Dreaming of a red,green & purple Christmas

Last week we spoke with Thorunn and DJ Simon about their Christmas, and this week we take a political slant and ask LSAP’s Chris Berens-Scott, Déi Gréng’s Sam Tanson and the Pirate Party’s Sven Clement about their plans, traditions and memories.

Where will you be celebrating Christmas this year and with whom?

Chris will be commuting between the stove and her comfy seat by the fire as she “loves to cook”. It was only recently that Sam rediscovered her love for Christmas, she explains, “As a teenager I didn't like celebrating Christmas” but seeing that “we all are quite busy, it's often difficult to gather everyone so Christmas is the occasion”. Sven looks forward to being together with the entire family, siblings, and everyone’s boy- or girlfriends. Despite the need for running to and from the stove, Chris also takes the time to “check on my animals at midnight on Christmas Eve to try to catch them talking!”

When: the 24th or the 25th?

“24th absolutely! Christmas Eve is the magic part”, Sam Tanson insists, whereas Sven has a more pragmatic approach seeing that he has to split Christmas into 3 parts in order to celebrate with everyone: “my mother, my father and my girlfriend’s family”. He adds “I’ll be celebrating 3 times with slightly different people on both dates”. Chris Berens-Scott takes advantage of the occasion and celebrates on both, “a special meal on Christmas Eve with the whole atmosphere, the music, the candles and the decorations followed by a huge Christmas lunch on the 25th”.

What do you traditionally eat at Christmas? This year?

Sam is a vegetarian and explains, “my mother always has to cook something special for me.” Although she doesn’t know what this year’s menu will be she’s not scared to let herself be surprised as “it's usually pretty good!” Sven isn’t sure what exactly the meal will be yet, but he explains that, “it’s composed of 3 different home-cooked dishes including fish and meat, but the type varies each year”. LSAP’s candidate is not in doubt: “On Christmas eve, I go for oysters and bubbles. On the 25th, I go for game and red wine! And of course Christmas cake!”

Do you have your own little tweak to your country's standard traditions?

“As we have a hard time figuring out what to buy for each other we're having a lottery every year to determine who has to get a gift for whom”, Déi Gréng’s leader explains while apologising for the many gifts she’s been giving her brother over the years. Where some might think that the Pirate’s triple celebration might be somewhat different to the norm, or even a tweak to traditions, he sees it as “a new, emerging tradition with more and more followers”. Chris is more philosophical and argues that a Luxembourgish Christmas might be a tweak of standard traditions per se, as it entails “all kinds of goodies and specialties from different countries, like German Gingerbread and marzipan, English Christmas crackers and stuffing, French cheese and Foie Gras, Italian cake and liqueur ...”.

What is your biggest wish for Christmas?

Politicians will be politicians and Clement’ wish for Christmas is to see more and more people stand up against authoritarian states. He says, “I would also love to see more people in Luxembourg questioning the government’s actions”. The question reminds Berens-Scott of a joke where a journalist asked different politicians what they wanted for Christmas, “they wanted a better health system, to win the fight against poverty, to end hunger, they wanted peace and prosperity throughout the world, all except for one politician who answered he would be very happy with a small box of chocolates for Christmas.” Nonetheless, she too hopes that the world will become a better, safer place in 2012. Tanson’s wish is quite modest in comparison; she just wants to “celebrate a whole lot more of these Christmases with her family”

What's the best present you ever got?

Sam and Sven are a bit hesitant to tell what their best gift was. They don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings because they got a lot of great gifts through the years. However, Chris explains that “the best idea came from friends when I was a student: they sent me to Villeroy & Boch to choose a pattern of tableware I liked. After that, for every Christmas, birthday or other occasion I received matching porcelain plates, cups, saucers, bowl and ashtrays, And chocolates of course!”

What's the best gift you have ever given?

“Certainly not the ones my brother got”, Tanson exclaims. Sven is not quite sure what gift “raised the most emotions”, but argues “it was probably something I made myself”. Again, Chris has no doubt and remembers ”One year, I went out shopping on Christmas Eve with my boyfriend and we ended up giving our savings to the poor people who were begging on the streets”.

Please finish the sentence: Christmas is for me....

Sam Tanson: … a reminiscence of childhood magic

Sven Clement: … a time to be with my family.

Chris Berens-Scott: ... a white Christmas! And most of all an occasion to rest, it's the only time of year where I really get away to "reboot" myself before the New Year.