All is calm, all is bright…
Right. The dessert in front of me shines jubilantly. A kind of gold-sprayed bitterbal adorns a sleek piece of apple crumble cake with a shining copper “drizzle” (cringe-worthy cooking blog jargon) on top. The ball turns out to be a firm clay-like layer of marzipan with a core of ice cream. Someone at my table dips a finger in the metallic sauce and tastes it hesitantly. “Remember when you used to get your face painted and it got on your lips?”. Hm, that's exactly what it tastes like. Silver balls add even more glamour to the whole thing with their strong campness – a reference to the game we've shot: the deer, the doe, the wild boar from our Christmas menus? Is this the sparkling, magical enchantment of Christmas?
I realise that I'm sounding like a grumpy old man, but: what a godforsaken circus! Who decided that a delicious old-fashioned piece of apple pie should be jazzed up with a shiny golf ball, a citrus peel salad (which I hadn't mentioned yet) and exactly three edible metal elements? It's madness.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…
At least for the manufacturers of garish plastic, glitter and plush junk. They scored big during Black Friday, the longest “day” of the year. Prey to the prevailing culture of greed and a vague feeling of “not buying is more expensive”, I am seduced in subtle and more obvious ways into buying things I don't need. Bows, ribbons, more glitter. Wonderful. Where is that enchantment, that sense of wonder? I am quite pleased with some of the new items and gifts, but I also feel a bit numb and empty, much like my bank account.
‘Tis the season to be jolly…
Is “jolly” a euphemism for stupid? Do I feel joy at the hysterically blinking neon Christmas lights in my neighbours’ front garden? Do I feed my heart with the sight of a crammed Christmas tree, a cacophony of jolly Christmas baubles in the shape of a smoked sausage, a ballerina hippopotamus, garlic bulb, Santa Claus with sunglass, human-cat in a kimono and other glittering glass madness? Manufacturers produce one over-the-top “ball” after another, and some seem to have sprung from the insane hallucinations of generative AI.
Joy to the world…
So where can one find the joy, the warm enchantment, the magical sparkle of Christmas? All the wonderful glory mentioned above is too transparent, too easy for me. At best, they are symbols that can remind me of something that seems unattainable. Where is the magic of Christmas?
Perhaps I sound cynical. I love this time of year, I really do. I enjoy the days when the world outside gets darker and quieter and it becomes warmer and cosier inside. Lights twinkling everywhere, being together with colleagues, friends and family. Nature shows me how to slow down. The gateway to enchantment seems open to me; sincere attention and the wonder that comes with it. The feeling of connection with someone or something else, a bigger story. The realisation of what I owe to circumstances, the people, the environment in which I find myself. And knowing that what I say, choose and do has an unpredictable, inexplicable, unexpected effect on the world around me. Ho ho ho, is that the Christmas spirit catching up with me after all?
All well and good - there isn't always something to celebrate or party about. What if I don't feel like connecting with others? Christmas doesn't have to be gloriously glittery, and the magic may not always be there. These weeks may be different from what I expect or hope for. In any case, I can choose my thoughts, words and actions with care and love. Perhaps in being together with others, the cosiness of a dinner and candles and a triple-glittering piece of cake. Perhaps in marvelling at the nature around me, carefully pruning the olive tree and grapevine on the terrace and searching for a beautiful pine cone in the forest. Perhaps in connecting with myself, when I do what really makes me feel good and spend New Year's Eve alone on the sofa reading a book that has been waiting for months.
Listening, viewing and activity tips
- Put on Chilly Gonzalez's album “A Very Chilly Christmas”. Delightful piano versions of Christmas carols and well-known Christmas songs, with a slightly different twist.
- Classical listening tip: “Christmas Eve” by Rimsky-Korsakov.
- The Norwegian tv series Hjem til Jul (Home for Christmas). Thirty-something Johanne sets high expectations for everyone around her (but mostly for herself) to make the perfect family Christmas, because she doesn't want to spend another Christmas as a single. Season 3 is out now, so there's plenty to watch.
- Visit Lois Dodd's exhibition “Framing the Ephemeral” at the Kunstmuseum Den Haag. The attention to her immediate surroundings that emanates from the paintings takes my breath away. Especially nice if you have a thing for forests and trees. Combine it with a walk along the beach, which always seems to have a cathartic effect on the mind, whatever the weather.
- Take a long walk in nature in your neighbourhood and bring a thermos flask with your favourite tea or coffee. Especially in winter, there are few people around. For example, go for a walk on the Duivelsberg and eat the most delicious pancakes. It is often busy there, but keep walking and you will also find quiet spots.
- Go dancing. In your own room with your own music, or (with friends or on your own) on Boxing Day at House Classix in Doornroosje or Indie Disco in Merleyn.
