White lights, free hanging balls and a little bit of Christmas Tack!

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a bit of tack at Christmas, it makes me smile ..... so long as it's in someone else's house!.

Today was the day we put up the tree and decorations, a little earlier than most years but the coach is desperately trying to drag us into her little 'Christmas Wonderland World'. We have been resisting up until today but we've finally succumbed and, accompanied by the obligatory Christmas music, glass of sherry and a mince pie we set about moving the furniture around to fit in the tree.

Now I do have a few rules, particularly with the tree - only white lights, predominantly one, at most two coloured decorations, no tinsel, and my balls have to be free hanging! by this I mean that I don't like them resting on the branch underneath, I can't bare that, it drives me nuts. Anyway, apart from some ribbon to make some bows, the tree is done. This year we have purchased a piece of ribbon and some tiny pegs with a cardboard 'Christmassy' animal on them, it's up and if I could only find the 'one' card we have so far received I'm sure it will begin to look fantastic.

Each year we have got a little more adventurous with our outside lights, not that they are for anyone else's enjoyment but ours, no-one uses our front door apart from the postlady and the tesco delivery person so we put them up in the back garden. This year we have added 'icicles' - my last words as Andrew left to buy them were 'only white one's please'. He spent a few hours putting them up, managed to fall off the ladder in the process landing rather unfortunately on his face, the bruising is gradually coming out and together with a very red forehead, nose and chin he resembles a sleep deprived elf! Anyway, the switch on arrived and we all assembled in the garden .... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ............ blue - the icicles are blue!!!!!!!. My idea of changing them didn't go down too well it has to be said and it seems I'm going to have to put up with blue icicles, it also seems - and this is another pet hate of mine - that they will be left up once the Christmas season is gone ready for next year, looking at Andrew's face though I don't really feel I can argue!.

Here's hoping we all have a very Merry, Peaceful and Safe Christmas x