All the Christmas decorations are up now at home. The Stepdaughter and her brother came over for the tradition of decorating the tree and the house on Sunday. I just sat back and let them get on with it as they really enjoy themselves doing it. The family tradition for the Christmas tree does not follow the elegant, "less is more" and single coloured theory. Instead we go for adding more and more decorations, that we've had since their childhood, and then when every branch and twig has something dangling from it then add lots and lots of tinsel (needless to say all that lot goes on after the three strands of lights). We used to add chocolate decorations in years past but gave up after we discovered that by Christmas Day they were all gone- the Stepson as a boy had an unerring ability to find them.
I wanted to take a photo of the tree but it just wasn't possible to get the impact: either I stood back far enough to get in the whole tree and you couldn't see the decorations other than a coloured blur or too close and it didn't look like a tree at all.
Buffy in her blog here has talked about setting up a new tradition. Instead of sending cards, a tradition that has become to some extent mechanical and without true meaning she plans to write a letter a day to all her family and friends. It sounds an excellent idea in many ways but as far as my personal family is concerned they would think I'd gone bonkers if I tried that. It's just not the way we think or act. But they know where I am and that I am there if I'm needed.
2 comments:
Sometimes ya just gotta dance to your own tune, Val. You can send letters to your friends, and your family will never know that you've created a new tradition. Or, you could slip one year, and send a letter to one of them... *G*
I think that's cool how you get the kids to do the decorating. Have you ever considered doing a small tree of your own, decorated to your taste? There are people here in the US who have a tree for every room. I don't subscribe to the theory the more is better, but somehow, I've accumulated three fake trees. One of them is decorated with ornaments that my quilting friends have made for me, and it stays up all year 'round. Perhaps you could make room in your bedroom for a tiny elegant tree. Or not..... Whatever floats your boat, as DH might say.
Buffy
Hmm, I'll have to think about the letter writing. I have to admit that I've never been very good at it.
As far as putting up the Christmas decorations both the Stepdaughter and Stepson love doing it - we never have to get them to do it. The minute the calendar gets to early December they are asking when they can come round here and put the decorations up.
My description of the tree was not given as a complaint, just as a statement of how this family prefers to decorate their tree. No room for a tree of my own in the bedroom, I'm afraid.
I am fascinated at the thought of a tree in every room or even three Christmas trees. I have to admit that we come from a tradition of one big tree per house. I've heard of a few households over herethat go for more than one tree but it's not the norm. It's nice to know though that in the US that they REALLY go for the Christmas thing and have so many trees, a really seasonal celebration.
I'm fascinated to think of having a tree up all year round as my mother always told me that it is unlucky to have Christmas decorations up or to sing Christmas carols after twelfth night - one of the few superstitions she has always held on to.
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