How Greta’s Sister Embraces Imperfection – Especially at Christmas (Artist-Interview)
Interview: Katharina Maria Zimmermann
Behind the pseudonym “Greta’s Sister” is Sarah Neuendorf – born and raised in Berlin – who delights with her illustrations, books, gift ideas, and colourful Instagram presence. And what time of year is more magical than Christmas? In conversation with Pfeffer & Frost, she talks about new and old Christmas traditions, how she continuously brings the festive spirit to life, and what inspired her illustrations on the Pfeffer & Frost packaging. She also shares her secret trick for getting into the Christmas mood all year round.
Hi Sarah – let’s clear this up straight away: your name is Sarah Neuendorf, but you’ve become known as Gretas Schwester. Where does that name come from? And who is Greta?
It’s a character from a children’s book that I once worked on with my sister-in-law. In the book, a girl goes on a journey. She is the sister of a whale named Greta. I liked the sound of it – and although I don’t bear much resemblance to a whale, I thought the name was fabulous. Well, now that I think about it – during my pregnancies, I did end up resembling one a bit (laughs)!
When you look at your Instagram account, it opens up a colourful, friendly world. Despite having three children, you travel quite a lot. Where do you draw your inspiration for your art – and your life in general? Is it the pull of the new and unfamiliar, or more the little things in everyday life?
Actually, both. Before I had children, travelling was my main source of inspiration. I’ve been to many different countries, but the one that inspired me most was Iceland. This place really stood out. I was there with my children – there were only three of us then, my youngest wasn’t born yet. The colour palette of Iceland left a big impression on me. But it doesn’t stop there. I’d say the whole northern maritime region inspires me – except for the Baltic Sea. There’s Cornwall for example, with its flowers, colours, and shapes. Really amazing. These days, though, I often find inspiration right at home, especially when I’m out and about with my children. It’s incredible how I see the world through their eyes.
Speaking of seeing the world through other eyes – you’ve already created two Christmas books, so you’re pretty much an expert on the topic. Do you have your own traditions, old or new, that you and your family observe during the festive season?
Absolutely! I’ve spent a lot of time on the topic of Christmas. Together with my friend and sister-in-law, I’ve made a Christmas crafting book and one about Christmas around the world, where families shared their traditions with us. My family are all big Christmas fans – probably because of the festive magic that starts for us in November. Our autumn DIY projects flow seamlessly into our Christmas crafts. We dip candles, make our own, and dry oranges to string into garlands. We also put up our Christmas tree at the beginning of December, just like Pettersson and Findus. Once it’s up, everyone’s happy and we decorate it together.
And who brings the presents? Is that completely left to Father Christmas, or do you have a different tradition?
All the kids still believe in Father Christmas, or rather his German cousin, the “Weihnachtsmann”. Although we’ve told them that my husband and I help him out. I love giving gifts! But at our house, each person first gets just one present, and then we sit down to eat. The rest of the gifts are delivered by Father Christmas in a big sack placed outside the door. We do it that way so that we can spend more time sitting around the table as a family. If the presents were already under the tree, the kids would only want to open them right away.
Do you have a favourite comfort food for the festive season, especially as a vegetarian?
Oh yes! Red cabbage, dumplings and vegan gravy. And of course, baked apples afterwards. And I absolutely love gingerbread – especially the ones with icing.
Had you heard of Pfeffer & Frost gingerbread before your collaboration with them?
Of course! A product that beautiful doesn't go unnoticed. I’d already gifted it several times – and always made sure to save a tin for myself to turn into a festive light. I bring it out again each Christmas to add a little magic. Pfeffer & Frost is the perfect combination of gorgeous tins and delicious gingerbread. What fascinates me most is the quality. Compared to supermarket gingerbread, the difference is huge. It really is something special.
How did you make the Christmas light?
It was a spontaneous idea: I poked holes into the Pfeffer & Frost tin, filled it with a string of fairy lights, and tied it with a velvet ribbon to hang it up. It lights up every time I turn the fairy lights on. If you’re not into crafting, you could also use the empty tin for hair clips or as gift packaging. But I get so attached to the tins – they’re much too beautiful to give away.
This year, you were significantly involved in making the tins extra unique again. What inspired your illustrations for Pfeffer & Frost?
This year’s collaboration with Miss Pompadour already gave us a direction. The main themes were DIY, joy, and embracing imperfection. I had total freedom with the characters. It’s really important to me to show as much diversity as possible so that everyone can see themselves in my illustrations. I wanted scenes that could actually happen – and in the end, everything came together almost by itself.
Where do you get all your ideas – whether it’s for drawing, crafting with your kids, or your colourful life in general?
Of course, I occasionally find inspiration on Pinterest, but honestly, I work really well with materials. If I have fairy lights, pompoms and velvet ribbons in front of me, and there’s a dark corner in the kids’ room – the idea just happens. I love going to craft shops and I’m a big fan of kid-friendly crafting. I don’t like it when tutorials are clearly made for adults and the kids can only contribute a small bit. When crafting with children, it’s not the end of the world if it doesn’t look Instagram-worthy. Or it ends up on Instagram because you can tell the kids made it themselves. I’m not a perfectionist in that case — and I’m the same with the ideas in my sketchbook. For me, that tool is just about getting a quick idea down on paper, even if it looks like a child’s drawing at first.
You often have to work on Christmas projects in summer and vice versa. How do you manage to get into the opposite mood?
Haha, that’s easy! To get into the Christmas spirit, I just listen to the Christmas episode of The Three Investigators. And when it’s a freezing winter and I need to think of summer – I switch to the summer episode.
For many, Christmas has become more about stress than calm. Do you have any tips to avoid that?
Let go of expectations and perfection. It’s mainly about spending time together. You don’t need to bake five perfect types of biscuits. Especially with kids, you don’t really bake biscuits – they mostly just eat the raw dough and the sugar decorations. If I want to give biscuits as gifts, I bake them in the evening when the kids are asleep. Then we can decorate them together the next day. I also avoid big shopping streets and crowded Christmas markets during Advent. I love shopping from small labels. They’re as happy as clams, and you often end up having a nice little chat. In my husband’s family, we’ve cut back on gifts anyway. Inspired by the Icelandic tradition, we give a book and some chocolate. Books might have a bit of a bad rap as gifts, but that’s really not fair. Choosing the right book for a person actually takes a lot of thought.
What do you remember most about Christmas as a child?
What stuck with me the most is something you wouldn’t really do these days: I had to recite a poem before I could open my presents. I was always quite nervous beforehand – that feeling stayed with me. But it was also a lovely moment. I also used to sing lots of Christmas songs with my grandmother. We don’t do that as much anymore. But who knows – that might come back.
If you close your eyes and think of Christmas – what does it smell like?
Definitely love – haha, just kidding. As cliché as it sounds, I love the resinous scent of fir branches. And of course, Christmas smells like stress sweat too – but we’re going to reduce that going forward. I’d rather go for relaxation, a warm cup of tea and a gingerbread biscuit.
