Deck the halls with boughs of holly

Last weekend Ben and I finally got the Christmas tree up and decorated.  When we moved house in the summer we put all the Christmas stuff at the back of the garage, as we knew we wouldn't need it for a few months.  So to get to it, we had to empty out the front of the garage in order to get to it all.   A bit of an effort, but we got everything eventually (although I still have no idea where my box full of Christmas biscuit cutters is).

Our Christmas tree is not a real one, partly because we simply don't have the space for a real one, and also because I've got a thing about real flowers, plants and trees being indoors - I'm just not a fan.  I've never really liked flowers (inside, I love them outside) and even though we had real trees when I was younger, and they were very pretty, they did hurt when you stood on the needles.

Having looked at these photos, the tree does look a bit threadbare and we've only had it for three Christmases!  The first year it was only up for a few days before we discovered a mould problem in the flat, and had to move all the furniture away from the walls, which meant there was no space for the tree (we were so sad!) and last year we realised the bottom third had been damaged and would no longer attach to the middle section, so the current tree is not as big as it should be.

I'm not a fan on tinsel (the bits get everywhere!) so our approach to decoration is baubles, hanging decorations, and more baubles, alongside some flashing multi-coloured lights.  There is no theme, just get as much on the tree as you can.

Our decorations were neatly stored, a box of baubles, a box of hanging things, and then a box of special hanging things.

Along with many people we know, our plan is to each buy a new decoration each year, building up a collection of decorations which are special to us.  Owls may feature quite heavily in this.

Last year Ben and I went to John Lewis to buy a posh decoration each.  There was the standard sort of collection, snowmen, trees, birds, stars, whales.  Whales.  Where do whales feature in Christmas?!  Naturally, I had to have the whale.  It hasn't lasted too well, you can't really see the plastic bits sticking out its back pretending to be water, and the felt tail is barely attached, but I love it.

These were a present from my mum for our first Christmas together.

A trip to Italy was our first holiday together, and we bought this ridiculously heavy decoration in Pisa.  In May.

Ben failed to resist the temptation of this pudding bauble.  This is why he shouldn't go to Tesco unaccompanied. 

My lovely friend Snowy Owl made the owl decoration for me, I have no idea if it's meant to be a Christmas decoration or not, but it goes on the tree each year anyway.  I have a matching one sewn on my camp blanket.  The blue and white decoration is from a trip to Amsterdam, I think I bought it for Ben as a present.

This is Ben's special decoration for 2014, again from a trip to John Lewis.  Although I was very uninspired by their selection this year.  I think I was hoping for another oceanic decoration. 

I couldn't find any, though, so I went with this wooden Christmas tree.  I'm going to write 2014 on the bottom so I can remember when we bought it.

Pretty tree with pretty lights!

A few years ago I discovered this amazing cheese, and every year when the Christmas food comes out I search high and low for it.  Some years I find it, some years I don't.  This year, Ben found some in our local store.  Excellent! Delicious on a toasted bagel.  I'm not a fan of Christmas food in general (I don't like roast dinners, Christmas pudding, Christmas cake, or mince pies) so I enjoy eating something Christmassy which I do actually look forward to each year!

It's getting dark here now, so I think it's time for a cup of tea, and perhaps some of this cheese on toast.  Definitely feeling festive now!