Tree!

[vilakins]

My tree is up, go me! I never bothered with one till I found some lovely blown-glass decorations in a shop and got a tree (artificial; I hate to kill one) to display them on. Some of the globes look like gas giants so the Liberator is in orbit over one. Only one friend is likely to notice and appreciate this. Oh, well.

Comments

[glitterboy1.livejournal.com]

Only one friend is likely to notice and appreciate this.

Yes, but *you'll* know. And so will we, now.

Go you for getting it done. Who knows when my tree will happen...

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Now all I have to do is tidy the house up in case someone drops in. A major task.

[daiseechain.livejournal.com]

Well done on the tree.

I have no tree this year, only a poinsetta. Kinda hard to hand a liberator on.

*snerk*Holiday Vila :-)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

And he's seasonal too! Though it's still quite chilly here for what's meant to be summer.

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

Congrats on the glorious win in Melbourne!

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Yes, it was wonderful! We stayed up late on the edges of our seats and yay! Winning by just two balls! (ahem, non-cricket fans, just pass on by).

[spacefall.livejournal.com]

We usually buy a rooted tree and replant it in my nan's garden. This year I'm keen on using last year's tree, as it's still potted outside our back door. Probably we'll leave it outside until just before xmas, then get the tree choc's on ready for my big brother to eat them ;)

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Mmm, chocolate! I have three gold-coloured mesh balls hanging on the tree which take chocolates. I don't usually fill them because I just know I'll empty them too. :-P

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

The first tree I had about 4-5 years ago, was a rather straggly potted one which I later planted. I got it in a hurry and hung wooden apples on it because I invited some recent Russian immigrants round so they wouldn't be lonely and felt I ought to have something festive to cheer them up. I made them traditional NZ food rather than Christmas food which we don't go for much; too hot. Hey, two years ago we had koftas with chutney!

So now the tree is one of the few Christmas traditions I do.

[kerravonsen]

Some of the globes look like gas giants so the Liberator is in orbit over one.

Cool!

My tree this year is a monument to how bad a year it's been: I didn't take it down from last Christmas. Yes, my Christmas tree has been sitting in the lounge all year. (Yes, it's artificial)

But I did manage to fulfill my almost-tradition of buying a couple more ornaments for it, some lovely glass-bead tassels, and one silver-and-white cloth-applique ball. Lovely.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Ah, that's why I got a tree--there are some beautiful ornaments out there. I'm so disorganised I have to have dates to work to--up on the 6th of December (St Nick's day I was told on Germany), and down on the 6th of January, the 12th day of Christmas (not that I know why there are 12). It's worked so far.

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

Its a countdown to the magi arriving with the pressies. I tried to persuade my sprogs that they aught to wait till epiphany for their presents just like the baby Jesus, but that didn't go down too well.

We always put our tree and decorations up on the 4th Sunday of advent.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Its a countdown to the magi arriving with the pressies.

Ah, thanks!

that didn't go down too well

I'll bet it didn't!

When's the 4th Sunday of advent? I'm guessing it's 6 weeks or so long, so it's this weekend?

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

4th Sunday of Advent is the one before Christmas, so this year it's December 19. 3rd Sunday is the 12th, 2nd Sunday was the 5th, and 1st Sunday was November 28.

I think really and truly you're supposed to do the tree on Christmas Eve, though I generally do it a few days before because I go to my mother's over Christmas. I probably won't do it until the 21st this year because I'm expecting my colleagues for a meeting the previous day and we'll need the table that I usually stand the tree on.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Christmas Eve! Wow, is that right? Seems very late, and things must get a bit fraught at the last minute like that; no wonder you do it earlier. I've heard of people wrapping presents and baking that night.

Which reminds me. Must wrap a sponge shaped like SpongeBob SquarePants I got Greg today as a joke; he'll be home soon.

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

I see Christmas Eve as the moment when I can finally sit down and relax for a couple of days after the desperate struggle to get everything done on top of the worst time of the year at work. I quite like those couple of days; the build-up I hate more every year, which is unfortunate because the shops now seem determined to ram it down my throat from mid-October.

Still, I did get nearly half the cards out yesterday. That made me feel a lot better. I just wish I was anything like halfway through the presents.

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Mid-October! Eep! It starts in November here, but what really gets me is the fake snow and the tinkly sugary Northern Hemisphere sings like 'Jingle Bells' and 'White Christmas's. Some places do very cool decorations like Santa in speedos and the reindeer in sunnies though.

It's a very fraught time of year here too: the holidays in both senses (factories and some offices close for their summer break just before Christmas), final exams for schools and unis, lots of things all at once. We go away later (February or March) but lots of people leave on Boxing Day so they're planning for that too. And then we have an interminable grey winter with nothing to brighten it--at least nothing national.

I like the lazy summer days afterwards. Mind you, this time it might be an enforced laziness this time; I'm between contracts.

[reapermum.livejournal.com]

My son works in a bingo hall and has to sort out the prize stock. He ordered the Easter eggs a few weeks ago.

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

Got the bulk of the cards finished last night - can't be more than a dozen to go, I think. That's better.

Oh dear, you just lost the second one...

[vilakins.livejournal.com]

Yep. :-(

[kerravonsen]

I suspect that if I don't take it down on Boxing Day this year, it will take another six months to get it down...