You can see, I had a gruelling day of shopping on Friday with one of my oldest friends (seriously, she's at least two years my senior), I had a handful more presents. She did rather better. And so to the weekend..loads of plans. Unusually, Mr Dunnit had expressed a wish that we put the tree up, so that was a part of the plans. Now I have to tell you that sentiment plays no part in the dysfunctionality of my teeny family unit. We have a real tree as often as possible...it rather depends on the cash situation by the middle of the month. And of course this year it's not too bad - I haven't bought all the presents yet! Anyway, for about the millionth year in a row, Miss Dunnit eschewed the opportunity of choosing and fetching a tree with her parents in a wholesome, smiley family ritual. There are no photographs of us at a plantation, drinking hot chocolate and enjoying impromptu kinship with the sellers. She had better plans apparently. So we fetched it home together after a stupid amount of choosing time. Everything was £5 more this year. Then Mr Dunnit went into the roof to collect the stand, ran about a bit with saw type tools to shape the trunk adequately and doctor the really low branches. He even rigged up the socket extension lead. (Another hugely long story which I'll never bore you with, at least, not until I can see humour in it.....). And then, and then. He went off and left me to decorate it. You see this is what he means by putting up the tree. What he means is: 'I'll do twenty minutes of work to get the tree to stand upright, and you spend the rest of a very valuable shopping day making it look memorable'. Which is why traditionally, I do nothing about the tree till next weekend. Time. It takes so long. Ask Carmen! Still it's done now, and looks gorgeous of course. And thanks to an unexpected rush of enthusiasm from Miss Dunnit, there are even a few wrapped presents snuggled under it too. Mind you, there's 6 rolls of paper, offcuts, sellotape, price labels and peelings all over the lounge floor, but what the hell. Don't visit yet, please! 
It wasn't all interior decorating though. My friend The Colonial conducted the last workshop of the year at Kraft Crazy, and we made these fab little handbag albums. The woman has the patience of a saint and the skill of a skilled erm, skilled saint I guess. Am really pleased with the result and look hard - behind the cream flower - the closure is fashioned from grungeboard! Heavens. I'm moving into TH territory. Soon I'll be able to make handbag albums whilst choosing, buying and decorating Christmas trees and wrapping presents, thus saving the life of a family Christmas. Somebody stop me!
Don't talk to me about Christmas trees! Ours is finally up tonight! What a palaver! Both Craig and I grumbling under our beaths that when we are old and empty of nest there will be a dwarf tree and that will be it. My Mum had the right idea when she lived in her little pensioner bungalow. Every year she did the grand tree retrieval from the loft and ceremonial decorating and unveiling. This involved Craig clambering up to the loft and bringing down the box. Her undoing the box and whipping out a 12" yes that's 12 INCH tree, fully decorated, and going TADAAAAAAAAAA! Job done. Honestly, she even put her presents round it - you had to stand up and look down the hole in the middle of the presents to see the flipping tree! Oh dear, laughing just remembering! But that's what we'll be doing - ressurect the tradition! I wonder what happened to that tree!
ReplyDeleteThat hand bag album wotsit is great - fab colours ... John was the same ... thought that getting the tree out ... and putting on the lights was his part and went out ... while I stood for hours decorating it!
ReplyDeletesounds like our house this weekend...man did the chopping of tree to fit stand...then deeclared 'its a girl thing to decorate it' as he flounced off to do more manly things!
ReplyDeletelove the bag album, fab!!...and what is wrong with moving into TH territory???!!!
Bethan
I'm sure all the effort you put into your tree was appreciated. We put ours up this weekend, but not before we had bought it, we decided this year to skip the inflated DIY shop prices and popped to a small holding we saw was selling trees, so we drove the car down a very muddy path (car now needs a clean outside!), had to put the roof down on the car to fit it in then drove home with a tree sticking out the back (this now means the inside also needs cleaned!) and after all that effort it was a foot too tall to fit in the lounge so this year its in the very cold conservatory but at least it will last until christmas!!
ReplyDeleteOh I love it...
ReplyDeleteLOL men heh?
ReplyDeleteYour real Christmas tree sounds wonderful, mine still isn't up. Christmas cards made are few and far between and there isn't even a dent in the Christmas pressie shopping but your post cheered me up no end as always. Love your TH style handbag.....whatever next!
ReplyDeleteLove the handbag and am sure your tree looks fabulous! My tree this year is 3ft tall, plastic and on our sideboard out of the way of inquisitive puppy who wants to eat it!
ReplyDeleteSpent last night writing all my cards and making a few more. Shopping is finished and just a couple more cards to make. Am still not feeling very Christmasssy yet though...
Jane
x
Oh Julia you do make me smile. Thank you. My tree went up last weekend and I had two very special little elves who came to put the decorations on for me. Our daugher and, for the first time, her daughter [just 12months]. It was magical watching them chose each little wooden or knitted item [glass baubles were kept for big elf only] and little elf giving it to her mummy to hang it on tree. Happy memories.
ReplyDeleteA x
My tree went up at the weekend too as my little grandaughter had been busy with her Mum and Dad in making glittery playdo foot and hand print decorations for it. Such a thoughtful baby!!!
ReplyDeleteWill have to take a photo for the scrap book. I think they will be carefully stored in her memory box after Christmas for when she is older!!! LN
Now, you see, Christmas decorations, courtesy of DH, is a Grand Affair - on the grounds that he didn't have any as a child (he's 61 and still making up for it). That is a whole other story. BUT, I refuse to have any decorations that are a) real, and b) inflatable. However, a friend has succumbed, courtesy of new partner, to a Real Tree (as opposed to my stunning, 6ft, perfectly shaped, non-pine-dropping Proper Atificial Tree. I now have Full Details, including the Buying, Getting Home, Attempting to Stand, Listing, Real Tree that now makes her house smell like a Pine Car Freshner that it has finally rid me of any tad of guilt I may ever have felt regarding my life choice of Proper Christmas Tree. To the extent that I have now informed said-decoration-mad hubby that, if he ever fancies a Real Tree I will buy him some Pine Air Freshner and he can close his eyes and pretend.
ReplyDeleteLove the handbag album and impressed into your Sir Tim foray!
hehe well you've already seen what my tree looks like atm - actually, the top bit is now in place but the whole thing is a bit wonky so I shall let hubby sort it out for me, put the lights on and then I'll step in to take over the prettifying!
ReplyDeleteI love the look of your little album - how cute is that
Like Carmens Mum, my mum, in her latter years, has a tiny tree sitting on a table so she put the pressies under the table ...much easier that the big tree but not as much FUN????.
ReplyDeleteI loved your story about the tree Julia, it gave me my regular laugh on reading your blog!
ReplyDeleteWe've actually changed our name to Scrooge this year, we have NO tree and NO presents! We do have festive food and (obviously) lots of cards but that's it! Hubby says that as there are no little Jones's about there's no reason to bother. Yet another reason why my eldest son and his wife should get their finger (???!!) out and get on with providing me with grandchildren (the more important reason being if they don't hurry up I'll be too old to enjoy them!) and I'm SO desperate to buy it one of those little fairy outfits (let's just hope it's a girl then shall we?)
I love reading about your exploits Julia :) And do keep up the crafting a la TH ;) My tree's not up yet! I don't look forward to decorating it, even my small one takes too long :(
ReplyDeleteAnne xx