Christmas of yesteryear in Alsace

From the end of November, from the north to the south of Alsace, a special atmosphere reigns in the towns and villages. A scent of mulled wine floats in the air, small wooden huts shelter craftsmen, streets and squares are dressed in lights. But to find the true spirit of Christmas, head to the Ecomuseum in Ungersheim.

Here, time seems to stand still. The time, precisely, is taken to stroll through the alleys of this astonishing village made up of authentic houses typical of the region, saved from demolition and rebuilt to form a welcoming village. The largest living open-air museum in France, it brings the Alsatian countryside back to life at the start of the 20th century. Volunteers and craftsmen share their know-how, ensure that traditions are maintained.

For Christmas, they make a small bend to this rule with the magnificent decorations that adorn the village for Christmas: At the time, this was not done!

To respect the authenticity of the village despite everything, the volunteers therefore imagined “what could have been”, using only natural elements to create door and window decorations. Apples, corn, dried flowers, grasses, straw are of the most beautiful effect. 200 "mustaches" (small garlands) and 100 window arrangements; 65 door decorations; 151 trees, the smallest measuring 80 cm and the largest 7 meters; 2.5 km of fir garlands: the “little hands” have been busy! 1.5 tons of branches were thus worked.

The magic happens, especially when daylight declines. A real poetry emerges from the streets decorated in all simplicity but with a lot of creativity.

Randomly during the walk, we discover with delight the facade of a house illuminated by inclusions of multicolored glass triangles, made by Camille, stained glass artist of the ecomuseum. She watches over a small magical garden: a dozen elf houses connected by ladders or suspension bridges invite the inhabitants of small worlds to dream.

An astonishing contemporary red tree stands out in this environment of yesteryear: this "crossing" tree is intended to be the continuity of an old tradition, that of Christmas trees. An exhibition also shows the evolution of its decoration, explains why the fir trees were suspended from the ceiling at the beginning of the 16th century.

But it's time to warm up. Let's push the door of this big house where "locals" welcome us to make (and taste) the famous Alsatian Christmas cookies that are not lacking in any family at this time of year! On a large table, other volunteers offer to make greeting cards and small decorative objects in natural or recycled materials.
In the workshops where craftsmen work, young and old can create decorations for their Christmas tree from wood shavings, scraps of leather or even shape a subject in clay for the nativity scene.

Christmas of yesteryear also means warm evenings in a "stuwa", the living room. These are privileged moments to share with a few villagers who tell their daily life, some anecdotes of life in the countryside, who sing songs while doing small jobs.

Some evenings, the villagers invite you to follow them through the alleys to discover the fate of Doctor Peterschmitt, who hates Christmas. Surly, sullen and stubborn, he will, of course, end up being won over by the magic of Christmas.

These are beautiful moments to enjoy as a family.