For the first time in 22 years, I'm back in the mothership - the Netherlands, country of my birth - for Christmas. Last time I was here was Christmas 1999, ready for the big Y2K disaster that wasn't. Yes, it snowed on Christmas morning then and I was enthralled with the picture-postcard gezelligheit - that warm, cosy, glowing fire and fragrant kitchen "thing" that the Dutch do so very well.
Arriving yesterday to a staggering 0C top temperature on a Sunday afternoon when I exited the airport, it hurt my lungs to breathe. Super grateful for my sweet Dutch couisn, Ton, who met me at Schiphol with a warm, borrowed coat and a scarf.
Gotta say that I needed a crash course (pun not intended 😆) in negotiating pavements and streets with dangerous black ice. Grateful for my fav gortex hiking boots, which have great tread and are toasty warm as well. We had to hurry from the airport and luckily the luggage arrived and all went smoothly, because there was a 5pm Black Ice Amber Alert for the motorway we needed to travel en route back to their place. Thankfully we made it home safely.
I was transfixed by the ice patterns in their garden, when we got back. But I was SO COLD that I only snapped off a few brief pics before hurrying inside. I had made a mental note to get up as soon as it was light (sunrise currently 8.46am 😮) to take some lovely photos of the frozen canals and the kids skating in the neighbourhood.
But I woke at 2.06am to the sound of howling wind and hail beating on the windows set into the attic roof, where I'm sleeping. I snuggled down and went back to sleep, only to wake closer to 6am to the sound of RAIN. Lots of rain.
Later morning today as I walked back from the metro, having been in to Rotterdam for winter clothes shopping, the ice was still visible in the canals but clearly melting. And the ice on the streets and pavements was gone.
It seems that an "indian summer" has swept in to the Netherlands, and this week - the christmas week - is expected to be somewhat milder with basically rain every day. So maybe no white Christmas, although possibly a bit sleetly on the 4C days.
I'm here to spend Christmas with my 18 year old daughter, who's studying physiotherapy in Groningen in the northern part of Holland, close to the Danish border. She's had COLD weather (around -6C) and yes, they have been ice skating in the open spaces at her university. She sent me some great pics and video a few days ago, including this one.
I CAN'T WAIT to see her (she arrives Wednesday evening down here in Rotterdam, after classes finish) and I'm sure the warmth of love, family and Christmas will help me to keep the cold in perspective.
There IS something incredibly magical and lovely about snow and cold weather for Christmas. 🎄
Not sure I'd go quite as far as Bing in dreaming of a White Christmas, but I'm thoroughly enjoying the change from tropical Thailand and the authentic feeling of European Christmas.
Blessed n Blessed.
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