Deck the halls ....

♥

Lots and lots of fun this weekend - it's Christmas decoration time !

I love everything about it, getting the boxes down from the loft,

discovering all my favourite things over again and then setting to.

I think its the feeling of anticipation of things to come,

of special times ahead with family and friends.

 

First off, the tree.

Every year my lovely other half tries to persuade me that

an artificial tree would be worth investing in- NO !

It so wouldn't.

 It has to be totally 100% real.

So lots of huffing and puffing and roof rack discussions are inevitable,

 followed by a good half an hour of holding up trees

 to see if they're the right shape,

tall enough, bushy enough etc.

A bit more huffing and puffing follows.

But eventually the deal is done and the chosen tree

 is brought home in all its glorious realness -

the smell, the prickliness, the sticky sap on your fingers and

 the pine needles on the carpet

 - all as it should be.

 

 

I find it almost impossible to resist buying a couple of new decorations

 each year and this years new additions are some

tin stockings and some little wooden robins.

 

 

But always , always the old favourites take their place.

I made this angel many, many moons ago and despite a

few little murmurs over the years suggesting we buy

something new she has resolutely held her position at the top of the tree.

♥

The fireplace comes next.

Fairy lights are pretty much a permanent feature here all year round

( fairy lights are for life, not just Christmas, right ?)

so just a sparkly mistletoe garland and  a few bells for good measure.

 

 

Last years new decoration addition was this exceptionally cute 

little reindeer and he just fits perfectly on the mantelpiece too.

The mirror above the fireplace just needs an evergreen garland and a

few little angels hovering overhead.

 I think these little angels are almost my favourite decorations of all.

They're called ragbag angels and I bought them so long ago I can't

actually remember where they were from.

I love that they are made from little scraps of fabric,

buttons and beads and have jingly bells for their feet.

 ♥

 Then its a quick whizz round with a bay leaf garland,

 pine cones and some cinnamon sticks for the dresser,

 and out with the crochet robins and miniature stockings

 in the TV room - oh, and more fairy lights.

 

 This little Nativity Crib is a very special Christmas decoration.

 Mum and Dad brought it back from Bethlehem for me.

 Its made from olive wood, is very simple and natural and I love it.

 

 

Nearly there now, just one more room to go,

quite possibly the most important room as its the one I'll be spending

a fair bit of time in ... the kitchen.

Here its all about the Christmas Pixies,

and once they're out Christmas must well and

truly be on its way.

 

  

 

My little collection has built up over the years .

 

 

 

I wonder what a group of pixies is known as.. a possy of pixies maybe ?

Or even, what a collector of Pixies is called, a Pixieologist ?

Who knows ?

 

 A bit of red spotty bunting, some fairy lights, of course,

 and that's pretty much job done.

My kitchen is now officially Christmas Pixie Land.

Hooray !

 

Oh, and there just might be another set of fairy lights

 on the other side of the kitchen too.

 

 

And there it is, all done...

on to the Christmas cards, the shopping, the wrapping.....

♥