Skip to main content

Our bare and wilted 2013 Aussie Christmas Tree


A very nice Argentinian fellow blogger who now lives in Canada, asked for a picture of our Aussie Christmas tree for his 'Christmas around the world post. 

An Aussie Christmas - surfing and seafoodMoi
Oh dear I thought. 
He, or we are going to regret this... 

We are not a good example of an Australian Christmas, 
but may score highly on taking the relaxed approach to Chrissy...

The Tree...

Well anyone who knows us well, will know that I am still bereft of half our Christmas decorations, on account of the Australian Government Customs and Excise (Border Protection, as it's now known) impounding them as illegal imports.


We lost most of our European Christmas tree decorations on arrival... Made in China was OK!
Yes, it's true! They refused almost anything that said 'Christmas' on the box as a threat to national security. Anyone who is planning on moving to Australia in the foreseeable future, here's some advice. You're better off writing 'explosives' or 'Mummy's cocaine stash', on the carton, than the Ch word. I can tell you the jingle bell alarm rings big time, to any mention of Christmas. 

All the kids beautiful hand crafted Christmas gifts from Europe - binned for the crime of including a pine cone. 


Our tree decorations are a wonderful eclectic memory of people and places we have known
The wooden stable nativity scene with moss on the roof and a hundred different wooden characters kings, donkeys and a baby Jesus. That's right, a baby! Jettisoned into incineration...

And the artificial Christmas tree - poof! Disappeared in a flash. 


One of the rare remaining kids decorations - the clothes peg reindeer!
I reckon our old tree looks lovely in some Australian Government Office somewhere. What are they? Santa's Little Helpers? Look forgive my rant and rave, but clearly the hurt runs deep. I have not really forgiven them for any of this... 

Although there is a slight concern that I may be being a bit harsh. I do suspect my DH, never a lover of as he calls them 'plastic' Christmas trees, who hated my Aussie no sneezing, no wilting but very nice never-the-less artificial 'save the environment' tree, may have done a deal... Collusion and collaboration at the highest level:
'Take the gorgeous Christmas tree for your office and while you're at it help yourself to a couple of bottles of nice Beaujolais in carton number 62 and just let my golf clubs through. Sorry about the mud, got caught short on the fourteenth hole..."
A massive tree arrived at our place this year!
We're often away for Christmas and for the past two we've been overseas. Not even in Australia, no need to get a single Christmas decoration out. So this year it was a novelty when DH and son hauled back a humongous Christmas tree, as if to make up for all those trees we never had over the years. 


I had to admit, it was a beauty, one to admire, until I started sneezing...

I now remember why I prefer the artificial trees; hay fever and the wilt! 


Argh - the smell of all that fresh pine...
It's really no good. The first hot December day, which always comes before Christmas, the tree starts to drop it's needles and look really sad... As happened last Thursday when temperatures in Melbourne reached 40 degrees Celsius (105 degrees Fahrenheit), hotter elsewhere.

So unlike in other families when dressing the tree is a family ritual and everyone gathers round to the oohs and argh's as Christmas tree decorations and ornaments are unwrapped and placed with love on the tree... It went like this in our house.

Me to Kids: Can you dress the tree for me?
Kids:           What????
Me to Kids: I'm doing a blog on our Christmas tree and I want it to look nice       for the rest of the world to see.
Kids:          Do we have to?

So here it is
I probably can procrastinate and give excuses no longer. 
I don't think a drum roll is really necessary, not even a Christmas drum...

I give you our Aussie Christmas Tree, half decorated and already wilted
Happy Christmas!

Aussie Tree - December 2013
Wishing you all a wonderful festive season, 
as we now call in it multi-cultural correct Melbourne 
Whereever you may be celebrating!

With love 


PS 
Thank you for taking the time to read my post, 
I hope to visit your blog soon.
I love reading all my comments and always take the time to reply.
For those of you who are not on Google +, 
the e-mail button on my blog sidebar reaches me with a private message.

I am linking this post to Mosaic Monday and Wednesday around the World. Thank you to the fabulous hosts. I hope you'll be able to click on the links below to see the brill contributions from around the world - enjoy!


Mosaic Monday
Wednesday Around the World  

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Hello Summer 2023!

Hello Everyone I hope you are having a wonderful July whereever you are in the world. As it's been a wee while since I stopped by I thought I'd fill you in.  The last three months have been epic. Here is my flight schedule alone: Phuket --> Bangkok --> Singapore --> Melbourne --> Gold Coast (overland to --> Brisbane --> Sydney --> Phuket --> Bangkok --> London --> Paris (overland to Montpellier) --> London. As they say I haven't been everywhere yet but it's on my list! April ended up being an incredible month as I returned to Australia, thanks to a wonderful invite to attend a 7 night Detox at Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat in Queensland. Here is a little excerpt:  Gwinganna Detox Program I’ve been invited to join a  seven-night detox program  at Gwinganna Lifestyle Retreat. They are winners of the  World’s Best Eco Spa Awards  (2022 World Spa Awards) and it is beyond exciting. Well, until I read the small print… So it’s no gluten, dairy,

Autumn Spice and everything nice!

Hey, what ever happened to Summer? I hope yours was lovely, mine was pretty amazing! It feels like my whole year has whizzed past in a flash, how about yours?  I've had a year of saying "yes" to everything offered to me. It has been exciting to put it out to the Universe to see where I should be. We feel very fortunate to be able to do this in my husband's early years of retirement. I'm just back in Asia from the US. I never feel my year is quite right without seeing British daffodils in the Spring and a pumpkin and the leaves turning in Autumn. Yay, the world nailed it this year, thank you.  Read on to find out what happened when my ultimate yes occurred on a trip to Montana to meet Ruth, an IG friend. I know Bloggers will smile and not be at all concerned, we've been meeting up around the globe for years, haven't we...?!  But let's just say some of my family and friends were, you're doing what?! But first some Little Wren updates! France I had so

It's a funny old world!

Welcome to Racha Island Hello everyone and greetings from Phuket, Thailand THAILAND THOUGHTS Thailand where we have now reopened the country and are ready to welcome international fully vaccinated arrivals without quarantine to our beautiful island.  For all the details check out  Phuket Sandbox: Would you, should you, could you?   This month another southern island Koh Samui followed along. There are slightly different arrangements with guests to stay within their arrival hotel for three days before supplying a negative Covid test. This gives freedom to roam the island, after 7 days, visitors can also visit the islands of Koh Phangan and Koh Tao. For all the details check out: Welcome back to Thailand via Koh Samui plus All this as Thailand records the highest Covid numbers and death rates ever recorded and stricter measures have been released across the worst affected Provinces.  There is a plan for more of the country to open and the idea was for Thailand to fully reopen to vaccinat