The garden is teeming with gnomes of all sizes – “The old man helps me carry”
Just in time for Christmas, Gerd and Björn Eriksson’s home is teeming with Santas of all sizes – a tradition the couple started over 40 years ago.
And there are more elves with each passing year.
– The children think that’s enough, says Gerd and laughs
Over 40 years ago, the couple Gerd and Björn Eriksson put up their first Christmas decoration in the garden – a female and a male Santa.
– It’s a self-portrait. They have come along and been picked out every Christmas, says Gerd Eriksson.
Since then, the villa’s garden in Upplands-Bro has been filled with more gnomes with each passing year. When TV4 Nyheterna visits the couple’s home, it is littered with about a hundred pieces of various sizes – some of them as big as people.
Takes a week to decorate
Where the love for the decoration comes from is hard to say, according to Gerd.
– You have to have it inside you. And the joy. The joy is the most important thing.
Every year it takes a whole week to get the decorations up. They are a cohesive team and plan the decorations for weeks. And it is appreciated in the neighborhood, says Gerd.
– When you meet them at the store, they ask ‘when are you going to start your decoration’?
“The children think that’s enough”
Many of the gnomes and accessories have been made by Björn Eriksson himself over the years and there is always something new that arouses inspiration. But there won’t be many more, the couple says.
– I think we have quite a lot, so that’s enough. And the children also think that is enough.
They want to come into the house, says Gerd and laughs.