# Decorated Your Tree Yet?



## Contused (Nov 25, 2020)

Here's one that reflects the times…


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## helli (Nov 25, 2020)

I was thinking of adopting this approach


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## C&E Guy (Nov 26, 2020)

House across the street put their lights up yesterday. Neighbours' garden has been like Las Vegas since October!


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## KARNAK (Nov 26, 2020)

Done mine *not.*


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## Ditto (Nov 26, 2020)

Takes me a week to get mine up, got far too many decorations.  I love Christmas. Took me an afternoon just to get the Crib organised and now the donkey's lost an ear plus I've lost the Baby, I think it's in a tin in the lock-up...

The only thing that bugs me about Cribs is when they have Mary kneeling like the one I've got. Simply not believable. No doubt a fella designed this kind.


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## C&E Guy (Nov 27, 2020)

Ditto said:


> Takes me a week to get mine up, got far too many decorations.  I love Christmas. Took me an afternoon just to get the Crib organised and now the donkey's lost an ear plus I've lost the Baby, I think it's in a tin in the lock-up...
> 
> The only thing that bugs me about Cribs is when they have Mary kneeling like the one I've got. Simply not believable. No doubt a fella designed this kind.


Most Nativity scenes have shepherds and wise men there together when they were several days apart.


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## nonethewiser (Nov 27, 2020)

C&E Guy said:


> House across the street put their lights up yesterday. Neighbours' garden has been like Las Vegas since October!



Ours went up last night, bit early for me but wife insisted.  4 weeks today, where's year gone, crap as it was.


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## Drummer (Nov 27, 2020)

I used to put up the tree on Christmas Eve, though I learned to buy one well in advance, cut off the bottom few inches and put it in water outside, then gradually move it into warmer situations. These days I bring it in at the solstice. 
I do keep the 12 days of Christmas, and probably will do this year, just to have something normal about the year.


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## Ditto (Nov 27, 2020)

C&E Guy said:


> Most Nativity scenes have shepherds and wise men there together when they were several days apart.


At our church they didn't put the Magi out until Epiphany. Mind you, I've not been for yonks. If Mum wasn't such a leaden weight in the wheelchair I'd push her down to the church here every Sunday but I can't manage it.

When does the 12 days of Christmas start? Christmas Eve?


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## grovesy (Nov 27, 2020)

The Church went as child was in the centre of town, and in the entrance every year, people would dress up and do a naivety tableau, every week in the lead up to Xmas.


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## Pine Marten (Nov 27, 2020)

Yes, @Ditto, we have (had ) an Epiphany evening service and party on the nearest Sunday to 6th January, and the quite large(!) Magi were carried round the church and placed by the crib to the singing of 'We three kings' - we have a large 'picture' window on one side suitable for tableaux which can be seen from the street. I sincerely hope that Epiphany 2021 might have some semblance of normal.

And the 12 days of Christmas start on Christmas Day 

Eta: our tree is due to be delivered on 14th December, so we leave it to drop a little and decorate it the following day.


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## C&E Guy (Nov 27, 2020)

Anitram said:


> My wife will be up into the loft over the weekend to bring down our tree etc. She already has two wooden reindeer, bought last weekend, in position in the hearth and a string of berries & pine cones across the mantlepiece. Our outside lights went up 2 weeks ago but aren't on yet. I expect they will be shortly, though.
> 
> Piece in the Daily Mail from a so-called expert on how to dress your tree so that it doesn't look common. Who cares?
> 
> ...


Well, they start planning The White House tree and decorations in January when the previous lot come down.


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## robert@fm (Nov 28, 2020)

Ditto said:


> When does the 12 days of Christmas start? Christmas Eve?


As I understand it, the official Christmas season is:

Advent: fourth Sunday before Christmas (this year, that's tomorrow) until Christmas Eve

Christ's Mass: December 25, a day of rest and worship; like a Sunday on tranquilisers

The Festive Season (the 12 Days) : St. Stephen's Day (December 26), when the presents were traditionally exchanged (hence "Boxing Day") until Epiphany (January 6, aka 12th Night); the "12 Days of Christmas".

I switch on my lights on Advent Sunday or December 1st, whichever is earlier.


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## Drummer (Nov 28, 2020)

My grandad always used to tell us to 'come and get your Christmas Box' - and he used to recite all he could remember of a mummer's play - he was very small and used to play Little Devil Doubt with a great tall lanky fellow playing Beelzebub.
We used to make a special trip into Barnsley (South Yorkshire) to see the Nativity scene in front of the Town Hall which must have had life size figures, and included models of oxen, asses, sheep and lamb, and all the people in an illuminated open sided stable structure. I doubt they do it now, but it was one of those Christmas things which make me quite nostalgic.


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## mikeyB (Nov 29, 2020)

Ah, Drummer, what I was doing this afternoon was watching Blackburn Rovers beat Barnsley 2-1. I like Barnsley, the Town Hall is the most beautiful in Yorkshire.


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## trophywench (Nov 30, 2020)

When we moved here, the front apex of the bungalow roof was clad in 'wany' wood and stained, all the soffit boards were wood painted white and we had a few miles of outdoor lighting which Pete used to put up on his trusty wooden ladder ready to turn on on 1st December.   The metal guttering had numerous leaks so it and the soffits plus the wany wood were all replaced by maintenance free uPVC.  Hence the lights have been up in the loft for about 10 years by now and no way Jose at 70+ would Pete be up an old wooden ladder - if he even had the strength to manhandle the ruddy thing anyway!  About a month ago eldest granddaughter rang and you know the dreaded intro 'Grand- a-a-ad' or 'Grandma-a-a' - and Grand's heart starts to sink whilst opening the Bank website in another Tab before learning how much and what the heck for this time - but turned out the sentence went on 'You know all those outside lights you and Grandma used to put up, well I was wondering if ...' so that was a pleasant surprise and frankly, we'd both far rather she and her children had some use out of them than nobody.  So they came down the loft and were collected very soon!

The rest of Xmas came down the loft yesterday afternoon and pretty much sorted, finished by lunchtime today.  The magnetic Santas haven't started moving round the lounge as yet, but never been known not to before!  Always both start off on the metal pole of a fake brass uplighter in one corner - but you never know where or when they're going to move!


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## Ditto (Nov 30, 2020)

Really? Like those coffins in that vault. Fascinating.  Excellent idea to pass on the lights, a nice thing to do, lol at Bank of Grandparentals. 

I'm halfway through putting all my stuff up at the flat. My sister is coming tomorrow to help me with my tree. Are we still doing 'bubbles'? I'm counting her as in my bubble then.


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## daducky88 (Nov 30, 2020)

helli said:


> I was thinking of adopting this approach
> View attachment 15662


Ha ha, that made me laugh, cheers


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## daducky88 (Nov 30, 2020)

Ditto said:


> Takes me a week to get mine up, got far too many decorations.  I love Christmas. Took me an afternoon just to get the Crib organised and now the donkey's lost an ear plus I've lost the Baby, I think it's in a tin in the lock-up...
> 
> The only thing that bugs me about Cribs is when they have Mary kneeling like the one I've got. Simply not believable. No doubt a fella designed this kind.


Poor wonky donkey, poor jesus, poor Mary.  Sigh, lets hope wise have better pressies this year.


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## Drummer (Nov 30, 2020)

mikeyB said:


> Ah, Drummer, what I was doing this afternoon was watching Blackburn Rovers beat Barnsley 2-1. I like Barnsley, the Town Hall is the most beautiful in Yorkshire.


I remember when they washed the town hall - and a number of other buildings around the town and it turned out they weren't black after all. I think they must have bought a pressure washer and wanted to get some use out of it. The water flowing off the walls was absolutely black from all the smoke. There were a lot of 'by eck's as the dirt was washed away.


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