By Soller Shirley
Is it just me or is there something very dark about ‘the elf on the shelf’. The scout elf sits there watching and listening all day, and then reports back to Santa in the North Pole every evening. ‘He knows is you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake’. Spies round every corner, retribution if you have had a tantrum, all seems very scary. I wonder how many elves get unceremoniously dumped every year by kids who have had enough! I think I will lead the parade for ‘the elf must go’…
Traditions, old and new make up our important times of the year. Big business is behind ‘Elf on the Shelf’, and he is a very recent addition to ‘tradition’. The brand didn’t start till 2004 and now it’s everywhere. The fun of finding where he is hiding every morning can be sweet, but I don’t buy the rest of it.
The oldest of traditions here in Mallorca are the Betlems. Nativity and scenes from rural Christmas’s of the past. Many families have fun building their own Betlem and adding new features every year. We have one in the Atrium of the Town Hall. All churches will have their own version. The entradas of Soller will display their work proudly. The Betlem of the St Vincent de Paul School is mighty impressive as is the magnificent display in L’horta. Look out for the opening dates of these two, they are worth seeing.
Many take a day trip and visit a number of the churches and centres around the island. The following link will take you to information on the many places with great displays. https://www.betlemistes.com/es/betlems.
I love the small and beautiful Betlems all over Mallorca at this time of year. I also love the really large one at the end of Carrer de Sant Miquel in Palma. This is the only military parish church in Palma – Santa Margalida (Saint Margaret). A gothic building with a history to match. This church houses a great Betlem and occasionally has a choir singing carols and Christmas songs in the quadrangle. A visit to Palma at this time of year will always see me popping in there.
Choice – Elf, Betlem, both, plus all your own special traditions – it wouldn’t be Christmas without them.
