The title could as well be black milk. I told a friend the other day, „Bei Weihnachtssachen hört bei mir der Minimalismus auf.“ / „Minimalism stops for me at Christmas things.“ She answered, „Ha, na da bin ich ja beruhigt.“ / „Good, that’s reassuring.“
But I think that depends on the perspective. After the last round of decluttering, which included my kids volunteering to sell their Lego Duplo to make room for their much smaller „school lego“ (the normal-sized lego). It felt good and clean and relaxing. I was dreading ruining it all with the Christmas decor. But I am happy to say it’s not like that at all. I even order some more like every year, and I can’t wait for the tree to be up.
I wonder what it is? Why does the holiday season distort my yearning for simplicity? It’s this time of the year when I miss Germany the most. It might be that the light and lack of sunshine in upstate New Year during the fall and winter months are similar. It’s the longing for Christmas markets for sure, feeling „gemütlich“, cozy, inside the home and inside yourself. It’s a deep craving for feeling calm, warm, and protected.
I definitely don’t want to be a child again, at least not the child I used to be. But I do think a lot about our carpeted living room during Christmas time. With its curtains and furniture on every wall. You couldn’t hear the grandfather clock ticking, because all the Rambo and (original) Star Wars movies were on TV, once it was too late in the day for DEFA fairy tale films.
Maybe it’s because German Christmas decoration is simple in itself, or its kitschiness reminds me of my grandma, who also had a very warm carpeted living room, and had invented true minimalism. I believe traditionally Christmas pyramids, nutcrackers, smokers, and light arches were built and sold by miners and lumberman from the Erzgebirge during the winter, to generate extra income. Just like everywhere in the world they were poor, and so the decoration was carved out of wood and painted, or not. Luckily, those decorations can still be found in every German household, and beyond. The first time I have seen colored Christmas lights was in the US.
Maybe it’s because I grew up visiting a Protestant church, which is modest by nature. Something I miss very much in the US. Here everyone seems to shout their denomination at everyone through bumper stickers and yard signs. Churches have microphones and carpets in the US. (No public space should have carpeted floors, in my opinion, for multiple reasons.)
So maybe there is a minimalist Christmas, just not in North America.