The amaryllis that I bought just before Christmas is now in bloom - just as it's time to start taking down other kinds of decorations...
The traditional date in Sweden for "throwing out Christmas" is 13th January. Back in my childhood, it was still common to have what we called julgransplundring ("Christmas tree looting") around this date. I thing the origin is that further back in history, the tree was often decorated with edible things - like gingerbread cookies, candy and apples - and before throwing it out after Christmas, one had a party where the guests were invited to help strip and throw out the tree - and eat the leftover decorations. In my childhood, it was no longer all that common to use edible decorations in the Christmas tree; but there were games, and sometimes dancing around the tree (if the space allowed!), and cookies and cake etc to eat - and at the end of the party when the guests left, each child also got a "goodie bag" with a few sweets to take home with them.
Below is a photo from my very first such party, I think from 1960, which was the year when we moved from a flat in town to a house of our own in a village. I'm the one to the right (5 years old), and the three other girls were friends of around my own age living in the neighbouring houses on the same street. Whether parents nowadays still manage to find time to throw "throwing out" parties, I don't know... Back in those days, there was no preschool or kindergarten, though (or at least not in the village where we lived). So all the mums in our street were stay-at-home housewives (or possibly worked part time when the children were old enough to go to school).
Nowadays I tend to take my Christmas decorations down gradually, pretty much in reversed order to how I put them up in December - and no party... (I still have some gingerbread biscuits left, though. Bought, not home baked, this year...)
Yesterday I put various "gnomes" and "santas" (Swedish: tomtar) back to bed; and will continue packing angels and whatnot later in the week. My electric candles may be staying for a while longer, though.
Today it struck me that as the weather (according to forecasts) may be about to change to somewhat milder temperatures again, I should probably take the opportunity to defrost my freezer - as just now it was fairly easy to just put the contents of the freezer in bags out on the balcony while the indoors thawing was going on.
My freezer is in a tricky position though, as it's fitted into a cupboard with another ordinary cupboard underneath it. So defrosting requires an intricate arrangement of pots and pans and towels, in order to stop melting ice from falling/dripping down where one doesn't want it... So that took pretty much all afternoon today. The photo below is from another year, but it looked very similar this year.
I like the Swedish idea of a Christmas tree looting party, where edible ornaments etc. are taken from the tree in a party. You are so cute with your friends. When I grew up my mom didn't work until I was 10 and my sister 5. Having a stay at home mom or dad is a gift!
ReplyDeleteTerra, my brother was born the same year I started school (at 7) and she never got back to working outside the home at all. (Whether she missed it or not, I don't really know. She was a teacher for young children for a few years before I was born.)
DeleteYour amaryllis is gorgeous! I have not heard of these tree discarding parties, sounds like fun. Around here, the people who have clear or white lights leave them up all winter for a cheerful look in the cold.
ReplyDeleteGinny, my window lights will stay up for a while longer.
DeleteThe photo of the Throwing Out party looks familiar, maybe you have showed it before? Anyway, it is a sweet reminder of a time of innocence and childhood dreams involving the magic of Christmas.
ReplyDeleteHere, traditionally it's the 6th of January (Dreikönig) when most people take down their Christmas things. Some, mostly in prevalent Catholic areas, wait until Candlemas (2nd of February). My Mum is not Catholic but sticks to Candlemas, simply because she likes her Christmas decorations so much :-D
Meike, yes, at least once before, beacuse I copied it from an older post. In connection with the major holidays one's memory does tend to travel down the same paths, and traditions... ;) My paternal grandmother's birthday was 3 Feb and she often kept her tree over that day (if it was still healthy enough). My electric candles might stay until Candlemas as well - depends a bit on the weather, I think, when I feel inspired to replace them with my usual window lamps. And I often keep some red table runners etc over Valentine's day!
Deletewhat a great idea to do the freezer while freezing temps outside. I do remember defrosting and using fans and blowers and pots and similar to what you do, back in the days when my kids were small, the age you were at the throw out party. the amaryllis is beautiful and brightens your day after the Christmas is packed away
ReplyDeleteSandra, I do usually try to defrost my freezer in winter as that means the least worry about storing the food while it's being done. My electric candles in the windows will be staying for a little while longer than all the extra "knicknacks".
DeleteThe throwing out party sounds great fun and lovely tradition. It's sad to think it might have disappeared.
ReplyDeleteJanice, that I haven't heard about it in later years may simply be because I have no children or grandchildren of my own. While such throwing out parties are probably less common in private homes these days, compared to the 1960s, I suppose preschools and youth clubs etc may be keeping the tradition alive.
DeleteYour memories of julgransplundring, the gentle unwinding of Christmas, and the quiet rituals of everyday life now capture both a sense of continuity and how traditions softly adapt with time.
ReplyDeleteRo, being able to look back and see changes of traditions through one's own life is also a reminder that one has been "around" for quite a while by now! ;)
DeleteOurs came down on the 2nd since our Yule celebrations ended on the 1st.
ReplyDeleteCK, not only do celebrations vary between countries, the details may also vary a lot through one's own lifetime.
ReplyDelete