I believe in Santa!
When I was a small child, one of my sisters swore that she saw Santa on top of the coalhouse roof. In those days where I lived, coalhouses were the norm as most people who were our neighbours were coal miners, as was my Dad.
Dad was first in the Rising Sun Pit (Colliery) near Wallsend which closed in 1969 and then, with a move to Nottingham, into Cotgrave Pit which according to my reading, closed in 1994.
What does this have to do with this blog?
All four of us being social New Years Eve! Actually we were all texting our kids back in the UK wishing them a Stratna Nova Godina (Happy New Year).
My Sister Dawn started her Santa spotting hobby before we left Newcastle in 1969, which meant that I was around 5 at the time. It may be that Dawn had been exaggerating the truth so I’d still be a believer? (Is she that nice ?! Ha ha) It may be that she had a little too much Newcastle Brown Ale, but at about 10 years old that’s highly unlikely.
The general family theory has always been that on the Christmas eve in question, Dawn spotted one of the other Dads putting in a little too much realism into his role as Father Christmas. A little too much “Method Acting” otherwise know as a little too much beer .
You can never have too many Santa’s - Varaźdin square
So when my sister Dawn (the very sister with the Santa vision) her wife Caz, the lovely Mr G and myself took a few days break and went to spend new year with some of my Croatian Family, we were not expecting to find definitive evidence to back up her Christmas tale.
Dad was Croatian so going to spend quality time over there feels a little like reconnecting with my Dad and the traditions he had when he was a young boy. Of course, a trip anywhere for me, has to involve food in some form, which is why I’m in the middle of writing a Croatian and Uk cook book ( more about this another time)
I’m very lucky that food is as much a part of the Croatian traditions as it is for me. I should mention also , that a little bit of wine is also a family tradition when over there.
Family refillable wine bottle. Honest, there’s a vat of wine in the cellar!
I was given so many opportunities to take part in the family new year cooking. That might be a little bit of an exaggeration. The taking part consisted of me watching everyone else do all the work, laughing a lot and being chief taste tester. Move over Mr G!
For the duration of filming (and I use that term very loosely. You’ve seen my YouTube channel) Mr G was in charge of what I’m now calling the posh camera. A Christmas present to myself in the hope that I will get to know it enough so that I can use it instead of my phone.
Let me just mention here, that only two days after receiving the video camera in the post, I had “misplaced” the instructions, so that when Mr G took it out in Croatia to begin the posh filming, he had to guesstimate how to use it.
He did a great job, and by the end of the filming, in-fact the very last film, the cooking of the Kotlovina ( a speciality dish of Zagreb and north west Croatia.) Mr G had mastered it. I have yet to tell him that, apart from the last, all of the other videos filmed with the posh camera have no sound.
The beautiful and talented Chef Tanya and Chef Ivo. Luckily I’m related to them too. Spot Mr G with the posh camera.
Look out for a series of the filmed Croatian cooking on Lee & The Sweet Life YouTube. I’ll be posting them every couple of weeks there.
What has all this got to do with Santa?
While we were staying at the Park Boutique Hotel in Varaźdin ( FYI a really nice and friendly hotel), we had plenty of time to wander around and appreciate all the wonderful things that always happen during Christmas and New Year.
Arriving at Park Boutique Hotel Varaźdin - And the lovely Mr G
Ice skating rinks, the Christmas markets serving hot traditional snacks and hot wine. Fairy lights that would make Tinkerbell jealous and of course the Santa motorbike drive through Varaźdin on New Years Morning.
Varaźdin Market Place - New Year Eve
Can there ever be too many Santa’s? I don’t think so !
As soon as Dawn set eyes on the “Real” Santa, she was immediately transformed back into a little kid . “See” she exclaimed. “I told you he was real”
You know what , after meeting him, getting a Santa Hug and checking out that how bead was real, Dawn might be right after all.
I Believe , I Believe - Thats a real beard too!
Enjoy Your Sweet Life
