Bah Humbug - It's December AGAIN! 24 days of ...

And the Christmas Tree arrives today ...

I don't know why, but this year, I decided that my old fake tree was too huge, and perhaps, a little too disgusting after 10 years of "loving" use.

Well, I suppose it was more along the lines of my eldest son told me he didn't want a tree this year - or at least not a huge tree. But where is the fun in that?

The green, spiky, Christmas tree has absolutely nothing to do with being born in a barn. Which also got me thinking ... being born in a barn, is usually thrown at someone if they leave the door open.

That's got nothing to do with Christmas either. Unless, of course, you leave your door open wide, so everyone can join your party.

Last year, intrigued at my scant knowledge of the history of the Christmas tree, I did a little investigating, and 14 days before Christmas (yes, my tree was very late going up last year), I enlightened the world. Well, anyone who was so inclined to read my Christmas blog:

http://bahhumbugagain.blogspot.sg/2014/12/bah-humbug-its-december-again-14-days.html

Back to the tree, or rather this year's tree in question. I chose a Noble Fir. Since when was a tree part of the aristocracy? I suppose the tenuous link might be a family tree. 

There is another strange term, the family tree. It conjures up the image of a family sitting around a majestic tree, saying, "this is our tree, no one else's. This tree belongs to us." (to be uttered using an Eddie Izzard voice). But, what, if like Oliver Jeffers' moose, it doesn't want to belong to that family? 

I digress, again. 

It must be the idea of having to build a tree, hang the lights, half of which will probably electrocute you on the touch and then dust off the decorations.

BUT ...

This year, I am not building a tree. My noble fir comes from Far East Flora. Do we grow fir trees in the far east? Actually, we do, only most of them I have seen growing in gardens are leaning over, precariously.

Rather like the giant tree outside my mother's front door. The one, the cat climbed and got stuck up. It got sick, not the cat, the tree. So, this year, sadly, it was chopped down. Crash, a rather gaping hole left in the foliage around the front of the house. 

I digressed again as if I am skirting the issue of Christmas - avoiding the whole thing. But unless I become a hermit, I can't.

So, this afternoon, the men from Far East Flora, delivered a Noble Fir to my home. This tree was chosen for its dense foliage and a kink in the top branch. Because, after all, nothing in life is perfect, most of all Christmas.