Oh, Christmas tree!
I love Christmas. Each year I buy a few baubles to put on my tree. I didn't think I was going to this year, but then I couldn't resist this reindeer in a metal half-ball. Never mind that he looks nothing like a real reindeer. I have lots of fat, jolly non-reindeer stuck around the house.
And if you're buying one decoration, why stop there? I also got this tartan birdie. He's fixed on with a little wooden clothes peg. His beak's a bit skew-whiff, but I don't mind that - it just gives him more of an O RLY expression.
So here's the whole tree. And yes, that is a red panda on top. When Mr Robot and I left university and were finally doing Grown Up Things, which meant not being in anyone else's house for Christmas and having our own tree, we couldn't afford many decorations. I made some out of Fimo - the stars still go on the tree each year - and we plonked a glove puppet on top. He's been going up there ever since. He used to have a fairy outfit that I'd made him, but that's gone AWOL. Poor naked panda! I really should make him a new fairy frock.
The fake tree is pretty ancient too; once you've used them for enough years an artificial tree is more eco-friendly than a real one - and, frankly, we'd never get organised in time to go out and get a decent real one!
Some other bloggers I enjoy reading - Miss Magpie, Porcelina and Jennie of It's A Charmed Life - have shared pictures of their trees, and I love the fact that they all seem to favour eclectic ones. (Miss Magpie, in particular, has some excellent baubles!) Who needs a mass-produced, identikit tree? Better to build up your collection over time, let your loved ones add to it, and have something completely unique.
Personally, I love unpacking memories each year: the porcelain reindeer my goddaughters gave me, the Delft shoes bought on a trip to Holland, the snowflakes made by my friend Andy on his laser cutter, the ship in a bottle bought at the SS Great Britain, the teapot and bugle my mum gave me that we had when I was tiny... Even the little toadstools on the ends of some of the branches are a custom my family picked up when we lived in Germany and Holland, where Papa Robot was stationed with the Royal Air Force in the 1970s. So many happy things...
Have you put up a tree this year? I'd love to see it!
And if you're buying one decoration, why stop there? I also got this tartan birdie. He's fixed on with a little wooden clothes peg. His beak's a bit skew-whiff, but I don't mind that - it just gives him more of an O RLY expression.
So here's the whole tree. And yes, that is a red panda on top. When Mr Robot and I left university and were finally doing Grown Up Things, which meant not being in anyone else's house for Christmas and having our own tree, we couldn't afford many decorations. I made some out of Fimo - the stars still go on the tree each year - and we plonked a glove puppet on top. He's been going up there ever since. He used to have a fairy outfit that I'd made him, but that's gone AWOL. Poor naked panda! I really should make him a new fairy frock.
The fake tree is pretty ancient too; once you've used them for enough years an artificial tree is more eco-friendly than a real one - and, frankly, we'd never get organised in time to go out and get a decent real one!
Some other bloggers I enjoy reading - Miss Magpie, Porcelina and Jennie of It's A Charmed Life - have shared pictures of their trees, and I love the fact that they all seem to favour eclectic ones. (Miss Magpie, in particular, has some excellent baubles!) Who needs a mass-produced, identikit tree? Better to build up your collection over time, let your loved ones add to it, and have something completely unique.
Personally, I love unpacking memories each year: the porcelain reindeer my goddaughters gave me, the Delft shoes bought on a trip to Holland, the snowflakes made by my friend Andy on his laser cutter, the ship in a bottle bought at the SS Great Britain, the teapot and bugle my mum gave me that we had when I was tiny... Even the little toadstools on the ends of some of the branches are a custom my family picked up when we lived in Germany and Holland, where Papa Robot was stationed with the Royal Air Force in the 1970s. So many happy things...
Have you put up a tree this year? I'd love to see it!
Lovely to read the stories behind some of your ornaments!
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how many forgotten things they bring back each year :-) I treasure them.
DeleteGlad I'm not alone, and thank you for the mention :)
ReplyDeleteNo probs! I loved seeing your tree, it's just perfectly YOU. In fact, you come across as a very Christmassy person - you and Perdita both. I bet you'd throw the BEST Christmas parties!
DeleteLove your tree! Mine has a built up collection however I realised this year that it's started to look artfully put together (everything is rainbow coloured and glittery, natch).
ReplyDeleteI have invested in a mightily scary Santa ornament from £land, Husband declared he will turn it round on the 25th because "I don't want that bloody thing staring at me eating my turkey..."!
Glittery rainbows? You? Surely not! ;-)
DeleteIf you have annoying guests, you should place scary Santa at the foot of their bed. With a sack of coal!