“It’s nice not to be in the Netherlands at Christmas,” says a traveler at Schiphol. He leaves for Curaçao with his wife and children. Marieke Donk travels through Costa Rica for two weeks with her boyfriend. “No Christmas under the tree, but next to the palm tree hopefully.”
Despite the crowds, Schiphol employee Jeffrey tries to keep the Christmas spirit going. With Christmas music – Frank Sinatra’s Jingle Bells sounds from the speakers of his work car – he sees travelers visibly brighten up. “People like that Christmas atmosphere, because you hardly hear it anymore,” he says. “You see everyone getting happy and dancing: children, parents, flight attendants, even the military police.”
While Jeffrey provides some light and coziness, others consciously opt for a not-so-light Christmas. “We’re going to Iceland for a week,” says a holidaymaker. “Seeing waterfalls, geysers. It’s a bit exciting, because you only have four to five hours of light a day.” A dark Christmas, but a conscious choice. “There are the dark days before Christmas, but for us they are also the dark days with Christmas,” he laughs. They hope to still see the Northern Lights.