[Goosegirl]

Why I never thought of this before I'll never know. Whilst making a start on putting up our decs, various comments issued from my OH such as, we didn't put that there last year it was over there. Where have you put the other set of lights we had by the breakfast bar? No not that one, the other one. Where's the other one we had that went up then round and over the sideboard that ended up over that beam there? There must be another bag of decs somewhere so where are they? That doesn't look right. After downing a few G's & T I had a lightbulb moment (ha!) when I realised my big mistake. Get your camera out and take pics - simples! 

[mrs bouquet]

Your OH's comments have really made me laugh.   I can imagine similar conversations going on in many homes just now.
I hope you didn't share your gin    Mrs Bouquet

[RubyRed]

 Living in a 18thc farmhouse , we have 3 sitting rooms , therefore 3 trees, kitchen and hall to do. We also take photos but also label the bags. So much easier. Since my oh has retired and I still work i give him a tenner to do it for me. He spends it in the village hostelry. He's so much better at  it than I as he is a graphic designer so everything's in the detail. Coming home its wonderful to see it done. Rather like someone else cooking dinner, you enjoy it so much more. When Christmas is over we put tissue paper over the trees and put them up in the spare room. Simples. Christmas day i dress a piece of oak with holly, ivy, yew and home grown mistletoe and have it as centre piece on dinner table. Then after dinner its the first bit of wood to be burned. Our own Yule log. It's quite traditional and a bit pages in our house something inherited and lovingly carried on. Feeling quite mellow at the mo due to a glass of home made Bailey's. Hic x

[Growster...]

Of course, Squire Gander is always right, Goosey, but there again, you'll bring him round to your way of thinking, I'm sure...

For us, there is the joy of bringing out old Christmas cards from years gone by. We have so many favourites now, and as the CC list dwindles, we can easily pop the faves up on the shelves and enjoy them again!

But please tell the Squire, that somewhere in 'The Turrets', there is a single piece of Victorian cardboard, inscribed by a loyal gentleman in the parish - famous around here, who sent a small card to a long-gone neighbour. I found it during some building work about forty years ago, and now I've lost it..:0(

When I find it - and I will, I'll show it here!

[Plot 1 Problems]

The wife leaves me to do all the decorations and doesn't interfere other than forbidding me from any indecent decorations after an incident where I once substituted the angel with cut-out of Roger Mellie from Viz magazine backed on cardboard and sat atop of the tree with a not so festive speech bubble message!

[mrs bouquet]

You are making me feel very envious.  I put my decs up today and it took about 5 minutes.  A few things from craft club that I have made.    I have got a huge loft full of decs and trees etc, and outdoor things as well, but cannot be bothered to do them just for my benefit.  But your stories are making me laugh.
Boxing Day was my darling OH's birthday, and I remember one year completely sheeting in the car port with builders heavy duty white sheets,  we then decorated it all and found an old stags head, and put it over the door of the garages.  We then had a big BBQ, with my husband playing host with a full (old) tail suit and white gloves.   That was good fun. We did have some laughs.   Mrs B

[Goosegirl]

MB - I'm glad you're a good speller re- the car port mentioned in the third line of your post  and as he'd drunk all the gin I was on the whine!!!  Growster, as you said Squire Gander is always right because he follows this rule: "1) The boss is always right. 2) If the boss is wrong it must be you that made me do it so see rule 1." Ruby, you must have to be well-organised! Our old cottage does lend itself to being decorated, but being rather small it's finding somewhere to put things you need to move before putting them up. I absolutely love glowing fairy lights and if I had the space I'd make a simple tree dec out of some twisted hazel branches and evergreen leaves (plus a bit of mistletoe as you never know who might visit you in the night) and I'd get an artificial silver and white tree then put a small length of coloured lights on it to remind me of my mum.

[mrs bouquet]

That is such a lovely 'photo Gg.   Blow it up and give it to the Squire about the beginning of December 2019 .
What we would do if we had the space, the inclination etc etc.   I like  the tree idea for your Mum.  Mine had a little tiny tinsel tree, about 8 inches, and I put it on the table yesterday.  Its twinkling away, and I like to think my Mum is as well.   She always was a star.
Send more pics please.     Mrs Bouquet

[Goosegirl]

Thanks MB. When we've had a "little" tidy up I'll take some pics of this year's arrangements. One thing I got earlier this year from a house clearance place that I absolutely love is a scene of snowy cottages on a hill with a little bridge and it's all lit up with tiny LED lights that keep changing colour. I know it sounds awful and the last sort of thing I'd buy, but now we have a great-niece and great-nephew they'll go over the moon when they see it. As Columbo would say "Just one more thing!" It also plays Christmas tunes but not the usual ones and they sound more German or Austrian. We'll won't half surprise them when we switch it to play the music!

[mrs bouquet]

Ah,   Mrs B

[RubyRed]

  I'm beginning to think i should have left it a bit later to put up the decks. On going to bed i have to go round the house turning off 14 different set of lights. That includes the ones on the front of the house. I wish the neighbours would think the same and consider others wen leaving theirs on. I don't sleep with curtains closed and 2 lots of very bright lights shine all through the night.  Even before Christmas the chap across the road hasn't even got his lights on motion sensor. There are on 24 hours a day.

[snowdrops]

  I'm beginning to think i should have left it a bit later to put up the decks. On going to bed i have to go round the house turning off 14 different set of lights. That includes the ones on the front of the house. I wish the neighbours would think the same and consider others wen leaving theirs on. I don't sleep with curtains closed and 2 lots of very bright lights shine all through the night.  Even before Christmas the chap across the road hasn't even got his lights on motion sensor. There are on 24 hours a day.

Ruby red, have you heard of the sockets that you can plug in & there’s a remote control that you can program for each one, then you press it to turn on & off, the bonus is you can press 1 button to turn them all on or off. You can get them that can do 6 plugs, there may be even more.

[Goosegirl]

... or get some simple cheap timers that have a wheel with "push and pull pins" to set the on / off times,  plug that into the mains socket, plug the lead extension into that, then plug the lights into it.

[Goosegirl]

For MB and any one else who likes decs.

[snowdrops]

Very nice GG