Treemendous...

No sooner is December here, than the Christingle service is imminent! This triggered the recruitment of a top team of church decorators, recruited at short notice, to ensure the place looked suitably seasonal for our Christmas visitors.

Our star decorators soon made a discovery, that I am sure they made last year - real trees are spikey! They prefer it if you respect their personal space - get too close and you will find out exactly why they are called pine 'needles'!

 We also discovered that:-

• It is probably easier to start fitting the lights from the bottom of the tree, not the top.
• The top shoot could not possibly bear the weight of a star.  
• Lights may be trodden on multiple times but by some miracle, still work.  Do not rely on this to be so.... 
• Decorations shatter when knelt on....

The finished tree is a joy to behold. It has not been dressed, rather it has been festooned with a cascade of snowflakes. lights, tinsel and baubles.  A delightful expression of joy, and will be much admired by many over the next couple of weeks.  Well done guys! I LOVE IT!

Meanwhile, stars have been hung - including the 'Lynda special', which is suspended from a hook in the ceiling at the centre of the church and gently winched into position. It rotates gently in the air currents, as if monitoring the presence of the Holy Spirit. Lights brighten the Foyer, which is often quite gloomy.  Random angels are dotted around the church. Shelves have been fitted into the window alcoves, lanterns and candle holders have been installed. Meanwhile, Dawn has constructed two boxes of Christingles for the service tomorrow afternoon at 4pm - plug...

In the afternoon the KHT and I visited the Christmas Fayre in the church hall, while DH was off playing his bassoon at Coughton Court. The KHT does not currently have a membership card. Instead, if she joins she can have a free ticket for her carer.  As anyone who is likely to be her carer is already a member and at times want to visit NT properties without her, then this is actually completely useless for families like ours. I asked if she could have the free membership instead, but they would not allow it, which was very disappointing.

Pick your own...

In the evening I started the annual grand double sided sticky tape project. Yes, it is time to start making Christmas Cards. I hate the point when you are about to start and are apprehensive that the results of your labours will look like something produced by a child in Reception Class. I am never that happy with the first few, then I start to see how the colours can work to enhance each other.

I starting making my own a few years back, when I failed to find any I liked on sale in the shops. This year's colour is blue - so far.  Yes, I am still obsessed with tree/star combinations, as I do wonder if the star passed over the tree(s) that were used for Jesus' cross.







Meanwhile, we have finished the second day of December and are still on track.

Unheard of.

Maybe tracking my candle burning progress is actually helping me remember to be a responsible Advent Candle user...