O Christmas Tree

O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree

How lovely are your branches!

In beauty, green will always grow

Through summer sun & winter snow

O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree

How lovely are your branches!

In which I wax lyrical about the joys of Christmas...

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I have always loved Christmas. I mean, REALLY. 

I love the Carols playing ad nauseum in shopping centres from early November, the lighting of the large tree in the middle of the city, the whole shopping-for-the-perfect-gift thing, struggling out to the car weighed down by all my purchases, trying not to take someone's eye out as I juggle 6 rolls of wrapping paper (which NEVER seem to fit into a bag!). I love looking at department store windows, seeing small children lining up to sit on Santa's knee & tell him what they are hoping to find under the tree on Christmas morning, hearing shop assistants or work colleagues or friends or acquaintances calling "Merry Christmas" as you pass, opening up the letter box & peering in to see if the postie has delivered any Christmas cards from far-away friends. 

I love carefully choosing which bauble goes where on the artificial pine tree that STILL manages to shed in the middle of the living room, laughing & sharing stories about that time I made those clay decorations at kindergarten or when that child in class all those years ago gave that decoration to Mum... what was his name again?... I love watching those 1970s 3D animation cartoons about the Little Drummer Boy & Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer as well as Yogi Bear's First Christmas before settling in to see - once again - what the Griswold's are up to in National Lampoon's Christmas movie. I love watching all 4 Wallace & Gromit episodes over & over again, marveling at the fact that no-one except Gromit can see that the supposed bank-robbing "chicken" is, in fact, a penguin with a red rubber glove on his head. 

I love helping make the traditional "nibbles" every year (rum balls, apricot balls, rocky road & white Christmas), leaving out milk & cookies for Santa as well as a carrot for the reindeer, watching little faces light up when they realise Santa Claus has ACTUALLY been here & there are presents to be opened... I love pausing to pull on the end of a Christmas cracker only to put on the silly paper crown & read out the lame joke as I tuck into my roast turkey dinner.

But more than that, I love the idea of peace & goodwill to all men (& women), helping the poor, the lonely, the infirm. I love being with my family & dear friends. I love celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ in that stable in Bethlehem all those years ago; the baby who would one day grow up to make the ultimate sacrifice, dying on the cross for my sins, only to rise again. As a child, I absolutely LOVED a video called The Donut Man's Christmas, particularly a song with the the following lyrics:

What can I give? What can I bring?

What is a gift that is fit for a King?

I'll give my life, not just a part

I'll give my all to him... I'll give my heart

In celebration of all of this - my deep & abiding love for the festive season - there will be a small addendum to my fashion posts over the 12 Days of Christmas with an interesting little snippet about each of my favourite Christmas tree decorations.

Be sure to check it out, starting tomorrow...