Skip to main content

Christmas is coming...

...and we have a Christmas tree! This is the first Christmas tree we've had since we got married (you may all say "awww" now) so we really splashed out and bought the decorations from Walmart. Seriously though, it is a responsibility. I'm pretty sure many of my parents' Christmas decorations date from the early days of their marriage; it was a humbling feeling to be sizing up baubles with the knowledge that we might well be digging those very same baubles out of their dusty box in the attic in 30 years time. Nothing does longevity like a Christmas ornament.

In which case, of course, we also need some dusty photos to dig out along with the decorations, to show the very first time they were used. Thus we have Graham decorating the tree, and Martha decorating the mantelpiece. The ones of Graham with baubles dangling from his ears and Martha wrapped in tinsel will not be appearing on this blog. Some things should not be shown to future generations (or present ones for that matter).




I hope you agree that the finished product is pretty sweet.


It's a little early to say Merry Christmas, but today is the first Sunday in Advent. So a blessed Advent to you all.
Labels:

Comments

Anonymous said…
Well that antler on the mantlepiece has already seen a few years since it left the Isle of Mull! May all your Christmases be well-decorated.

love Dad
1 December 2009 at 17:23
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Between responsibility and freedom

Wouldn't it be nice to just... go? To walk out the door on a nice sunny day and follow any path you fancy, as far as you like. No time constraints, no shopping list, nothing to hold you back. You're free. You're on your own. You're not the only one to have this kind of dream. Alastair Humphreys' book The Doorstep Mile is written for people who want more adventure in their lives, but somehow never quite get around to making it happen. And the top two reasons why they don't are: "I don't have enough time!" and "I feel guilty/selfish/it's not fair on my family!" So you might start thinking that what we all need is less responsibility in our lives. It's a tempting idea, that freedom. But as I considered my responsibilities, I realised that many of them arise out of connection to other people. I shop and cook and clean for my family, because I love them and want to care for them. I help to teach the kids at church because I am connect...
Post a Comment
Read more

Enthusiasm and cynicism

Some while ago I heard a sermon on the story of Zacchaeus. I forget what the point of the sermon was - usually for this Bible passage it's something about Jesus saving everyone, even the unlikely people. But I remember wondering, did Zacchaeus really give all that money away? Image by Alexa from Pixabay You may remember the tale: Zacchaeus is a corrupt government official who is rather short. When Jesus arrives in town, Zacchaeus wants to get a look at him. So he climbs a tree to see over other people's heads. However, Jesus spots him and tells him to get out of the tree and go cook Jesus some dinner. I assume Jesus phrased it a little more nicely than that, because Zacchaeus is delighted, and moreover, promises to change his entire lifestyle. "Half of my possessions I give to the poor," he declares with the enthusiasm of the instant convert, "and anyone I've defrauded, I'll pay back four times over." The surrounding crowd are the cynics: Jesus, th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Working on sunshine

Freeeee electricity!  No, seriously.  This guy came and knocked on the door one day, and I don't usually pay any more attention to random strangers trying to sell me something at the door than you probably do, but I guess he must have said "free" enough times to penetrate my consciousness, so I found myself agreeing to have someone check our house's suitability for solar panels.  And another guy turned up, and measured; and another one, and we signed; and a few more, and put up scaffolding and panels and meter boxes and cable; and suddenly, if we're careful, we can avoid paying for any electricity during daylight hours, because it's all generated right up there above our heads. Of course, we have the British government to thank for this, which probably means we're paying for it somewhere along the line.  The Department for Energy and Climate Change (presumably it's actually against climate change rather than for it, although you never know) has...
Post a Comment
Read more