2_0_DiscoverGermany_Issue34_January2016:Scan Magazine 1
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Page 46
Swiss winter customs from a British point of view Seasons come and go, but winter in Switzerland is one you just want to cling on to for as long as humanly possible; scooping out every last droplet of fondue, racing to get in those sledge runs before sunset, and jumping every chairlift queue in sight. From a British citizen living in Switzerland, here are a few undoubtedly terrific reasons to love the snow-covered, mystery festival-staging, chocolate envy-inducing country. TEXT: EMMIE COLLINGE | PHOTOS: SWITZERLAND TOURISM
During winter we are most frequently found gazing enviously into festively lit front rooms with Yuletide decorations that would not look out of place in a high-end design magazine. Switzerland is known as a key winter holiday destination for a good reason. When it comes to exquisite, handmade festive decorations for the tree and table and beating the winter blues, the Swiss population leave their British counterparts flailing.
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In Britain, fewer than one in five homes will have a real tree, with the majority clamouring to get their hands on an authenticlooking plastic substitute. For the Swiss, the concept of a fake tree is met with stifled laughter. A friend of a friend, who is a lumberjack in the Engadine, has the luxury of picking the valley’s finest ‘Arve’ tree, also known as a Swiss Stone Pine, a variety that grows almost exclusively in this region. As a result, his house is surely one of the coun-
try’s most festively fragrant residences during this period. But the tree is not just decorated and then left exclusively to house presents; on Christmas day it becomes the focal point of the festivities as the family gather round to sing. While such a custom would be met with looks of incredulity in Britain, it is surprisingly commonplace in Switzerland. Belting out the classics, such as Silent Night and ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem, in the company of your immediate family does not strike the Swiss as being anything but normal. As our first winter in Switzerland progressed, we got used to being awoken by the snow plough, which would pass by our window long before the resounding chime