to tree or not to tree

Today I had an overwhelming urge to put up our Christmas tree. Probably because I was looking at Christmas decorations in a catalogue.

I love Christmas. I love celebrating my Saviour’s birth. I love the time with family. I love giving people gifts that I have put a lot of thought into. I love decorating my house.

Last year, I didn’t get to. Because we went to the coast at the end of October so Pete could work, and he wouldn’t let me put the tree up before then. I helped put up my mum and dad’s tree and deck their house out instead.

On Christmas day, this is what my family always does: We wake up and have a scrummy big Dutch-inspired breakfast. We get one little present from ‘Sinterklaas’ on our plates. When we were little it was usually some kind of pretty hair thing to wear to church. After breakfast, we’d go off to church. Which is, afterall, the most important part of the day.

Then home. Mum piles the coffee table with loads of beautiful food that we’ve all spent the last week getting ready. Chocolate balls, apricot balls, lollies, chips, pretzels, chocolate spiders, cheeses, crackers, nuts… the table is laden. Papa makes everyone a cappuccino and we all settle in for present time. This takes up the next few hours or so. There are six of us, plus Pete, and in the last few years also my sister’s boyfriend. We do a secret santa, and we each draw two people. Apparently we’re supposed to keep it a secret, but my dad’s the only one who thinks it’s necessary. We’re not ‘supposed’ to, but everyone always buys everyone else a ‘love present’ as well. There’s always myriads of presents under the tree. We open one present at a time, and everyone watches as each present is open. I love this, as for me half the fun of it all is buying gifts for people – as I said before I put a lot of thought into it, and I get a lot of joy from watching people open what I chose. It takes forever. And I love it.

After all that, we have some incredible lunch. Mum always comes up with a theme of sorts. We have delicious salads with prawns and mangos and avocados. One year we had a beautiful five-course Thai extravaganza. I love Christmas food.

Then we hibernate. It’s kind of necessary. Because by then we’re kind of full.

Later in the afternoon, Pete and I skip over to the in-laws and do the Christmas thing all over again!

So anyway, that’s the long version of saying, I LOVE Christmas.

And today I wanted to put up the Christmas tree. And Pete nearly said yes. But then we remembered we have our house inspection tomorrow, and we don’t want to look too weird. So we’re going to wait until we get back from Nana and Pops, and put it up then. Before December. Hehe. I’ve never done that before. We always had to wait until after Mum’s birthday (3rd of December). We aren’t even going to be in the state for Christmas, but I don’t want to miss out on having the house all done up for Mayana’s first Christmas!

I’m also going to buy some new decorations after Christmas, at the big sales. For Christmas next year. Who knows where we’ll be then…. uni will be over, and the new phase of our life will have begun.

But I’m getting too far ahead of myself.

The point of this post, afterall, is just to let you all know that we’re going to put up our Christmas tree next week when we get back from Mundubbera town.

Woohoo!!

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