Heartfelt Happy Christmas Wishes to the WA Family.
I was born in Australia and my Dutch Mother tried to introduce some Christmas traditions from her home into her new country. My grandparents always had a real Christmas tree with real candles. There are special clips which you can put on a branch in which the candle fits. It is a candle specially made to burn slowly and straight down, and like that is relatively safe. Nowadays my aunt in Holland sends me packs of Christmas candles by mail. There is still a factory in Holland which makes them.
In Australia, it is summer and very hot. My Mother tried to find candles for the tree but of course was not successful. She ended up buying birthday cake candles, a lot thinner than the real ones. It was not a success as they fainted (drooped) because of the summer heat. She also bought some tree decorations of which one piece survives up till today, and I hang it in my own Christmas tree every year.
When I was a small girl in Holland these were exciting weeks in December. First, we have Sinterklaas on the 5th and then one starts preparing for the coming Christmas days. I remember one year when the portable transistor radios, big and ugly, became "in". I wanted one but they were expensive, like 75 guilders, in Euros 30. My Mother bought 150 white cards and also envelops and told me to paint the Christmas cards. She would sell them to her friends and like that, I would get my transistor radio. I can tell you that it was fun, I painted Christmas trees, flying angels, snow landscapes, etc. It got less funny by card number 50 and after painting 100 cards my Mother got critical and had me repaint quite a few, I was getting sloppy. It really was an effort but I managed to be ready on time. When we went to buy the radio I was all excited. I chose a bright red one, big and it had a plastic sound. I drove my parents nuts with the loud music of the Beatles, Sir Cliff Richard, Elvis etc.
Waking up on the 24th was very special. That previous night my Mother would have decorated the tree. From the moment my Father and I had chosen it in the Christmas tree nursery and Papa, with a lot of effort, had dug it out with the roots, it had been standing outside in the cold. Now it was presented planted in a big pot with 2 sheets around it draped like snow. That evening we would listen to Christmas music while Mother would light the tree, it was a magical moment. We would sit quietly together contemplating the tree with white and silver decorations and real candles.
One Christmas a saw a big parcel hidden behind the tree, it made me more than curious. It was a big super sled, the type which can be pulled by a dog. That year it was a white Christmas so Papa tied it behind the car and carefully he would drive through the wood with me on the sled till we arrived at a hill where the road sloped down a long way. I would go down on my sled, screaming with delight and Papa would pull me up with the car. This we would do something like an hour having really much fun but there would come the moment it was getting cold. Sitting on the sled, sliding through a snow covered landscape I would go home to warm chocolate.
On the 25th my grandparents would come and we would have our formal Christmas dinner. My Mother was an excellent cook so I was looking forward to it. On the 26th good friends would come. 3 days in a row is a lot and I admire Mama as I now realize how much work it always was. After these days the tree would be planted in the back of the garden which over the years turned into a Christmas tree wood.
I will soon go to my storeroom to find the big box with Christmas decoration. It is not so easy to find a nice tree here in the south of Spain and it probably will not have roots. One year I did buy one with roots, planted it in the garden in the shade and gave it showers on a regular basis. Sadly it died during the month of August, it was too hot. Last year was my first Christmas together with Michael. You see us sitting in the living room with the lit tree. At the back of the tree is a bucket with water and a sponge, it is just a safety measure which luckily is hardly ever needed.
I wish you all a happy Christmas and hope that your 2018 will be filled with love, health, and happiness to not to forget a successful WA year.
Taetske
Recent Comments
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That is a lovely story Taetske. Thank you.
I enjoyed reading how you painted 100 cards, and more, so you could have the transistor radio you so much wanted.
You have lovely memories of your childhood and the the real Christmas trees that grew in number, year by year, in the garden.
I wish you and your family and very happy Christmas and a wonderful year in 2018
Valerie
Good Morning Valerie,
Nice to see you again and thank you for reading my post.
The other day we went to buy the tree in the nursery nearby. I have a Peugeot Cabrio which I opened. Michael had the tree which covered him completely and was sticking out of the car, must have been quite a sight. We will have it quiet and cozy, some friends are coming for Christmas dinner. This afternoon we will be going to Malaga to enjoy the atmosphere and look at the illumination.
Greetings from the south of Spain, Taetske
Thank you Taetske.
I'm sure that was great site with the tree in your car and Michael not to be seen. No doubt the tree is now decorated and giving much joy.
Have a wonderful Christmas and we'll catch up again in the New Year.
Greetings from New Zealand.
Valerie
Good Morning Valerie,
I will do the tree and table on Thursday, the only thing left is cooking nice meals for 3 days.
All the best, Taetske
What a nice Christmas story you share today here with us Taetske, this is what Christmas is about, those moments we share with our love ones!
Your home looks beautiful as so it's your little Christmas tree, love your white house with Mediterranean style.
We are going to spend a quiet Canadian Christmas here in Southern Quebec, white a it looks pretty cold!
Take care and have a Merry Christmas!
Feliz Navidad!
Alejandra.
Good evening Alejandra, nice to see you again.
Here one can see snow on the Sierra Nevada but for the rest it is quite warm with 18 to 20C.
I am looking forward to decorating the tree.
Feliz Navidad para ti tambien, Taetske
What a heartwarming story you have woven here for us Taetske! It sounds like your house is indeed going to be filled with Christmas cheer!
I wish you and your loved ones the same - lots of peace, good times, nice meals, and more peace! May the next year be one that is even better than this one was!
Cheers!
Dave : )
Good afternoon Dave, thank you for reading my post.
Our Christmas will be quiet and cozy. For Christmas dinner, some friends are coming. I am looking forward to decorating the tree on Thursday, seeing the old decorations some of which have candle wax on them. This year has been really good, some nice trips, meeting friends, working hard in the garden and for the websites, spending lots of time with Michael and having good health and dear animals. Can one ask for more?
Greetings from the south of Spain, Taetske
Hi Taetske, thank you so much for sharing this very special story with all of us. What a beautiful "peek" inside your history and these lovely traditions you carry on...a great honor to your family and what they taught you.
Wishing you love, happiness and great success in all you do.
Zalig Kerstfeest
Sue
Thank you, Sue, for stopping by.
Once a year, on a rainy afternoon, I get sentimental. I will open a old wood cabinet which stood in my grandfather's office in Amsterdam. There I keep my photo albums from baby onwards.
Looking at the pictures you relive your life. I am happy my parents did pass on some traditions and I keep them alive.
Feliz Navidad to you too, Taetske
Thank you Taetske, for taking me down memory lane, I so can relate to your story. The burning candles, the excitement of the December period and the bucket of water right next to the Christmas tree, I wish you a very happy Christmas together with Michael.
Greetings from up North, Loes
Good Morning Loes,
I think childhood memories are the best. Every year when I light the candles in my own Christmas tree these memories come back to me. I hope to make some nice photos again. This photo I used for my Christmas cards. It had problems with downloading for the WA post, too many pixels. The end result is a bit hazy, a shame.
Greetings from the south of Spain, Taetske
That is such a wonderful story Taetske! I am so glad you have continued at least some of your Christmas traditions!! I always wondered how the candles didn't burn the tree down! I guess the special candles are the key!
That always looked like a gorgeous way to do a tree!
Merry Christmas to you!!
Jessica
Good Morning Jessica,
If you use real candles to have a live tree is important as then the risk is much less. That is also the reason why one keeps the tree in the cold till just before Christmas. Those clips have a small basin so it can drip in there. When I unpack my old decorations I do find some with candle wax on it but as those decorations are very tender they easily break so I do not make a big effort to clean them.
Greetings from the south of Spain, Taetske
Yes, I knew they were live trees but our spruce burn easily even when green due to all the sap. Maybe it depends on the type of tree as well. It still looks lovely though! I guess they would only be lit when observed so they would not be left burning at night after everyone went to bed?
No Jessica, those candles only burn a couple of hours.
So before dinner, one would light the tree, blow out when going to eat and then light the candles again.
The, what they call, Norman trees have strong branches to hold the candles plus decorations.
All the best, Taetske
Hi Taetske!
I love this story so much. it must have brought back so many memories writing it out. It's wonderful how things were when you were younger.
Your tree looks beautiful with those candles, I have only seen this in pictures and not in person which I would love to do one day. Even it is for only one time.
Thanks for the great story, Merry Christmas to you and Michael ♥
Good evening Patsy,
Yes, indeed, writing it brought back some happy childhood memories. For Michael it was his first European Christmas and I think he liked it. We were like 2 lost souls who found each other, even if I make him work so hard now that he is retired poor thing the change does him good. Knowing me he has lost 10kg and is now nice and streamlined.
All the best to you too.
Greetings from the south of Spain, Taetske
Hi Taetske,
I'm sure Michael enjoys doing that work :)
I'm so happy for you both having found each other, it's a happy ending for you both xx
Dear Taetske,
What a beautiful story! It reminds me of my own childhood in Russia. I am an atheist, and we don't celebrate Christmas. Therefore, every cold sunny day in my childhood was a celebration of winter fun and joy of snow. The happiest holiday of the year was New Year. Since traditions of Christmas celebration are truly beautiful (and also foreign to Christianity), Russians adapted the Christmas Tree and Grandpa Frost (Santa Claus) to our New Year holiday, which we celebrate through the night until the morning. Today, I don't like winter with its cold and snow at all, but we still celebrate New Year until about 4 or 5 in the morning with our Jewish-Russian-American friends and a Christmas tree.
Real candles on the tree sound very cozy or maybe even a Scandinavian-cozy - hygge. We have some friends here from Sweden and Denmark, who tell us beautiful and warm stories about their "hygge" during the cold and dark winter days. Do you think the spirit during those December weeks in Holland is similar to what it feels like in Denmark?
You cracked me up by the story of having the birthday candles on a Christmas tree in a hot summer month in Australia. LOL The story about painting the Christmas cards also made me smile.
I wish you a Merry Christmas, and a lot of energy, caring friends, positive adventures, love and laughs in 2018. Let the next year be healthy and successful!
~ Julia
Good evening Julia,
Thank you for your long and nice comment.
My Grandfather was a missionary in Indonesia, and the mother of my Mother was a Sufi. When my parents got married in a Protestant church, at that time the only possibility, coming from such different religious backgrounds they decided not to baptize me. When old enough I would have the freedom to decide for myself. I never went in a specific one direction. Over the years I formed my own belief. We all come from the same source and we will all go back there. We are all equal and should respect each other.
I think my Mother made a wise decision making me work for my radio but I still remember it was a lot, I was about7 or 8 years old at that time. Yes, I do think the atmosphere is similar to the more Nordic countries. For Michael, it was a different type of Christmas and he liked it. You should have seen us yesterday when we went to buy the Christmas tree. I have a little Peugeot Cabrio, had it open and the tree was sticking out quite a bit and one could hardly see Michael, really funny.
All the best to you too.
Greetings from the south of Spain, Taetske
I also wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to use as well, Taetske!
That was a very nice story that you shared with us about what Christmas meant to you growing up with your family in Europe. Really to people who celebrate holiday all across the world, it is a very special time and magical time of year.
As a young child I used to have asthma. When Christmas morning came and as a family we got up early together to unwrap presents coming from "Santa Claus" I used to start wheezing uncontrollably due to my excitement and very special day that it was!
Take care,
Jeff
Thank you, Jeffrey, for your nice comment.
It were exciting days for sure.
Greetings from the south of Spain, Taetske
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Taetske, what wonderful memories that are new and not so new. It is incredible how Christmas has changed during our lifetimes and I want to thank you for making me remember those special moments that have been forgotten. The item I worked for was a cassette tape recorder with a mike. Merry Christmas to you and Michael. Jay & Renee
Thank you, Jay, for stopping by especially as I know your computer is on the verge of overloading and exploding. I just wonder how you manage that. That is also the reason why I take my computer with me on a holiday.I would get a fit seeing the number of notifications after being away some days.
I do not know if my Mother really sold 150 Christmas cards in packs of 10 to her friends. but the lesson was a good one.
This afternoon we go to Malaga to see the lights and feel the atmosphere, as the temperature is so nice with close to 20C the centre will be packed with people.
Regards to Renee and best wishes, Taetske
Have a great time. Jay