16th December: A Study of Decorations!

 1: This is one of a set of wax decorations which were handmade for us by our very dear friends in Germany.

2: Merry Christmas from Urquhart Castle! This was one which Ginny and I picked up when we did the NC500 in 2022.

3: We have lived in many places over the years, and having Lincoln as your Cathedral town is quite special. I always remember looking to see if I could spot the cathedral from the top of a hill near Brigg.

4: Clemency won this bauble in a raffle many years ago. It inspired her to have a go at making her own decorations like it.

5: There are many knitted ornaments on our trees. Most of them were made by one of Mum's schoolfriends who moved to Canada many years ago. She sadly died in 2022 so they are quite poignant now.

6: Mr Frosty! Whenever we used to play "I-Spy" with the tree ornaments, there would always be one, "Something beginning with 'p'" - which would be his pipe!

7: This one is a little book with a story about Santa losing his hat, only to find that a family of mice have made their home in it. It was bought for Clemency when she was a baby.

8: And speaking of babies... this one is from the youngest of the next generation! We shared Elowen's first Christmas with her so bought this one to celebrate.

9: We had the same privilege with her big sister three years earlier, and bought this gorgeous little pair of shoes to commemorate the experience. Inside is a rolled up piece of paper noting its significance!

10: A little robin peeking out from the branches. When Lydia was younger, she had a boyfriend who was terrified of these robins, so we always used to make sure they were positioned to stare at him! I always think of him when I see them.

11: A bauble from Blarney Castle. Its identical predecessor was brought back from Ireland by Holly and Andrew, but fell victim to the Great Tree Disaster of 2017. We sent off for a replacement, which is now on our tree.

12: This hat was once part of another decoration. Now, I put it up on the tree and call it The Grinch because it always looks like it's got a green face.

13: The reason for the season! Our new bauble on the big tree this year, courtesy of Mum.

14: Recognise this? There's no place like home!

15: Hosting a Christingle is such a wonderfully happy moment. These were left over from a Christingle service in 2018, and Mum wrote prayers and thoughtful quotes on them. There are quite a few of them, but they add a really deep meaning to the tree.

16: An unwritten law states that I must be the one to put the Mr Men baubles on the tree! They are always the first ones I make a beeline for, so are usually the first things to go up!