Just in case someone still has a Christmas tree standing around somewhere: it’s about time for them. On February 2nd, this year on Wednesday, Catholics could celebrate the feast of Candlemas, provided they still feel like celebrating. And Candlemas still marks the end of the Christmas season for many people, even if it officially ends on the Sunday after Epiphany since the liturgical reform of 1970. But then Christmas would practically be over much longer, so get out the Christmas tree before it burns down after all. In the event of a fire – and only in that case – the fire brigade would still come in Mittenwald.
Dry tree jokes are of course forbidden in a place called Mittenwald anyway, but the Mittenwald fire brigade also wants to have nothing more to do with Christmas trees. Because she has enough to do otherwise, so she doesn’t have to drive through the village every year to drive away all the needled Nordmann firs and prickly spruces. Roughly speaking, this is the reason why the fire service stopped its usual post-Christmas disposal service. That was already the case last year, but the anger about it does not seem to have died down among some Mittenwalders since then, but rather only flared up. Now even the market council has had to deal with the general anger again, even if only under “Other” at the end of the session.
So no decisions were made, but it would have been much too late. The usual collection date for the Christmas trees has long since passed, because until last year the fire brigade always went out shortly after New Year’s Eve. Previously, the local Kolping Family had done this for years, and before that the congregation itself. And now no one does it anymore. Or rather do it all the more now, namely all Mittenwalders themselves.
But maybe that also goes quite well with Candlemas. Because on that day the working year of the maids and servants used to begin. The servants received their wages at Candlemas and could extend for another year or change farms. And maybe the people of Mittenwald will find someone new for their Christmas trees by Wednesday.