Better late than never! Although we deliberated whether to go for a real or fake tree this year we almost never bothered to put one up at all. We were both so tired by the weekend (ironically caused by the festive season) and still had to do a bit more shopping that at one point we resolved not to bother. But that all changed by Sunday afternoon and we had to dash out to look for a tree.
As you can imagine options were a bit sparse for real trees at such a last minute. But the good news was some of the shops have started to clear out their Christmas decorations for sale, offering massive discounts as they start tidying away stocks which includes fake trees. So we got a really good deal on a good fake tree that normally sells a lot more than what we paid for today.
Saying that I was also astonished at the seeming pessimism of some retailers, happy to hype and set up Christmas decorations early and yet a few days to the actual day almost in a rush to just get over it and remove as many traces of it as possible. Hmmmm...
Never mind, at least we got a tree, yay! And we're so pleased we made the effort. To be honest we would have regretted it anyway if we didn't.
It's a nice looking fake tree and we're pleased with the results. If we caught the Christmas mood earlier then we probably would have gone for a different theme and scheme altogether. But the tried and tested red and gold motif of our existing decor will do for now and they still look good.
We'll miss the fresh scent of a real tree but even if we bought a fake one which in theory will be re-used every Christmas it is still non-committal. With a bit more preparation we can go real again and the fake one can stay in the box. When we have had real trees before Gaz seems to forget the size of our house and gets something that fills the bay window, filling the entire space occupied by the sofa in the photograph above! Sometimes post festivities it seems like we would need to remove the dead tree in a skip! At least this year we don't have the fir tree to deal with and can carefully pack this one away to be used another year.
Or maybe not, who knows!
Mark :-)
As you can imagine options were a bit sparse for real trees at such a last minute. But the good news was some of the shops have started to clear out their Christmas decorations for sale, offering massive discounts as they start tidying away stocks which includes fake trees. So we got a really good deal on a good fake tree that normally sells a lot more than what we paid for today.
Saying that I was also astonished at the seeming pessimism of some retailers, happy to hype and set up Christmas decorations early and yet a few days to the actual day almost in a rush to just get over it and remove as many traces of it as possible. Hmmmm...
Never mind, at least we got a tree, yay! And we're so pleased we made the effort. To be honest we would have regretted it anyway if we didn't.
We'll miss the fresh scent of a real tree but even if we bought a fake one which in theory will be re-used every Christmas it is still non-committal. With a bit more preparation we can go real again and the fake one can stay in the box. When we have had real trees before Gaz seems to forget the size of our house and gets something that fills the bay window, filling the entire space occupied by the sofa in the photograph above! Sometimes post festivities it seems like we would need to remove the dead tree in a skip! At least this year we don't have the fir tree to deal with and can carefully pack this one away to be used another year.
Or maybe not, who knows!
Mark :-)
This gardening blog follows our journey as we create our Tropical and Exotic themed garden. We hope you'll enjoy the journey as much as we do. We started our Exotic Garden in 2005 and this site will show its development, as well as our travels, both abroad and within the UK to gardens, nurseries and friends.
Haha, last minute tree shopping, eh? Every year I think of getting a Norfolk Island pine for my tree and every year I shrug it off. I have been decorating my apartment with mandarin orange peel roses, though. A habit I developed after a friend from Singapore showed me what to do with the peels that I always try to remove in one long ribbon.
ReplyDeleteMandarin orange peel roses sounds fab Evan? And fragrant too I can imagine! Funny enough the idea of using a Norfilk Island pine did also cross our minds...
DeleteYour living rooms looks appropriately festive (and who doesn't love a bargain?). I hope you thoroughly enjoy the holiday!
ReplyDeleteAnd you too Kris :)
DeleteSo glad you got a tree, and I love it's very conical shape.
ReplyDeleteThanks Loree! Without even thinking I'm glad it turned out to be the right size too :)
DeleteAre those presents under the tree I see? No garden tools or plants? Hope you both have a great Christmas and all the best for the new year too.
ReplyDeleteThanks Missy :) and yes they are presents and no garden tools there as far as I'm aware of...
DeleteYour tree is so stylish! I love that big gold swag spiralling up the tree, perfect! And it looks as though you've managed to get one that has mere millimetres to spare before touching the ceiling? Must have been a bit of a 'phew' moment there! Have a truly wonderful Christmas, guys. Caro x
ReplyDeleteThank you Caro! Without even thinking about the height we still managed to get a tree that is just the right height. Merry Christmas to you too :)
DeleteYour tree is very nice. I think my fake tree must be 20 years old already...so it can last a lot.
ReplyDeleteThat's the good thing with fake trees, a quality one can go on almost forever Lisa :)
DeleteYour tree looks lovely and the colour scheme is classic. At least if you find yourself short on time at xmas in the future, you'll have a back up plan (that's if this doesn't grow on you and you choose this over another kind of tree next xmas!) I haven't put one up this year, and at this point it doesn't bother me. The pile of presents is bringing enough festivity to carry us through (and the couple of decorations I was given as gifts from co-workers that I've hung around the house)
ReplyDeleteThanks Amy, this time of the year you can always rely on the classic red and gold. Pile of presents are often enough to bring festive cheer :)
DeleteGorgeous! You can always spray evergreen scent or burn candles to give that additional sensory experience.
ReplyDeleteThat's a beautiful tree! I like the very high-backed chair on your mantelpiece - would be very comfy for a long-necked giraffe! :)
ReplyDelete