Straupitz (dpa/bb) – Pot-bellied Santa Clauses, friendly-looking snowmen with hats, shining angels and stars: Gisela Liebsch and Gerd Mörl have been transforming their farm in Straupitz (Dahme-Spreewald) into a peaceful Christmas fairyland with warm light during Advent for 26 years. 300 figures stand between laid out fir branches, another 100 in the carport. “They are not that weatherproof,” explains the 76-year-old to the dpa. Every year the figures are arranged differently so that the 1,800 square meter garden always looks different. They are placed on sleighs or attached to trees, in the fir greenery and on the house facade.
When dusk sets in at 3:30 p.m., lights in the Straupitz Christmas Garden glow in warm yellow until 7:30 p.m. Starts this Saturday. The couple hardly ever uses LED lamps for lighting. They both explain that they are too bright. The fact that old, conventional light bulbs consume more electricity is accepted. “We don’t smoke, we don’t have any pets, I cut my husband’s hair alone, everyone spends their money somewhere else, we spend it on that,” says Gisela Liebsch about the family hobby.
For the Christmas ensemble, her partner gets mountains of fir greenery, which is then decoratively laid out in the snow between the figures. Beforehand, the many figures have to be removed from the attic of the house. Children and grandchildren now help.
The couple has long been a local celebrity with their “Christmas house” in the Spreewald town. Families and children were asking weeks in advance when it would start, says Gisela Liebsch. Meanwhile, the couple’s new neighbor has also been inspired by the Christmas lights and is decorating his house. “It’s a bit contagious,” she believes. Even in the village it no longer looks as dreary as it used to, now there is more light in the front gardens.
Countless lights also come on for the first Advent for the Muschner family in Berkenbrück (Oder-Spree). Around 20 timers ensure that the property and its facade are transformed into a glowing Christmas paradise. As soon as it gets dark, sparkling snowmen and Santa Clauses, reindeer and other animal figures sit in the garden, and a unicorn flashes for children. Over 20 years, well over 100 figures have come together, as Gabriele Muschner explains.
The Muschners let the Christmas world shine with energy-saving LED lights. According to the couple, they are also well supplied by a photovoltaic system on the roof of the house. As long as the family can make others happy with it, they want to continue the effort. There is a crowd at the garden fence, especially on Advent weekends.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:231201-99-141131/2
2023-12-01 12:16:27
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