Swiss native preserves age-old holiday custom

In the quiet of this Christmas Eve, Elsa Putzier will carefully light the candles attached to the branches of her Christmas tree, and a bit of nostalgia will set in.

As a child growing up in the mountains of central Switzerland, Putzier accompanied her father and grandfather to the woods in the days before Christmas to choose a tree that could accommodate candles on its boughs. It’s a time-honored tradition she kept when she came to America more than a half-century ago, and one she still preserves.

Lighting a Christmas tree with candles is a tradition that has all but fallen by the wayside. Legend has it that Martin Luther, inspired by a star-filled Christmas Eve sky some 500 years ago, lit candles and placed them on a tree. The first recorded references to candles on a tree, however, date back to 1660, historians say.

It’s a good bet that Putzier, a retired Realtor from Bigfork, is perhaps the only Flathead Valley resident who still lights her tree with real candles. The practice is now so obscure that she has been unable to find replacement candles anywhere, even in Europe. She’s on her last set of petite red candles, so lighting them is a special ceremonious nod to the past.

“The last three times I was in Switzerland I went to all the stores and they looked at me” in wonder, she said. “No one does this anymore. It’s too much hassle.”

Putzier spent the first six years of her childhood living on her grandfather’s farm, and vividly recalls those trips to the woods to find a tree. They didn’t pass up a tree just because it wasn’t perfect. Instead, her elders would drill holes in a lopsided tree and assemble the branches to be evenly spaced.

When she arrived in the United States in the early 1960s to study English and met her husband-to-be in Wisconsin, she explained the tradition to him and he was game to try it.

“My husband was not handy,” Putzier recalled with a laugh. “He’d drill holes and the boughs would flop down and the tree would fall over. We had to tie it to the wall.”

Putzier’s daughter Christine was willing to try the candle tradition, but her son Peter never did embrace the custom. It’s just much more convenient — and safer — to use electric lights.

Putting candles on trees is tricky. The boughs have to be spaced apart to allow the candles to burn without catching the tree on fire. Putzier still cuts her own Christmas tree, and knows exactly which “Tannenbaum” will best accommodate the candles.

It wasn’t until 1878 when a clip-on candle holder was invented. Before that people pinned or tied candles to branches, and once in a while the tree would go up in flames.

“My Uncle Fred set his tree on fire one time in his brand new house,” Putzier recalled, explaining that he quickly whisked it outside and threw the flaming tree off the balcony to avert disaster.

When Putzier was growing up, the typical Christmas tree stand was a cross bar of wood, which meant trees dried out very quickly.

More than anything, the candles glowing on Christmas Eve sweep Putzier back to her childhood, when that day meant a big celebration.

“The whole town went to church on Christmas Eve,” she recalled. “What stayed with me years afterward was the church bells ringing, calling everyone.”

The church was adorned with a huge evergreen tree, also with real candles. There would be a Christmas play, and then treats were passed out.

“The big deal was all the kids got a tangerine,” Putzier remembered. “It was a huge treat. We’d get a gingerbread bear, too.”

Her father, who had a woodworking shop, often made toys for her and her siblings. She remembers a special doll carriage.

“We got one book for Christmas, and I loved books,” she added.

Another poignant memory of those Christmases past are the people her parents would welcome into their homes for the holiday.

“We always had someone my mother knew was alone,” Putzier said.

One especially memorable guest in their home was an East German refugee who played a favorite German Christmas carol, “Leis Rieselt der Schnee,” on his harmonica. The refugee worked for Putzier’s father, so he and his son Armin were always welcome in their home.

“My mother was so kind and generous, and my father supported it,” she said. “We knitted all year. My mother knew where all the poor people were.”

Tonight will be the first time in about 15 years that Putzier will light her candles. Many past Christmases have been spent at her children’s homes out of the area, and the tradition typically takes a hiatus when she travels during the holidays.

This silent night, all will be calm and bright with the glow of those precious candles.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.