The Ancient Art of Christmas Decorating.
What is Christmas if there is none of the Ole Razmataz? Whether one has a snowy (sigh! sounds so lovely) Christmas, or a very hot and sunny one, as I shall be having, here in New Zealand.
Christmas is certainly a time to get out the sparkly stuff, decorate one's abode, and put up a tree. Decorating lavishly at Christmas, is, I feel an art: The Ancient Art of Christmas Decorating.
I have fond memories of earnestly making crepe paper streamers as a child, to adorn the ceilings, along with sparkly twine-type stuff, called tinsel. Although money was scarce, Mum always found funds for the rolls of red crepe paper, and tinsel.
Then, as an impoverished young mum, I cut out stars, santas, angels, reindeer, etc from cheap magazines, pasted them onto cardboard, trimmed them, and made them into hanging decorations. We kept them, reverently, in a shoebox. Each year, my kids and I would get out that shoebox full of these decorations, and hang them on the Christmas tree. With tinsel and lights, of course.
With my youngest, of course I had a tree and decorations, and I still get teary eyed when I recall her getting a red bauble for the tree, saying that "this is for Nanna". Mum had passed over about two months prior to Christmas. I loved that bauble that we put up each year.
Later years led to having a fake tree, and I do not know where it went! But it did it's duty, adorned with lights and "stuff". It was a gallant little tree.
Now, I live alone. I have one Christmas card from a friend, because now we all do the facebook and texting thing. A stash of Christmas chocolates in the fridge, some star shaped Christmas shortbread in the pantry, for visitors.
I no longer feel the need to do the Ole Christmas Razmataz, but I know that my three children, and five grandchildren, will be. I am quite happy to be this way.
And, if any dashing males turn up.... I may... or may not.... run to mistletoe. We'll see.
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