Tunnenbaum has come a long way from just a get together to decorate my Christmas tree whilst playing and singing carols over a few ales.
The necessity for this occasion came about when my immediate family was stretching through the pains of a split family and when Christmas came around I decided to settle on an early Christmas celebration to avoid the nightmare for my children by relieving them of the need to appease all families. My birthday is on the 5th of December so that meant “two birds with one stone” makes it an affordable expenditure of time.
However, as we reflect on the 5th of December it also happens to be the Feast Day of St Nicholas. Hence; “my name”. In my earlier years, I can recall the effort that my Farther put into creating a memorable experience which remains forever with me. I grew up during the Dutch influence in Indonesia when Sinterklaas and Swarte Piets were the norm in that part of the world during Christmas. It is this fond memory that I can transfer to others to experience similar emotions to in turn pass on to the next generation which will enable the true story of Santa Clause to survive the passage of time.
The following photos show some of the activities and the antics of the characters involved that took place while the true story was being told. One character in particular delighted all onlookers and that was the inclusion of “Krampus” who was skilfully acted out by Nolen Oayda who displayed the character in a palatable rendition of that traditional demon that accompanies Sinterklaas in the northern parts of the world during the Yuletide season.
