tradition
Miracles of light: the Christmas houses shine
Numerous lights shine on the Borchart family’s house, which is decorated for Christmas. From the first Advent until the end of the year, the family house shines with Christmas decorations and around 60,000 lights. photo
© Hauke-Christian Dittrich/dpa
The Christmas houses are shining in many places in the country right now. Some of them have long been regional celebrities. Their owners are defying the energy crisis with thousands and thousands of LED lights.
When homes are transformed into wonderlands of light, the holiday home season begins. In many places in Germany they are shining these days, just in time for the beginning of Advent. While the pandemic has put pressure on the winter wonderland mood in recent years, this time it is the extremely high electricity prices. When asked about this, the Christmas fans agree: the big lights should still be there.
Punctually on the first Sunday in Advent, they will switch on their 60,000 lights again: For more than 20 years, Martina and Sven Borchart have been lavishly decorating their house in Delmenhorst at Christmas time with garlands of lights, figures and pyramids. “It’s an affair of the heart for us.” The rising energy prices didn’t change anything: “Hobbies cost money.”
Fairytale world in Upper Lusatia
A fairytale world shines on the edge of Upper Lusatia, where Rüdiger Browatzke has his house. For more than 20 years, the 67-year-old has been festively decorating the house and garden and letting countless lights shine. “Meanwhile, eight fairy tales have been created, all of them homemade.”
He once brought the idea to Großröhrsdorf from the USA. However, the decoration there was “loud, colourful, shrill and flashing”, he wanted to do it differently. “I actually only have warm white light.” He can’t say exactly how many lights are on at his Christmas house. “It could well be 100,000.”
Ten meter high Santa Claus
A special eye-catcher in front of the house of Sascha Bärwald and Dominik Pieczko in Ahnatal in northern Hesse is a ten meter high, inflatable Santa Claus. “It’s deflated every evening and, depending on the weather, it’s inflated again the next day,” explained Bärwald. New additions this year include a Cinderella carriage with moose and an illuminated swan.
In the Brandenburg town of Straupitz, the Christmas lights shine at the house of the Mörl family. Around 400 figures such as Santa Clauses, snowmen and stuffed animals are in her garden after six weeks of decoration time. “The house is 95 percent decorated, only the details are missing,” says Gerd Mörl. And looking at the fairy lights, he adds: “I hope there is no short circuit.”
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