Finding the chase and cutting to it

I love Christmas.  I love the fact that in Europe, the rising Christian monarchs pragmatically looked at the climate, the food stocks and the people and took on the pagan celebrations as Christ’s birthday and in most countries said that should be a bank/public holiday.

Ours is a little beyond the shortest day in the year in the UK, but it means for many, while the nights are colder, we get to stay indoors and enjoy our labours from the last year.

We do presents, I know some people are moving away from that tradition.  In a time of massive consumption, maybe that would be better.  I love the beautifully wrapped thoughts nestling under our tree.

It’s really the tree I’d like to discuss today, in fact all the decorations.  Over twenty-three years of owning my own place, I have built up some baubles, tinsel, star and lights that deck our tree.  We have reusable lights and wreaths that bedeck our home outside, and this was how I got into home automation.

My newest bit of tinsel is 10 years old, the oldest is 23 years old, bought for my first tree.  That first tree is safely stowed for next year – we have a real tree every other year.  The real tree holder is 13 years old this year.

It’s all about building up and making the most of what you have.  I saw a set of 12 baubles I loved and bought early in that game.  The rest were as I saw something I liked.  One thing a year until the stowed tree was dripping.

The tree goes up around the 15^th December and always comes down on or before the 6^th January (twelfth night).  I am very traditional, not because I have the glitter, tinsel and baubles, but because it should be special and different.  Something to look forward to each and every year.

I’m planning on taking it all down tomorrow as I have my eye screening on Wednesday and I’m working on Thursday.  Each bauble will be placed in its holder and the hanger stowed in the corner of the bauble box.  The decoration my son made in primary school takes up two spaces and that is done early.  The felt stocking I made in primary school will be placed in that box on top before the lid is closed.

Every piece of tinsel will be folded up and lain in the tinsel box and the star laid on top.  The lights will be packed away and placed in the corner of that box before it is closed.  Then they all get placed in their corner of the attic ready for next year.

The cards are packed away, ready to be recycled as decorations or just as reminders of family and friends.

This year, as we’ve had a real tree, it is taken outside and will dry for a month in the shed.  Then we’ll cut it down and dry it out over two years.  The fronds make wonderful tinder if properly dried, but the resin means it is not a quick process.  By contrast the branches are normally ready after 12 months or so: we chop them up quite small.  The ashes are used to fertilise the garden flower beds.

Lastly, the outside decorations are all removed, packed away for next year.  They go up on the first weekend of December and the timers set to come on at sunset for a few hours to give joy to those travelling to and from work on most days.

Over the December and January months we don’t produce much rubbish at all as a result.  Hope you’ve had a sustainable and merry yule tide.