I'm very excited to have partaken in one of our favourite family traditions, the annual Christmas tree hunt and personal decoration selection.
My apologies for the horrendous camera focus! Summer chose a very cool looking glass mushroom š, AmĆ©lie chose a penguin š§ and Scott and I without realising it both chose an owl. š¦ š¦
This is a strange one, as for Scott and I, owls are a bit of a good omen and a sign of new things to come... kind of a nod in our direction to big decisions being made. It begun when we were having the big discussion of whether we should move to France. We decided we would and at that second, out of nowhere, an owl flew over our heads. Best decision we ever made and one we will never regret! And although we now live back in UK, our France adventures continue (with our resident barn owl joining us for the ride!)...
Ever since, whenever we have been making big decisions, an owl will somehow become involved in our discussion, either with a hoot, or a sighting. And then it is a done deal! It actually happened quite recently when discussing yet another big life changing decision. Never argue with an owl - they are wise creatures you know! š
Anywayyyyy....back to the tree choosing! As an interior designer, I really should recommend something like the Nordman Fir as the tree to go for, which is more expensive, but won't shed its needles and cause you endless mornings spent crawling around under the tree with a dustpan and brush... but, to us, it's all about that beautiful pine tree smell!...the absolute smell of Christmas! Nothing white like it! š²š
We are the crazy family who go around sniffing trees as part of the selection process. The stronger the smell, the better the tree! Unfortunately, that tends to come with needle shedding trees - the Norwegian Spruce being the biggest culprit and our personal favourite!!! If you want to know how to choose your tree like a pro, visit the following article, created by thisoldhouse.com, listing 10 different types of tree and their attributes and giving all the tips on how the experts pick theirs!... https://www.thisoldhouse.com/21018599/how-to-pick-the-perfect-christmas-tree If you, like us, like a strong smelling tree and tend to opt for the needle droppers, a few tips on keeping those needles from dropping for as long as possible are: 1. Trim the stump prior to putting your tree up
2. Keep away from heat
3. use LED fairy lights, which don't get hot like traditional incandescent lights do (they are also safer to use!)
4. Water your tree regularly
5. A spoon full of sugar!!! That's right! Trees soak up 2 things - water and sugar. So stirring in a spoonful of sugar to your water before feeding your tree will help give it a little boost! If you would like to opt for an unscented, non-needle dropping tree, or even an artificial tree, but long for that beautiful Christmas tree scent to fill your home this festive season, there are even ways to cheat!! There are various products out there to be found which imitate the smell, coming in the form of candles, pot pouri, room fragrance oils and wax melts, but if you really want it to seem as though the smell is coming from your beautiful tree - you can buy scented tree decorations, such as these 'ScentSicles' from John Lewis, which are 6 for just Ā£4.80:
Now for getting home and decorating! Yaaaaay! š”š”š”šššš¤© Merry Christmas everyone!
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