Balzhausen's glowing tribute: A husband’s promise shines on
The Christmas house in Balzhausen is one of the most beautiful on the street, and it hides a touching story. Every time 69-year-old Josef Glogger lights up the Christmas lights in front of his house, he sends a message to his late wife, Erika.
According to Bild, two decades ago, the Glogger couple began decorating their home and garden with thousands of lights, angels, and nativity scenes during Advent. The couple, who had no children, were thrilled when children visited their dazzling garden. Sadly, last year, 63-year-old Erika lost her long battle with leukemia.
I promised her that I would continue, Josef said in an interview with "Bild."
Erika and Josef were married for 26 years. His wife's passing was a tremendous blow for him, but he found the strength to continue their tradition despite the loss of his beloved. Last year, he arranged wooden figures in his yard and stretched hundreds of metres of cables. 45,000 LED lights illuminated his garden.
The Christmas garden was his wife's idea
Josef does not hide that the garden full of Christmas decorations was a dream of his wife and that she came up with the idea of creating it. She also wanted two large angels, which I built for her from wood in 1999 and 2001, with openings to place lamps in them — Josef revealed in an interview with "Bild."
Erika's battle with cancer lasted many years. Five years ago, the couple decided to place containers with mulled wine, punch on the fence, and a donation box. The collected funds were used to support cancer research. As the 69-year-old admitted, 6,000 visitors raised around 42,000 Canadian dollars for leukemia research in the last five years.
The year Erika passed away, the lights in our home brought me much comfort. Sometimes I hear from guests, who have experienced similar losses, that this sight helps them get through tough times, admitted Josef.
