Christmas at Chateau Meiland: the aftertalk

With a nicely decorated little tree on the right, all the Christmas presents on the left (or well, actually under that tree on the right) and my Christmas outfit ready to party you would think that the Christmas fun couldn't get any better. Until... There our Martien suddenly stands yodeling with his long body, glühwein, and Christmas sweater. From ‘serving’ the tree to Erika's drum set and let's not forget the whole cherry picker situation. We really missed the Meiland family and we are so happy that they want to celebrate Christmas with us, with today the funniest moments lined up again. Ho ho ho, I say: merry Meiland it is.

The tree is still packed in the box but Martien is already sure: This. Is. Quality. You can just feel it.

Martien: ‘And why does Nadège know how to put that tree together? And why don't we know that? She has never had a Christmas tree in her apartment. Look, she really knows it all well, look, pff.’ And now I still wonder how Martien knows that Nadège has never celebrated Christmas before. What. A. Character.

Erika: ‘Those branches need to be pulled out well in length, right?’ Martien: ‘What in length? Hello, what do you mean?’ Erika: ‘Well, here ‘someone’ has made a really ugly exploded star, for example.’ Martien: ‘Well, I actually like that. And there need to be balls in it too. In such a star-like shape, you can work much better with those hooks. Eer!!? Do we have hooks for those balls?’ Hooks... I don't think we have those.

‘We're going to have a red wine first, we have switched from white and rosé to red, you know, and then we're going to decorate the tree nicely.’ Decorate? HA HA, I'm cracking up.

Maxime: ‘Shouldn't we check if the lights are working first?’ Martien: ‘No, of course not. No, that really doesn't need to happen right now.’

Martien: ‘Come on, Maxime, you need to go up the stairs. No, you need to come down. Oh no, on the stairs is actually good. The stairs yes, good.’

Maxime: ‘Crap. Why don't we just celebrate Sinterklaas.’

Meanwhile in the living room: HAHA, Erica behind her drum set. I find it Hilarious with a capital H.

Martien: ‘I'm sure that when the guests arrive, the tree will crash. What's wrong with a small nice gold cord? I can just tie the tree to the stairs for safety, right, Eer?’ Erika: ‘No, that's really not necessary, come on, it's standing really sturdy in that corner.’ Martien: ‘Well, then we'll only do this tree. Let the rest stay in the packaging. If it has to go like this again. If I can't even do such a small nice gold thing.’

Dog grabs Christmas ball. Maxime: ‘Oh no, does he have blood on his mouth?’ Martien: ‘BLOOD? He has glitter, pff.’

Martien: ‘I'm just going to saw off some branches. Christmas-worthy branches, you know. You can see that from this. From this, you know. Look, I can really do something with this. Look, then you immediately have something standing. Look, then it says branch will crack in the vase, but that really doesn't matter. Look, it's really coming together. It's beautiful. It's absolutely top.’ Crying with laughter: has anyone seen the final result of Martien's Christmas arrangement?

Martien: ‘And do you have any of those big gifts? For on the floor.’

Maxime: ‘But for whom is this mask nice as a Christmas gift?’ Martien: ‘For Nadège?’ Erika: ‘She wanted a coffee maker, look, here is a coffee maker.’ Martien: ‘No, this thing is bigger than her countertop, Erika, no, that will never fit in her kitchen. I don't think that's a nice Christmas gift. Look now, and what about this organ?’ Erika: ‘Yeah, that's nice!’ Maxime: ‘Yeah nice, then she can make nice music at home in her apartment.’ Poor, poor, poor Nadège. An organ? Really, just sweep me up.

By the way, I also wonder: where is that learning jacket with that long crooked gentleman going?

Martien: ‘Please don't let it flicker, that makes me completely GRRRHHH weird.’ Oh, that’s not noticeable at all, Mart. You’re not stuttering, frowning, and blinking your eyes a lot.

Maxime: ‘Dad! The lights in the tree are broken.‘ Martien: ‘You can't be serious. God, no. No, you can't be serious, right? Oh, how annoying. God. Yes, that must really be because of the socket.’ Maxime: ‘Damn, how can that be.’ Martien: ‘Yeah damn, then Jean-Luc didn't connect the socket properly. He is no longer welcome at our Christmas party, that drives you completely crazy.’ Maxime: ‘Oh, the plug wasn't in properly.’ Martien: ‘Oh, then Jean-Luc can come again. Damn Maxime, we're blaming Jean-Luc again.’ Maxime: ‘Yeah, damn.’

Martien: ‘I'm going to have lunch now.’ Erika: ‘Me too, going to have some wine.’

Maxime: ‘The lights are off again. Dad, come here.‘ Martien: Why did that happen? Did it go out? Why did the lights go out again? Well, you know, just pull the plug out right away. Jean-Luc needs to look at this. This is just not stylish like this. Let's pause this. There's also white wine in the kitchen. Otherwise, that wine will be completely warm again. I don't want that.’ Erika: ’I want red.’ Martien: ’Oh, she wants red again, well, I'm in the kitchen.. Pff.‘

Martien: ‘Oh, that cat. Yeah, listen, that cat needs to go to the kitchen, and right now! Oh no, she's also completely crooked. Oh, she's hooking. She's hooking. Oh damn, she's hooking. My whole table is not right anymore. Pff.’

: 'No, a coin, Montana. This is really a clear coin here, you can see that. I can never get that wallpaper without veins and folds in that coin here. Coin means corner in French, dear Montana.' 'Say that to me, le père.': ‘Look Clairetje, there is mama on the cherry picker. Yeah, wave to mama, now you still have a mama, I think in half an hour maybe not anymore.’

Maxime: ‘I'm not even insured for my funeral, so today is going to be a very expensive day.’ Erika: ‘Nooooo. It can be a very expensive day.’ That’s the spirit, Eer. HAHA.

And then: ‘Tomorrow on Chateau Meiland.’ Sorry, tomorrow? Tomorrow? This is really the most wonderful time of the year.