“Jemieneetje”, Albert Ruben from Assen is shocked this morning when he opens his windows. For his hundredth birthday, the neighborhood decorated his house. Ruben is what they call a real ‘Christmas child’ and he is happy with it. “That we can experience this in good health and together. That is very important,” he says, looking at his wife Annie Ruben.
Albert Ruben does not take it for granted that Christmas is celebrated extensively. “We are not churchgoers,” he says. That is why not much was done about the holidays in Norgervaart, where he was born, a hundred years ago. “We didn’t know a Christmas tree at all at the time. Much more time and care is now spent on it,” he explains.
It was convenient for the family on the farm that Ruben’s birthday was on Christmas. “There was ‘Sunday work’, so just milking the cows. But otherwise there was nothing to do. So then extra attention was paid to (my birthday, ed.).”
Even during the war, there was no tree in the house. “No decorations, no you didn’t have that back then. It was a sad time at Christmas.”
That changed when Annie came into Albert’s life. “As long as we have been married, we have always had a Christmas tree and everything that comes with it. And good food.”
Ruben met Annie through her brother Jan, with whom he was good friends at the time. He often visited her family in Andere. When did the spark fly? “not right away,” both laugh. “Persistence wins,” Ruben jokes.
“It started at the Roldermarkt,” says his wife. “Then I asked Annie if I could take her home,” Ruben adds. “That’s how it went then. And then I got permission to go home with her by bike.” Annie Ruben: “he has stuck around ever since.”
When Annie’s brother died during the war of independence in Indonesia, the two turned to each other for support. “From that moment on, I always had a heart for her.”
The couple has now been married for seventy years and celebrates all the milestones together. Today the cake is ready and family is coming to visit. They are surprised how many friends they have. “Countless many cards that we didn’t think we would get,” says Ruben. “Everything is loosening up again,” says his wife.” A card from the royal couple is also on display on the cupboard. Ruben: “very special.”