Sunday 2 December 2012

It's never too early for a christmas tree!


 Here we are again,  the annual expedition to choose a Christmas tree. 

The choosing part takes time and cannot be rushed. Cannot be rushed by fed up husbands or children that don't want to paddle through the muddy farmyard anymore! The tree has to be The One.

Before
After


 Which, control freak that I am, backfired on me a touch this year, as this tree has a definite tendency to lean - and I'm the only one to blame! A glass or two of sherry should sort that out.
See, now I've pointed out the 'lean', it is all you can see!
I love decorating the tree - it underlines the beginning of Christmas and lots of family time to come. We had brought down the decorations in the morning from their year round home in the loft, and when we unpacked them I couldn't believe how our collection had grown from those first cheap baubles as students at University.
Kind of like our little family, as well. 

There are the home made decorations as well - I made this light up treescape last year and in the process learned a valuable lesson about hot glue guns and wine. (Small string of battery lit bulbs, £1.19 from Ikea. Thick card, glue gun, sparkly glitter glue.)


 Do you have Christmas traditions, even unconventional things that to you, mean Christmas?
Every year in December I treat myself to a few books to read through December and while I'm off work over Christmas. The books tend to be vintage fiction - and over the last few years I've developed a slight obsession with Persephone Books. They're a small publishing house that specialise in reprinting out of print, neglected works, usually by female authors. I'd highly recommend 'Greenbanks' by Dorothy Whipple, and 'Miss Pettigrew lives for a day' by Winifred Watson. This year I've got these four, and I've started 'Good evening, Mrs Craven' already!

 Today will be a clean up day, and hopefully I can get my quilt top assembled as the blocks are now complete. Fingers crossed!







5 comments:

  1. I can't see any lean and I haven't had any wine lol. We, well I, sort of have a tradition where I always buy the boys a couple of Christmas books every year and then we read a story every night. This year I went with the Dinosaur That Pooped Christmas and Father Christmas Needs A Wee.... I had a little theme going :-). We also always have a Christmas Eve carpet picnic in the sitting room where we pig out on nibbles and watch a film while sitting on the floor .

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  2. Beautiful tree! Does it smell good? I remember trees used to smell wonderful but they're harder to find now. I love Persephone Books!

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  3. I love love love the 'Miss Petrigrew Lives for a day' film, though I have not read the book, your tree looks great and the Sherry definitely helps (hiccup.. Oops!!!)
    Merry Christmas
    Lorraine.

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  4. Your tree is beautiful and even without sherry (or wine), I don't see any leaning. We always begin Christmas the day after Thanksgiving, which came early this year (Nov 22). Everyone is off from work and school so we spend the day putting up the tree, hanging lights and decorating. I love to turn off all the lights and just stare at the tree all lit up and sparkling.... that's what makes it feel like Christmas for me :-).

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