Christmas tree hunting
Other theories, however, sound a lot more welcoming! Twice during my conversations with various residents, I was told about a tradition in the neighborhood to go hunting for Christmas trees during the holidays with a large group of local residents with axes in their hands. Sounds far-fetched? Well, not necessarily!
The Hakbijlenbuurt had several such Christmas traditions. In the 1981 Leiden Annual, an article by an ex-neighbor mentions that on New Year's Eve in the 1930s the tradition was to drag all the Christmas trees out of the houses after twelve o'clock, make a lot of noise, sing, celebrate and collectively set the trees on fire.