The first Christmas lights timidly appeared on the balconies of my neighborhood on November 19th. A day later, another neighbor made a test with a rain of lights at his balcony. Ops! “Isn’t that too early?” I asked myself, watching the neighbor and his son untangle the lights and hang them over the balcony like a golden rain brightening the darkness of the night. When the test successfully concluded, they carefully packed the lights again in their box and went inside. “It was just a test, you have to hang them first and check them” a friend told a couple of days later when I asked her on this weird action which had left me with the rather stupid question “Did they reconsider whether they’d put Christmas decoration?”
While I kept chatting with the friend, she told me she was about to start taking out Christmas decoration and ornaments and she would put them around the house by tomorrow. That was November 28th! “So early?” I asked as the majority of Greek households usually decorate their homes by middle of December and keep the festive atmosphere until January 6th. “Oh, Yes! So early! I need the festive mood, I need Christmas as soon as possible this year,” she said. “I need something warm and nice and quiet.”
Next day she called me to tell me her young kitten – a stray brought to her by his mom – has been looking stunned at the Christmas lights and that he spent his whole evening looking at them. I could sense through the cable how happy my friend was. I heard in her voice a childish joy and in my mind I saw them both, she and the cat to welcome her husband late at night in a festive decorated house. My friend and her family were happy with Christmas this year as early as … end of November!
This friend was not the only one who decorated early in the salvation year 2011, that will go into the Greek history as the year of strict austerity. Another friend took out the tree and the balls, the lights and garlands, every kind of ornament and even the nativity crib and had them all nicely arranged by December 1st. “So early?” I asked again. “Oh, Yes! This year only Christmas can take this stupid mood away from me” her answer came as shot from a gun. “I need the warmth of lights, to look at them and contemplate on something beautiful. I don’t want to think or hear anything about the economic crisis or new taxes anymore. I’ll take a break till after Christmas.”
A break from the economic uncertainty, the loads of taxes and the income decreases, the ghost of unemployment and the fears that Greece might go really bankrupt, a break from what makes us feel miserable… until after Christmas? This seems to be indeed the motive that urged many Greeks to go down to storage rooms or climb up on high and narrow lofts, to carry the heavy dusty boxes, bring them to their living rooms and unfold the magic of Christmas already in November.
“I need to see my boy’s eyes shining” told me another friend, a divorcee, who is certain to be unemployed by next January, February the latest. “We’re on a tight budget, but I’ll do the best Christmas for my boy” she said and added that her flat is fully decorated as early as November 27th.
Yes, this year Greeks desperately need a joyful environment in the middle of a crisis that started with getting economically on their knees many households and it will continue with grimy perspectives in the future. And many years to come. Yes, this year Greeks desperately need some brilliance even if it comes from a single twinkling light mirroring on a red Christmas ball.
The most striking example of early Christmas decoration I heard, was of a friend of a friend who took out the Christmas tree on November 14th!
Odd enough, none of the early decorators has declared to start baking or buying Christmas cookies as early as beginning of December. They all said that the syrup-soaked melomakarona and the powder-sugar-covered kourapiedes will find their place on the tables and buffets just a few days before Christmas.
As for me… well… I started slowly last week with a modest multicoloured Christmas light chain in front of the fire-place. By next Wednesday, I’ll bring up the dusty boxes and start decorating my flat. This year I’ll put a small Xmas ornament even in my bedroom. However the Tree will not stand on its place before December 15th. Or not?
PS Meanwhile four neighbours in our street have hung out Christmas lights. Red and green and blue and yellow lights delight my eyes as they have pushed aside the pale TV light shimmering from the living rooms of depressed people, who can hardly afford it anymore to go out in the evening and enjoy themselves.
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