Tree festival

19th December

I love real Christmas trees and I could not contemplate ever having one that was not real. I know all the arguments as to why artificial maybe better but for me they are not. End of. I do however concur that some artificial trees are wonderful and can be the most amazingly dressed trees around. They are symmetrical and elegant but they are not real so do not do it for me. Sorry. 

In Norway of course you can buy your Christmas trees as we do here in the UK, in garden centres, super markets and in random pop up places but for many going out to hunt for the perfect tree in the forest and to chop it down and bring it back home through the crisp white snow is part of Christmas. In nostalgic rose tinted glasses view I would tell you that most Norwegians decorate their tree either on Lille Jul Aften (December 23rd to you and me) or on Jul Aften itself. But now times are changing and many put their tree up before then. 

Here in our house we have become Anglicized a little bit and put up our tree any day after the 20th December. Except this year we have put it up earlier so that mamma who is visiting us before Christmas can decorate the tree with us, these moments are for family and we wanted mamma with us too.

From the very first moment I had my own home the tree decorations had to be home made, I am sure this stems from my Norwegian roots as I remember many a Christmas with mamma making woven paper heart bags to put on the tree full of nuts and raisins.  Our tree for the past 22 years has had home made salt dough red painted hearts, and I could not now think of our tree without them. Follow the link to the salt dough recipe we use for our tree... here .  You will need to scroll down half way through the post and find TROLLDEIG, Norwegian for salt dough.  Make it, it's such fun and they will last for years.   This year. lots has been turned up on it's head for us in our household, but one of the nice things is that our daughter has started to collect her own Christmas baubles.  That of glass.  These will be added to each year, can you imagine buying a whole trees worth in one go, way too expensive.  But somehow with friends and family enjoying her wanting to do this she has already amassed 11 beautiful baubles.  these will leave our home when she does, I'm trying not to think about it; the loss of these new glass baubles of our daughter leaving home?  So for the first time, we have bought baubles on our tree too, I admit they look elegant and beautiful, but I think it the combination of home crafted and clear glass that is wonderful.
 

We always have salt dough red hearts on our tree,
homemade of course

As we have moved everything around in our house, the tree is actually in a different room for the first time, I felt something was missing in the front room and decided we needed to be decadent and add in a second tree!  This really I felt was extravagant but a wonderful necessity and it was here that my Arne and Carlos knitted baubles found their home this year.  Although I now realise I need more of them...

 

 

Potted Christmas tree with knitted Arne and Carlos baubles

 

 

Tree festival

 

I have obviously been walking around in the last few years in my own Christmas bubble as I am only now joining in on the Christmas tree festival band wagon and WOW is all I can say.  I have not been able to find the origins of why tree festivals began, but certainly in our market town, it has brought the masses into church and created money both for charity and the church itself.  I happened to be in town and had 10 minutes spare, seeing the huge sewn sign (who could resist that) I wondered in.  My 10 minutes spare led to an hour walking round the church and a cup of tea to boot.  Each tree had been decorated by various groups including local pre school, s

primary and secondary school, scouts, brownies and local business, not to mention the WI as well.  All trees were decorated to a Christmas carol title and we were given a sheet on entry and had to try and match the tree to the carol.  A lovely way to spend an hour in an other wise busy month.  I shall look out for it next year and take the family along too.

 

 

 

Yearly tree festival in the market town

Can you match the carol to the correct tree?

 

 

Here are the carols that were represented at the church, not all are photographed, so your challenge is slightly harder, have fun, let me know how you managed!

 

Mary’s Boy Child • The Cherry Tree • Away in a Manger • Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree • Good King Wenceslas • Hark the Herald Angels Sing • Jingle Bells • O Little Town of Bethlehem • Once in Royal David’s City • The First Noel • The Holly and the Ivy • The 12 days of Christmas • We Three Kings of Orient are • While Shepherds Watched • White Christmas • Santa Claus is Coming to Town • All I want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth • Let it snow, let it snow • Little Drummer Boy • Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer • We wish you a Merry Christmas • A Christmas Carol by Dickens • A Spaceman came travelling

 

 

 

Are you a  die hard and your tree looks the same every year, or are you someone who buys new colours for the tree each year?  Do you have a special bauble or precious ornaments for the tree.  It's such a personal thing tree decorating.

 

♥  I would love to know about you and your tree ...  ♥