[Culturechat] Christmas celebration with disclaimer

Wed, 26 Dec 2001 15:33:19 -0800

We may not know them - but we enjoyed the story and the wonderful pictures.
What great fun you all must have had! Thanks for sharing it with us ---

pete and maggie
in moscow

----- Original Message -----
From: "Vance Roy" <gigli.saw@dplanet.ch>
To: "culturechat" <culturechat@untours.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 26, 2001 4:29 AM
Subject: [Culturechat] Christmas celebration with disclaimer

> First the disclaimer:
>
> This is a story about people that most of you don't know. Over 200
> families in the USA do know at least some of these people and have spent
> a part of their lives with them as Idyllers. This, and the pictures are
> for them, but the rest of you are welcome too.
>
> For forty odd years, a Norwegian lady (Berit) and a CH man (Albert) have
> lived in Sachseln. Albert says he married Berit because of her blond
> hair and blue eyes. Whatever the reason, he got his money's worth and
> more. One thing he had to give up was ever having a typical CH Christmas
> again. Christmas in the Greutert household is a year round event which
> really becomes serious about the first of December each year.
> The crescendo reaches its peak on Christmas day after days of
> preparation of cookies, cakes, homemade pate, the drawing of names for
> gifts, the decoration of every nook and cranny of the house, and of
> course the procurement and decoration of the tree. The Greutert kitchen
> is awake when I get up and still running when I crash at night. For some
> years, I have been allowed to enter this family circle for a wonderful
> experience. Including the "run of the fox" (more about that later).
>
> A few things that will make the pictures mean more, with apologies to
> those who already are in the know:
> There are three generations of Greuterts
> Albert and Berit
> Jan Erik and wife, Gabriella
> Heidi and husband Peter
> Elisabeth and husband Guido
> Diana and Oliver are children of Jan Erik and Gabi
> Simone, David, and Tobias belong to Heidi and Peter
> Michele, Domonik, and Jonas belong to Elisabeth and Guido
> Jonas is a special case, since he is my Godson and is also the youngest.
> In the pictures, he has
> an orange shirt on. Being a Godfather in CH is a lot more than in the
> USA. It is taken literally as being the person who would try to help
> care for the child if the parents die. If you see more of this child, it
> is because he is as precious to me as if he were my own.
>
> The Christmas feast begins with sixteen Greutert family members and
> three of us. Barbara, Gigli, and Roessli. Roessli is the senior outsider
> and a former nanny for many of the children. At about dusk, the nineteen
> of us gathered for some grog (mulled wine with raisins and
> chopped almonds in it) and "Guetzli" which are cookies and cakes. Then
> an important person arrives, dressed in a red and white outfit with a
> flowing white beard. He could pass for Santa Claus in the USA but his
> name is Juliniessen. Juliniessen brings a huge sack with him. He takes a
> place and begins to call out names. Each named individual goes up and
> sits on his lap. Then says a verse or does something for him (Barbara
> and I sang Jingle Bells for him). A gift is received, and all enjoy
> seeing what he has brought. This is all accompanied by general laughter
> and foolishness. "Bestafahr"sp? was Berit's Norwegian father and gave
> the children something every year. He still does even though he has been
> dead for over six years. All suspect Berit has a hand in this, but no
> one can prove it.
>
> After Juliniessen is done, the whole mob adjourns to sit at what can
> only be described as the epitome of a "groaning board". First, sdomeone
> reads The Christmas Story. This year it was Jonas. He read it from a
> book with superior ability for a second grader. Then the food begins to
> come out. This takes place once a year, and people who normally are
> prudent in what they eat, just lose their inhibitions. The whole meal
> can best be described by the word "lipid". There is roast pork, a veal
> roast, some wonderful things that look like meatballs, but are much
> better, and a platter of small sausages. With all this goes potatoes,
> vegetables, cranberries (the European kind), and drinks of several
> kinds. If one dared to eat only one plate of all this, I think Berit
> would become suicidal. The last thing served in this part of the feast
> is a "digestiv" of Aquavit, a potent concoction drunk neat and
> guaranteed to make your teeth whiter than Pepsodent. The table is
> cleared, and all get ready for the "run of the fox."
>
> This is the part about which I dread to write. I don't think anyone can
> adequately describe on paper what this is and how much it is the
> highlight of the season. It begins a few weeks before when all the names
> that are going to be at the Christmas bash are put in a hat and the
> drawing takes place. If for some reason, you aren't going to be there,
> then you don't draw. "Your" person is a secret known only by you and is
> to receive some sort of present. There is a limit of about 20 CHF on
> what you can spend. After the dinner, all gather around in a big circle,
> and one is chosen to begin. This person rises and begins to walk around
> in front of the others with his gift. There is a song sung about the fox
> running around while this person looks about, feints as to give the gift
> to someone but backs off several times until he finally gives it to the
> person he drew. As you can imagine, the children get very excited about
> this. Maybe what you don't imagine is that the adults do this also. This
> goes on with the one who receives the gift being the next to go around
> with his gift. I hope this is clearer than it sounds when I write it.
> There is an inordinate amount of excitement and joviality that goes
> along with all this. The gifts are inovative sometimes. Barbara got a
> glass bowl full of Lindt chocolate. I got a pair of silk boxers with the
> "Snoopy" logo all over them. Barbara gave a "Gutschein" (gift
> certificate) to the Imax in Luzern to Guido. I gave stationary to Diana.
> Others received CDs, books, etc.
>
> Now about six hours into this affair, it is time to have dessert! This
> year, I bailed out on this, but it always accompanied by a ring cake
> made in the shape of a Christmas tree with a biscotti taste. It went
> well with a bowl of ricota filled with fruit and whipped cream. We amde
> it home about seven hours after we began. I am sure that I will be
> hungry again someday, but I don't know when.
>
> The intangible here is the love between all of this family. The fun they
> have is evident, and I think due to it being one of the few times in the
> year that they are all together. Unless one is out of the country, one
> would not want to miss it. I know that for a semi-Scrooge like me, it
> makes Christmas as I think it should be.
>
> A few pics are at:
>
>
http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/gigli_saw/lst?.dir=/Christmas+in+CH+with+disclaim
er&.view=t
> --
> Vance Roy
> gigli.saw@dplanet.ch.
>
>
>
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