The twinkling lights of the Markx family from Beverwijk can still be seen from a kilometer away. Every year, dozens of boxes of Christmas tassels are brought from the attic to shine during ‘the most beautiful time of the year’, as Monique calls it – just like in the song.
“The festival of light, the warmth, the coziness. It’s a feeling,” Monique explains. And she feels that feeling down to her toes. Because for her it doesn’t stop at a Christmas dinner and a tree that can stand after the fifth of December. “We started on September 21. Our Christmas village is six square meters in size; the three of us worked on it for a week and a half.”
Started small
The family has not always had the Christmas virus. They started subtly. “At first we had a small village at the back and some candles in the window. We have been doing it this way for twenty years.” The facade, the roof, the toilet, the kitchen, the hall and even the ceiling are not forgotten. Christmas baubles hang on a grid in the kitchen, the window is covered with stickers, a projection shines on the facade and even the toilet bowl has a Santa Claus cover. “Everything is part of it, because it has to be one whole,” says Monique.
But one thing is strictly forbidden: parts that make constant noise. “We are in this from September to January. It has to remain fun; we don’t need things that constantly flash, rotate or make noise.”
Homesick for next Christmas
The family’s house attracts a lot of attention, and they like that. “This is the only time when people are allowed to peer through the window unabashedly.” The house can still be admired next month, but everything will be shipped out promptly on January 1. “At that moment we actually immediately look forward to next year.”