Lost in transit

Conspiracy

They go easy on the Christmas decorations here in Austria. Not many people put lights on their houses. A few do, and often their neighbors complain, even though the lights are usually just white ones here. We have a wreath on the door, made of some evergreen boughs (although we, this year, actually have a star-shaped thing made of some other green vegetation); we have a second advent wreath atop our table, with four fat, red candles. Each advent Sunday we light an additional candle. Right now we've got three candles burning while we sit around the table and sing Christmas songs in English and German.

We have a tree, but the little one doesn't know this yet. Christmas is a season of subterfuge here, with parents leaving the house under false pretenses to go shop for a tree. We drove a couple villages over and picked out a tree. It was a windy day and all the trees were lying down. We picked one out, the guy ran it through the funnel and wrapped it in the netting and took our address. He served us mugs of mulled wine and we stood there in the wind drinking it and giving him directions to our house and he delivered it the next day.

He put it in our backyard. Now we have to conspire further to keep the little one out of the garden and keep the tree out of sight until the 24^th, when she will be sent to her grandparents to watch television (their living room will be locked as well, with wrapping paper over the glass in the door, so she can't look in there either). While she is gone, we will set up the tree and decorate it and place presents underneath. Her grandparents will then deliver her, a small bell will ring, tipsy adults will say, "what's that? Why not go check?" and she'll find a tree in the library, full of glass balls and real candles, burning. A bucket of water will be placed out of sight but easily accessible behind a sofa. We will sing one song, blow out the candles and drink champagne while the children open presents.

The following morning, being bi-cultural, the girls will open a couple more presents that Santa brought, go through their Christmas stockings and read his note of thanks for the cookies and single-malt, and examine the carrot for reindeer bite marks.

Until then, much whispering.

Posted by Mig at December 16, 2003 07:14 AM