Deck the Halls - The Christmas Tree

The tree looks stunning this year and the photo really doesn't do it justice. Why is it so hard to get a decent picture of a Christmas tree? Incidentally, I'm a new convert to wired ribbon on Christmas trees. I just love the way it looks!

..
I thought I'd better get around to taking some pictures of the Christmas tree before it dies. The trunk of this specimen is so thick that we had to hammer our tree stand on to it, which means that there isn't even the tiniest gap in which to get water into this poor thing. Thankfully it only has to last until Christmas eve, as we will be visiting family after that. We'll be buying a new Christmas tree stand next year though as there is no way on Earth we are ever going to get it off this tree again!

I think the tree is beautiful this year, though it kills me to have coloured fairy lights on it. I much prefer the rather more tasteful white fairy lights (the yellow coloured ones, not the bright white LED ones), but we put the coloured ones on because the Podlings love them. Tom and Lily decorated the tree with a little assistance. I rearranged the ornaments slightly after they had finished, hung the ones on the higher branches and put on the ribbon, but I haven't changed it drastically from the way they decorated it. There will be time enough for white fairy lights and tastefully decorated trees when the children are grown and I will miss their childish clusterings of ornaments on the lower branches of the tree.
.

Emma's first ornament. Tom and Lily both had Gisela Graham ornaments for their first Christmas, so I chose one for Emma's first ornament too. Lily's got damaged last year, so I plan to pick another one of these up for her as a replacement 'First Christmas' ornament.

..

We started a tradition when Tom was a baby of buying the Podlings one Christmas ornament every year. They really enjoy hanging their special ornaments each year and when they move out and have a home of their own they will each have a collection of ornaments ready to go on their first Christmas tree. When they were babies, we chose ornaments for them, but we now let them choose their own. The outing to choose these special ornaments has become one of the family traditions that I really look forward to each Christmas. Allowing them to choose their own ornaments has resulted in some interesting selections though. Tom chose a huge monstrosity a couple of years ago that I now hide at the back of the Christmas tree every year!

.

This year I treated myself to a special ornament. This tiny glass robin reminded me of the story my mum used to tell of Father Christmas's robin. Every time we saw a robin in the garden she would tell my sister and me that it was watching us and would fly and tell Father Christmas whether we were being good or naughty. Those beady black eyes kept me in check for many a year!
.
I love this glass owl that Lily chose as her special ornament last year. I shall be loathe to part with it when, many years hence, Lily takes her ornaments with her to her own home.

..