When Roelie and Teunis Hulshof start something, it quickly gets out of hand. Take their Christmas village. It has become so big that the couple can hardly set it up anymore. It’s going on sale.
The couple (she 68, he 76) is taking it easy this year. A large table shows, among other things, the Martini Tower, a cemetery (with hearse) and a self-built ski slope. Everything in miniature format and everything in the Christmas spirit.
Quite big you think? Previously, the couple’s Christmas village was 7.5 meters long, almost 2 meters deep and had several floors. Setting up took about four weeks. The furniture went to the bedroom or under the canopy. They themselves sat at a small, square table.
‘It has become too much’
Roelie: “I was like, I can’t make it anymore.”
Teunis: “It has become far too much.”
Roelie: “I got new knees in 2009. That’s why I can’t kneel anymore. I have to sit on my bottom and then slide under the table to connect the electricity.”
How did it start?
How long has it been exactly? Even if you kill them. “I think it really started about twenty years ago,” says Roelie. Anyway, she bought some Christmas houses and put them on the table. He liked it and got a taste for it. “Every year something was added.” The couple bought a huge Christmas city together at garden centers and second-hand via Facebook.
Teunis Hulshof: “That was also due to the Intratuin in Winschoten. A boy worked there and he always built it up so nicely.”
But Roelie also made a lot herself. The ski slope, for example, was made from polyurethane foam. While his wife shows the homemade track, Teunis stands up. He claps his hands loudly. A Santa dangling from the ceiling begins Silent Night to play.
Why is this fun?
They enjoy watching it, but the most enjoyable part is the run-up. The nursery from Zuidbroek has already come by, friends and acquaintances come to see the village and almost every year RTV Noord comes by for a cup of coffee and a movie. Roelie: “Ronald (Niemeijer ed.) also had so much fun with Santa Claus. He just kept clapping.”
On sale
But now it’s enough. They wanted to stop two years ago. This year they made the decision. The neighbor placed an advertisement on Marktplaats: (Christmas) Buyer wanted. What should it cost? Roelie: “Well, about 1,500 euros.” Teunis: “But that is without the train.”
And what does the Christmas buyer get? The couple walks upstairs. There is a guest room full of boxes. About thirty in total. It contains miniature trees, small dolls and Christmas houses. “He thinks it’s a shame,” says Roelie. “But I say: just let it rest. It’s pretty good.”
Watch the video that DVHN made in 2019 below.