it is nearly Christmas

Phew, we survived the last week of term! Somehow not working didn't make any difference to my busyness. I do really hope it will be different after the break, I would be rather disappointed if life would still be as hectic as it was when I was working...

Thank you for your kind words on my last post. I am pleased to announce that last night I slept like a log.

It was a mad dash but now we are all winding down for the holiday. The shopping is done (thank you, Richard and Annie), the house is clean where it needs to be, and my mums' bed is ready for her. Richard is off for the entire school holiday and I hope we'll do lots of great family things. My mum is coming tomorrow and my brother and his wife just after Christmas. Just now, I am sitting on my favourite chair, listening to Christmas carols and watching Annie and Richard working on a puzzle together. To my right is the Christmas tree, a window full of stars and the small Nativity scene that Omama (my late granny) made. Bliss.

The Nativity gathering is small: Joseph, Mary with the baby tucked away under her blanket, a shepherd, two sheep and a pigmy camel. I love it because Omama made it. She made many many figures for all the family.

Yesterday afternoon, we finally bought our tree. We always seem to wait until it rains heavily before we set out to buy one. Luckily, the nice owner of the the smallest of all garden centres tucked away behind Morrisson's in Anniesland has huge brollies for his customers to use. It is a funny place, full of stuff for dogs in one room, lots of gardening essentials (gnomes etc), and buckets to catch the rain. Decisions about a Christmas tree are firmly Annie's and mine. The boys just don't see the difference between a good tree and a bad tree. We chose a small tree this year, it is just a little taller than I.

I have a confession to make here: I really hate those string lights that go on the trees. Every single year my children learn some new expletives whilst I get tangled up in metres and metres of lights. I just can't get used to them. I particularly hate the wires in between the lights, so unsightly. I grew up with Christmas trees that had proper candles on, in dainty little holders, all around the tree. The candles were always last year's, less wax dripping that way. We also had a special embroidered tree blanket with years and years worth of tiny wax drops. And no, there was never a house fire. I really miss this but I just can't convince Richard that candles would be so much nicer than string lights.

Richard usually keeps out of the way whilst the kids and I get to work. A CD with cheesy Christmas songs is a must for the task at hand, some dancing in between boxes of ornaments, too.

I am firmly in the camp of randomly decorated Christmas tree lovers. Colour coordinated themed trees just don't do it for me. Having said that, the other day when Sam and I were walking along the road, I pointed out a "perfect" tree in a window, saying that surely it must be stored in box and be unfolded year after year, decorations and all. It is always exactly the same. Sam's reply was that he would find this really comforting (sic!) because he didn't like change much. Should I worry?

 Comforting or not, the rest of us won't have a uniformly decorated tree. Sam is happy enough to help decorating this cheerful tree of ours, it can't be that bad I don't think.

I did suggest to use fewer ornaments this year because the tree is smaller than usual but the kids were having none of it. It is quite full with dozens of baubles and hearts and drops. None broke this year, a good omen surely? You see, I am a bit strange but I like our baubles to be glass ones, unless they are crocheted. I go through great lengths to find traditional glass baubles for our tree. The last lot came all the way from Germany... I bought them in the sale in January a few years ago.

I don't rearrange ornaments after the kids have gone to bed. It is their tree as much as it is mine. I do occasionally secure one or two a bit more firmly. They are glass after all. Tomorrow, my mum is bringing little chocolate mice that will be added to the tree. Don't ask. We were also going to bake Lebkuchen ornaments but I honestly think that the tree would collapse under the weight.

We have a paper star and a fancy star for the top of our tree. This year we chose the fancy one. The final ornament to be added is traditionally Sam's flying pig, for good luck. I can't remember when he made this but it has been part of the tree for a long time, sometimes in the branches, sometimes on the star. 

And here it is, our tree, in its full glory:

 

Must go to the kitchen and see if there are some ingredients to make mulled wine. Change of plan, I just remembered a bottle of Baileys. Cheers! Have a lovely pre Christmas weekend! Cx