern Germany), you do not need to stratify if seeds will be planted before winter. It is now the end of December. Is it still enough time for me to prepare the seeds and just plant them in a small pot outside, or should I still go through the stratification process in the fridge before properly planting them and putting them outside?

Any tips are appreciated, if you have them, for growing the above-listed species from seed. I'm patient (as any bonsai grower must be), but still don't want to mess them all up the first time and have to re-do everything!

Thanks and happy holidays!

Hello and welcome.
First things first: horticulture. Before anything bonsai-ish ( in your case 5-10 years away) comes the health of the plant. So, to answer your question I will ask you a question: what happens in nature ( with seeds)?
Second: I do hope you realise that there will not grow bonsai out of these seeds ( there is no such thing as bonsai seed) but normal full grown trees of left to grow?
Third: to not be too disappointed if none of the seeds sprout, or make it through the first year. There is a reason trees/plants produce thousands of seeds every year ( horticulture again)

You can sow now and put outside for natural stratification.

Grow your own bonsai kits is sort of a scam. Lets hope you get at least some trees out of it.