I had sort of planned to have a quiet, solitary Christmas this year – just me and the cat… But things happened this autumn that changed those plans and instead led me to spend Christmas in Copenhagen.
You see, I met someone in early September and by mid-October he was my boyfriend. And on December 23rd I went to his place with an 7½ft tree to spend Christmas with him and his parents!
(Trust me, bringing that tree wth me on the city bus from my own pied-à-terre in town was interesting…)
We decorated the tree together that evening, using only a small part of his VAST stash of vintage ornaments (and a some paper hearts, cones and stars that we made together). It very much became a cirka 1950s archetype of a Danish Christmas tree, and I think it turned out rather beautiful, even if his candle holders definitely need to be repaired if I am ever to spend Christmas with them again! (They, too, are vintage – and they need somebody to take a set of pliers to them to get them into a shape that ensures less wonky candles!)
Because yes, of course a real Christmas tree needs real candles. And the garlands of Danish flags on Christmas trees began as a symbol of nationalism after the Prussians inflicted a devastating defeat on Denmark in 1864 and conquered nearly a third of the Danish mainland. “What is outward lost must be inward gained” and all that.
Here we celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve; it only really kicks off when the roast – pork, duck or goose, depending on the family tradition – is in the oven, and after dinner the tree is lit and presents are opened.
(Most families also hold hands and walk around the tree while singing Christmas songs and hymns before present-time, but since we were just four adults we chose to skip that bit… But I would NEVER skip it if there had been even a single child present!)
I had worried a lot about Tommy’s present – yes, that’s his name. I knew what I wanted to give him – but I felt unsure about whether he would want it. I was even as unsure as to consult the ex-flâneur husband… I wanted to give a small amount of cash, equal to the price of a passport renewal, since Tommy hasn’t had a valid passport since 2014 – and I… Well, I like travelling. And I’d like to bring him along.
I’ve got a small apartment booked in Naples, Italy for 9 nights in May. An invite to join me was part of the present. Visiting Herculaneum and Pompeii, scaling Vesuvio, having lunch on the island of Capri… Trips to local markets, dinners cooked in the little kitchenette of the apartment, evening strolls in the Capodimonte park nearby…
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So there. Nothing about the garden – but I wish you all the best of Christmases, and a happy New Year!
Flâneur Gardening 
Reading this makes me happy for you and Tommy. May 2018 be full of travel and joy.
2018 will be full of whatever we pour into it. I’m trying to cut back on the travelling – in 2017 I only went to Paris, Scotland and Greenland – but for 2018 I only have the trip to Italy planned, and of course I’ll have to visit Tommy’s native island of Bornholm, far out in the Baltic Sea.
But there are other journeys to be had, of course. Perhaps more interesting.
That’s great news I’m happy for you too.
When you”re away from home who looks after Loke? He must miss you.
Loke comes up to town with me; I still have an apartment in Copenhagen where he normally stays and feels at home. (And it’s just a 10-minute bike ride from my boyfriend’s, so it’s easy to make time for the cat no matter what the weekend plans are.) And I rent out one of the rooms there, so the tenant looks after Loke when I go abroad.
A new boyfriend might be the most interesting thing right now, but Loke is still a fixed priority. 🙂
But yes… It’s great news. He’s a good sort of guy, and he makes me smile.
What a lovely time of year to be in a new relationship. I can just picture you traveling by city bus with your 7 ft. Christmas tree. I still smile at one of your early posts about traveling to the summer house by public transport with a whole garden (including, if I remember correctly, several rose bushes) in tow. 🙂
They were rhododendrons… And I had actually brought them by plane from Scotland to Copenhagen, and then by bus up to the Summer House where some of them have survived storms and floods. 🙂
And yes, it’s lovely. Very. (And he’s actually a gardener by education, though he now works in church.)
How wonderful! Life definitely happens when you have other plans, like a quiet Christmas with your cat. 🙂
Well, I certainly didn’t see this coming – but not running away from him is one of the wiser decisions I’ve taken in recent years. 😉
(But the cat is still a lovely companion.)
😊