Today is the last Saturday in November and a big tradition day in my little white house on the hill; I get ready for Christmas.
This means getting up early and decorating the whole house while listening to my favorite christmas music with Nat King Cole. My very good friends will come by in the early afternoon and we go and get the Christmas tree and in the evening drink a special Danish Christmas drink called "gløgg", which is a kind of a hot, spicy, red wine.
I love getting the tree. I do not buy one; I actually cut one down myself (with some help). In Denmark, there are large plantations with trees. They grow pine trees or rather coniferous evergreen trees adequate for this use, such as spruces. These trees are also exported to other European countries, such as Germany and ordinary people are allowed to come by the plantations and cut their very own tree. I love this tradition, as a freshly cut tree is alive and lasts long while spreading wonderful scent and of course joy around the house.
The tradition of the Christmas Tree has been in my life as long as I can remember. As a child, while still believing in the magic of the holidays, the tree was not to be seen by us, the children, until the very Christmas Eve. While growing up in Sweden, we adapted the Scandinavian tradition of purchasing a tree in mid December and decorating it together. My first own Christmas tree tradition started while I lived in the US, where I always had a tree for Thanksgiving.
Today I have mixed all the traditions of my childhood, youth and adulthood, combining the east with the west and then creating something that is my very own.
Although being way to old to believe in the enchanted Christmas, the magic of the holiday season is still very evident in my life and I would not have it any other way.
12 comments:
I love your enthusiasm! And I envy it, too.
You have many varied tradition(s) about the Xmas tree and able to adopt one unique to yourself.That's magical.
You're wearing me down with your Christmas spirit, Z! I might have to go digging in my garage next Friday when I'm off work to get all my decorating stuff out. The whole time I'm decorating, I'll be saying "Z made me do it! Z made me do it!" Then when I have to take it all down I'll be grumbling: "Z made me do it! Z made me do it!"
It's wonderful that you've embraced and combined the traditions you've known throughout your life to create something so beautiful.
This entry has put me in the holiday spirit! Thank you!!
Many people here just chop off the top of their Norfolk pines for their christmas tree. Unfortunately, mine are about 50 feet tall so that's a bit out of the question!
Diane, that was short and sweet and from the heart.:))
Mahmud, I guess I like to believe in magical things. Thank you for those kind words.:)
Mel, you always make me laugh! I will be happy to be the cause and the blame of your decoration mania! Hopefully, in between the two grumblings, when your house is all comfy and bright and cheerful with Xmas decorations, you will say “I am happy Z made me do it.;)))”
Belle, happy to hear that this post made you in a Christmas mood.:)) I hope you have had a nice and relaxing Thanksgiving weekend and that you feel better.:))
Tom, perhaps you can just decorate the pines as they are and leave them outside.:))
I wonder how it feels to actually decorate a tree when it is warm outside. I have often wondered about that.;)
Protege - many people here put lights on their trees in the garden this time of year, I'm hoping to take some photos of a few of them, but I'm afraid 50 feet high norfolk pines are a little beyond my capabilities! I also grew up in a place where putting Christmas decorations anywhere but inside the house was frowned upon. ;)
Tom, maybe decorating outside can be a new tradition of your very own.;)))
We used to cut our Christmas tree down years ago when our girls were young. Now we buy a fresh one. I hope to get ours up this weekend.
Your's looks lovely!
Donna, thank you so much.
I hope you will have a wonderful time decorating your tree later this week in your lovely cottage.;)
There is no way that you are too old to believe in an enchanted Christmas and you never will be. I love this time of year so much, but as you read on my blog, I felt quite out of sorts until I read this and other posts on your blog and felt a surge of inspiration. We make Glühwein, which I think is like Glogg, after we discovered it on a holiday in Austria when I was just a little girl.
G, you are doing me a great honor to acknowledge me in this way; I feel all happy and warm inside that I was an inspiration; even though in a small way, to get you into the Christmas mood - I hope yours will be lovely.:))
And yes, Glühwein is very similar to gløgg.;)
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