Christmas is approaching. So, looking for the perfect Christmas tree. We walked around Tuinland Assen, where sellers Erwin and Nick were packing one giant needle after another and asked a few sincere tree lovers: why this one in particular?
Who: Menno and Janine Bekken. Out: Zuidlaren. Christmas tree: Nordmann
“We saw him and thought: This is it. Our perfect Christmas tree. It’s nice and big, but still fits well in our living room, it’s not too wide, nice and full but not too much, so you can hang balls in it – probably red and gold ones, but that’s not certain yet. That’s how it often goes, isn’t it? You have whole theories about what a tree should look like, but in the end it is a feeling. And this one has such a charming hump at the top.”
Who: Hanna Dons with Joris (5), Benthe (2) and Jasper (5). Out: Shafts. Tree: Mini tree Green
“This is not our only tree, we already have a large one for the living room – we have decorated it eclectically with both angels and police cars. This little one is allowed in the children’s bedroom. We picked him out because they think he has such a funny feather in his top, like a Pete’s hat. And now we’re all going to pick out a Christmas bauble, which is also allowed every year.”
Who: Bert and Helen van der Veen. Out: Shafts. Tree: Nordmann
“We are very critical of Christmas trees, we always have something to complain about, but this is it. Salesman Erwin put it in front of us and we knew immediately. It’s so beautiful, look at that shape and that color. He only has one bad side, but that’s not a disaster, we turn it to the back. He will get a permanent place in the living room again, then we will first change the batteries in the room, then some furniture will have to be moved upstairs. But then it also looks beautiful.”