You light up my Sandbaai
ABOVE: André’s neighbour Robbie van Toorn with his daughters Amelia and Alissa (who simply couldn’t contain her excitement for the photo), and Lukas and Petrie van Niekerk who often pop by the house during the evening. Robbie, who is an electrician, sometimes comes to André’s rescue when there are any problems with the lights! LEFT: André van Eyssen with the Sandbaai Neighbourhood Watch donation box. He dresses as Santa Claus every year to welcome visitors to his property.
R
esidents who have lived in Sandbaai for more than a decade are no doubt familiar with the ‘Christmas House’ found at 7 Piet Retief Crescent.
Each December for the past 16 years, André van Eyssen and his wife, Joy, have adorned their property with Christmas lights, reindeer, sleighs, carriages (handmade by Henk Marais), and other festive items for their neighbours and passers-by to enjoy. This December marks the 17th year that this tradition has been upheld, and the first year that André has done it on his own as Joy has sadly passed away.
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www.thevillagenews.co.za
23 December 2020
The tradition of decorating their house started when they were still living in Cape Town, 37 years ago. One December evening, one of the Eyssens’ sons suggested that they take a drive together to look at all the decorated houses (something that is quite popular in certain parts of Cape Town). According to André, as they were driving around the bug bit and since then he and Joy decorated their house every December – for 20 years in Cape Town and 17 years in Sandbaai – for them and others to enjoy. Each year, adults and children alike ask André if he will be doing his Christmas House again and his answer is always a
smiling ‘yes’. Besides the joy that André gets (and brings!) from sharing his beautifully decorated property with others, he also uses it to collect donations for the Sandbaai Neighbourhood Watch, of which he is a member while also taking care of the finances. Everyone is invited to come and have a look, take photos and make a donation towards the neighbourhood watch if they wish. The lights and music are switched on from 19:30 to 22:00 each night until 28 December. Please remember to wear a mask. André will sanitise your hands and take your temperature before you are allowed on the property.
Christmas tree brings festive cheer to Hermanus
The Hermanus Revival Group recently called a meeting of the local businesses to discuss what could be done to liven up the town to welcome tourists and to create some Christmas spirit after the challenging year we have all faced. Several buildings in the CBD had their walls painted in vibrant colours, with ‘I Love Hermanus’ added in bright red, while the municipality assisted in sprucing up others to make the town look more inviting. It was also decided that the large Norfolk pine tree in Swallow Park should be decorated to add a festive atmosphere for the holiday season. This job fell to Kim Maclean (Sharklady Adventures & Majestic Cruising) and
Clinton Lerm (SA Forest Adventures) who quickly gathered the support of staff members and volunteers to create oversized and most original Christmas decorations. The decorations and lights went up last week with the help of Overstrand Municipality. Kim says they have already had lots of positive feedback, with people coming to take photos and complimenting the finished project – something to lift everyone’s spirits! Kim and Clinton would like to thank all the sponsors who contributed to this project, as well as the volunteers who helped to bring it all together. PHOTO: Taylum Meyer
