[New shoot]

Misery guts and Scrooge 

It is not Christmas without a few bah humbugs about the place.  Embrace your inner Grinches. We would miss you if you didn’t   

[Growster...]

Misery guts and Scrooge 

It is not Christmas without a few bah humbugs about the place.  Embrace your inner Grinches. We would miss you if you didn’t   

Surely you don't want an inflatable Marley's ghost, News?

;0)

[New shoot]

Surely you don't want an inflatable Marley's ghost, News?

;0)

OK I concede that just might be going a little too far 

It just amuses me to be Christmassy in the face of a bah humbug. I think they quite like being bah humbug in return as well 

It really wouldn’t be December on here without a few silly threads and a bit of banter    

[mrs bouquet]

Yesterday (to add to the chaos lighting) my neighbour has added a plastic tube thing with lights that go along inside it.  He has wound it going up a drain pipe.  /At the top it is too long so that is just left hanging down !!  Totally bizarre.      Mrs B

[Growster...]

Surely you don't want an inflatable Marley's ghost, News?

;0)

OK I concede that just might be going a little too far 

It just amuses me to be Christmassy in the face of a bah humbug. I think they quite like being bah humbug in return as well 

It really wouldn’t be December on here without a few silly threads and a bit of banter    

Nice one, News!

Mrs Growster saw a couple with three dogs here yesterday! One of them had a lead which lit up all the way down to its collar!

I rather like that idea!

[RubyRed]

Well here goes . .deep breath. This year I havent bought anybody any presents. So i won't be using money I havent got to buy things for people who don't want them. I havent put up any decs not even a tree. That way I won't have the bother of taking them down again. I never send cards anyway so that's another big tick. I will be having chrimbo dinner for myself, partner and 3 kids. I say kids but they are all late 20s. After dinner my son has organised an online family quiz. We are all contributing £20 and the winner takes it all. As a family its been a dodo year. Losing 2 really good friends , not covid, who were younger than us, losing both our old dogs and my son split with his partner. Sod 2020. We are now wanting to turn our minds to the winter solstice and welcome the new year. cheers

[jaydig]

Ruby, I think you're very brave, and probably having the sort of Christmas that many of us would prefer, but don't have the nerve to be the first in the family to do it. Even in a normal year many families live far apart and don't see as much of each other as they would like, so just getting together at Christmas, to have a lovely meal together and just enjoy each others' company would be perfect. Christmas is far too commercialised these days and creates so much stress and debt for so many, simply in order to do what everyone else does. Christmas should be for the little ones and family get togethers. It doesn't have to cost a fortune. I would, though, still send cards to people I won't be seeing, and if not a tree, then a few nice displays of holly and various evergreens would be nice, and don't cost anything.
Each to his own, though, and everyone's Christmas should be just how they want it to be - hopefully happy, in the company of people you love and stress free.

[GraciesGran]

RubyRed we're doing something similar.   I buy token presents for the grandkids, I send half a dozen cards.  We would normally get together as a family but have decided that it's not worth the risk, we have so far stayed healthy and want to stay that way.  We will have a mothers day/70th  50th and 2 40th birthday/Christmas celebrations summer.  t

My aim at the moment is to get those I love through this.

[snowdrops]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-jgRxzLlhY

Wow that’s amazing but I wouldn’t want it opposite my house lol

[mrs bouquet]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-jgRxzLlhY

Wow that’s amazing but I wouldn’t want it opposite my house

Me neither.    We have no street lights in our Village, and it is always the newcomers who make something of it.    Mrs B

[Christine]

I quite like December weather as it comes - I'd be happy if people would do something about November (end of gardening and outdoor activity) and January (drear). Maybe it comes from being of farming stock and having to go out to help feed and water on Christmas day before present opening that I'm not fussed about getting worked up over outdoor decorations. We didn't have them a mile and more from anywhere.

Wouldn't want the electricity bill for the lighting on that video. 

[rowlandwells]

those replies made interesting reading and it reminded me when we started making holly wreaths and decorative pots

going back in time we had a good tutor an old gentleman that had been in the horticulture trade from a boy and had learnt the traditional way of making holly wreaths from mossing up the frames to wiring the holly and although he was a hard taskmaster the wreaths had to be rite in every detail

so how did he test our work well he would through the wreath on the floor if it was made properly nothing would move and it would stay as good as it was made if it came apart then it was scrapped and start again you never made any mistakes the next again 

my wife  had a fruit and veg shop in those days and we couldn't make enough holly wreathes to keep up with demand we prided ourselves in making some of the best holly wreaths

as for the decorative pots again we used to supply a garden centre and another shop just unbelievable the demand  after we sold the shop we packed up making wreaths and decorative pots for selling on and  only make them for ourselves and friends we have been asked many times each Christmas if we going to start making wreaths and D'pots again to sell at the local village market but we had to decline

all i can say it was good to learn wreath making the traditional way and at the same time keeping  the spirit of Christmas alive with holly and this year our own wreaths have been made with yellow berries as well as red ones something different

and just to mention i used to grow Helichrysum [straw flowers] for Christmas decorations but they seem to have gone out of fashion  these days for some reason but reading this topic has prompted me to grow some Helichrysum next year