The tree itself was bought when the kids and I lived in Sutton Street in 1992. As a child we always had a fresh tree and I continued that practice myself for a long time until one year I thought it was such a waste to cut down a perfectly fine tree just to put it up in the living room for a couple of weeks. So I bought the impersonating variety and have used that every year since. In the New Year it all gets packed away, back into the children's Christmas pillow cases, which of course are no longer left at the foot of the beds on Christmas Eve :)
So last night, I assembled our tree. I did Viber Daughters D and E asking if they thought it was necessary this year, considering all the packing etc that is going on. Daughter D wrote back in most unusual haste - Absolutely! So up it goes and here it is:
The Angel right up there on top, of course, is always the last thing to be put on. I bought her a few years ago after our last little angel left the family, goodness only knows what has happened to her. Maybe she just flew the coop one night to grace some other family's tree. The new one is beautiful and is packed away each year in her own protective box.
I think that it might have been last year that Daughter D made us all one of these gorgeous little Christmas Stockings. D and her partner celebrated Christmas and NYE in New York, so these little stockings took pride of place at the front of the tree, so that every time we passed the tree we had a little piece of her to look at and wonder what was she doing right now on the other side of the world. As you probably know, I do love to sew and make things, so to see the girls take after me in this way, is just a song in my heart. I know that this joy will be a pleasure that will give them many, many hours of solitary comfort. The extension of that joy will be passed onto the recipients of their creations and like me, will leave a legacy of their love stitched into fabric for many years to come.
These dear little chaps were purchased in Hong Kong about 16 years ago, maybe on one of our first trips there. Chris and I went about five times to HK over the Christmas period in the mid 90s. His business closed for the annual break at Christmas and we used that time to catch up with business contacts in HK and then holiday in South East Asia somewhere. One year we were actually in HK for Christmas Day. That was different - yum cha for lunch and then shopping at the Prince of Wales markets; this was prior to the British hand back of Hong Kong to the Chinese. The lights in Hong Kong were unusually fantabulous at that time. We had never seen anything like it; whole buildings decorated with a million lights depicting all sorts of festive images.
I will never forget the look on the girls faces when we took them one year. As we made our way into the city from the airport, the girls, only young then, were awed by the sight of all the lights. Hong Kong (and now China) really is the ultimate in light displays - well that I have seen anyway! We bought about a dozen or so of these little embroidered figures at one of the markets in Kowloon and have used them every year since.
These cheap red and gold balls, styrofoam covered in foil, were bought into the decorations mix when we lived in Burnie at View Road. View Road was the home Chris and I bought when we first moved in together. Chris thought that it was best we started our life together in a new house rather than he move into mine, or I move into his. So we combined our worldly goods and that's where it all started, nearly 18 years ago. These Christmas balls were purchased at the local nursery, a thriving hub of all things house and garden. In fact I think that Chris and I paid for that chaps first overseas holiday with our patronage :)
These foil balls go up every year, complete with Rosie bite marks - a lesson learned when you have a cat who loves shiny things - don't place them at paw height! Gorgeous Rosie, she loved those balls!
These dear little wooden birds were another gift from Daughter D, as you can see back in 2011. We have one each. D and her partner travelled home to Tassie from the Kimberely in far northern WA for Christmas that year.
Is there anything better at Christmas time than waiting at the airport for that first glimpse as they come up the stairs towards you? I think not! That look on your loved ones face as they come towards you, arms outstretched, face full of delight, eyes full of love. A mirror of your own sweet pleasure. A memory, a feeling to cherish always.
When Daughter E was just 18 and a half, she moved to Melbourne to study Interior Design at Swinbourne University. The youngest of our children, she forged her own way with courage and strength. She studied hard, worked, made the most of opportunities and fell in love. That love lead her to move on to Sydney, where she again worked hard, studied to finished her degree and built a lovely life with her beloved. One of the part time jobs that she had was at the flagship Pandora store in Pitt Street, Sydney. This Pandora Christmas ball is a reminder of that time and the huge effort that she put in to make a success of her time in Sydney.
I have three of these cute little angels ~ enough said really :))
There are many other little treasures on the tree, like the tinsel, milk tops and pasta string that Daughter D made at school one year; the glass ball that a friend made for Daughter E in 2001; hand made fabric hearts with Lindt Easter Bunny bells for decoration (I wonder where on earth all those Lindt bunny bells came from?????); funnily enough a metal Lindt ball that was filled with chocolate, a gift from Chris; Christmas Dickenson era cardboard cut outs that I bought from Grace Bros in Canberra - another life time ago. I guess you can see the Lindt theme running through my festive celebrations, LOL.
So now all that is left for the tree is the present placement underneath. We have cut back this year and I know we say that every year, but this year we really have. Only one $40 gift each. I will admit that it has been a struggle, especially when I am in the shops and see something that would be just darling for one of the girls or one of the granddies. Step Away From Temptation, Kathy
Roll on the 16th - that will mark my first trip to the airport! Can't wait. They will all be coming home in dribs and drabs but I will take that, just please God bring them all home to me safe and sound. I can't wait to get my hands on them.
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