How it begins

Two trees landed on the balcony this week – even earlier than usual. We always try to have the house ready for Christmas after the first weekend in December – but there are too many other commitments this year. We realised on Sunday that Monday 27th November was the only slot the grandchildren were free to come and help choose, and they were very keen.

Christmas decorations – and especially tree dressing – are taken pretty seriously round here. There have been wars in the past – including one year when a family member got up in the night, stripped the tree her sisters had done up the day before and completely changed the colour scheme. Another year we reached a compromise – literally a half-and-half set of colours, divided vertically….that was weird. The younger children used to be fobbed off with a small Dog’s Dinner tree of their own upstairs. That one was quite a sight.

This house suits Christmas. It has high ceilings, so it can accommodate a sizeable tree and the fireplace comes into its own – definitely a winter room. Just a question of taking a deep breath and pitching in with the greenery – it does all take time!

Some random photos from previous years, for encouragement. Pity I never got a picture of the half and half tree though….

Whoa there, December…

The month that nearly got away – just one hour left for a blog post.

If there can be such a thing as a ‘whirl of indecision’, then that characterised December round here. And no doubt all over the country too – travel plans made and scrubbed, food ordered and frozen, turkeys NOT bought till the very last minute, then mysteriously out of stock….overloaded at work, then suddenly ordered home by the phone app. on the very day my daughter and her little people came out of isolation….

But of course I understand why – and I do appreciate how thoughtfully protected I have been at work (teaching in a secondary school) and how lucky we are to have escaped the virus so far.

There were some peaceful moments too – and even a rather productive space in the unique time frame now apparently known as ‘Twixtmas’.

The pictures above were taken on Christmas Eve.

Happy New Year from SpinningStreak.