Is it too early to start talking about Christmas decorations yet? Only that’s what I was thinking about this weekend to distract myself from the double-noro situation I had.
Genuinely, on Saturday morning at 3am as I held out a bowl for Kitty to be sick into while simultaneously vomiting into the sink myself, trying to keep everyone quiet so’s not to wake up Little Sam who was slumbering upstairs, (he was down with noro for all of Wednesday night), I had a half-formed thought, which I recognise now as: “I am going to spend so much fucking money on Christmas decorations as a reward for this.”
And John Lewis has terrific Christmas decoration game this year. I went round the Oxford Circus branch with Kitty a few weeks ago and was stunned by how good it was.
I particularly like their really mad and colourful range they’ve called, dubiously, Shangri-La (above). We are entering a new world this year of being able to buy and hang breakable ornaments on the tree as we have no toddlers and don’t plan to get a puppy. My husband also used to have a few very colourful ornaments, all of which have broken over the years – and which I used to turn my nose up at, but I now think are rather marvellous.
I’m not including a link to any of these because they are all, rather depressingly, sold out online. But they’re available instore and although I love online shopping, something about buying actual Christmas decorations online feels wrong.
I have also always wanted a mini Christmas tree to put somewhere, and M&S has this one for £15.
John Lewis, £12
Last year Becky Bacon got me a make your own gingerbread house kit and it was so much fun that this year I am buying one for myself.
Not the last that you’ll hear from me on the subject and rather a mad selection of random things … I think this weekend may have sent me a bit mad.
No, absolutely not too early, and ugh ghastly, you poor things etc etc xxx I did laugh at the idea of you doing a vomit/decoration trade off in your head over the bowl.
Yes to buying decorations in person, I take the kids to this place where big dogs pull the trees to your car on sleds to buy a new decoration every year (we don’t even do that bit, we’re on artificial still, it’s just in the name of atmosphere although I always wonder if the dogs are enjoying themselves…) and my husband came home from work the other night and told me I should try and find half an hour to hang around in JL to look at Christmas stuff.
No abs not too early. I love this subject!! It’s up there with front porches! John Lewis (aka The Mothership) always have a fab range. Last year I bought one of their ” tree ” Christmas trees for the dining room. On a theme of birds, pine cones and metal snowflakes. (The proper tree has no theme so I indulge myself here )Sainsburys have some lovely clip on Robins and from The Range I bought some glass birds at £1.25 each!
Yes! The John Lewis decs are dreamy this year. I put loads of the ‘Helsinki’ range baubles in my online basket, then talked myself out of it. Half an hour later I thought “fuck it, I deserve these”. My tree is going to be SO pretty.
Em that’s the kind of talk we like round here
Hmmn. I have a ridiculous collection of highly breakable ornaments that have miraculously survived the attentions of our cat (who likes to do flying squirrel impressions on the tree for the entirety of December) but the zoo has expanded and we now have a seven-month-old border terrier and I don’t think the Gisela Graham back catalogue will get through the festivities unscathed. Considering buying this deviation from tradition as a stop gap: http://www.christmastreesandlights.co.uk/7ft-dual-size-globe-tree-with-500-warm-white-leds.html Actually, perhaps the real reason is I can’t be arsed going up to the loft to sift through junk and humf the tree down…