Saturday, December 06, 2008

Yo ho ho

I saw my first Christmas decorations in Bangkok this year around the 28/29 October. I think it was a record.

We are purists when it comes to Christmas trees: only REAL will do.

Then we moved to Thailand where there is a distinct lack of choice: Non-drop, traditional, Nordman fir, Frasier Fir, Norway Spruce, Blue Spruce, Scots Pine?

Nope. Here, it’s no tree or fake tree.

Rabidly against fake trees, in our first year we found a distant relative of the fir tree in one of the garden centres. I think its genetic similarity was tenuous. It had pine needles and droopy branches. All the baubles slid down the branches overnight and had to be replaced every morning. The tree couldn’t cope with our Western need for air conditioning – we’d only been here a few months – and it got sicker and sicker, dropping its needles, and then the baubles wouldn’t wait until night time to fall off.

The following year we caved.

Yesterday we built our tree (you have no idea of the pain it causes me to say this out loud.)

9 comments:

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

I'm sure it looks lovely though.

Lane Mathias said...

Pretty. Love your decs.

Maybe you could burn a pine scented candle for effect?:-)

Jenny Beattie said...

Debs, thanks, now we've finished it looks very nice.

Lane, thank you. That's a brilliant idea ... and I could spread some crap on the floor to make me think the needles are dropping, can't I?

Ms Melancholy said...

But no hoovering...or sweeping.....or clogging up the dustbuster......or finding pine needles in your socks in July.....the benefits are endless. And your decs look very beautiful indeed :)

hesitant scribe said...

When I was little in Canada we always had massive real trees, but now we have a fake one - you get used to them eventually, and once the decorations are on it'll look fab! And add some 'crap' as you say (although prezzies might look nicer!)

Plus, think of the tree's life you're saving by not cutting one down!

The Frogblogger said...

Look on the positive side - no more depressing attempts doomed to failure to get a real tree to survive the festive season, so as it can be planted outside in the new year!

Jenny Beattie said...

Ms Melancholy, not finding pine needles in July is most important, since I am most slovenly in my housekeeping duties.

Hesitant Scribe, I think that's very true - that you get used to them - and that frightens me almost more than anything else!

FrogBlogger, it is a plus. The poor sick tree is on the balcony looking dreadful. I can't bring myself to throw it away.

Carol said...

Awww...we're not going to get to do that this year :-(

Will you post a picture of the finished tree?

C x

Angie said...

I was a 'real tree only' girl as well, until Husband and I celebrated our first Christmas together. We got a beautiful tree and found two ENORMOUS spiders in it after it was in our house. *shudders* Our place is too small for a real tree now anyway, but that memory makes my cheesy Ikea fake tree much sweeter. ;)