Ho, ho, ho-w’s your tree looking? I grew up in a household built on comforting regularity. We would, unfailingly, buy our Christmas tree on the weekend before Christmas and begrudgingly pack everything back in the box for the attic just before Twelfth Night. This was the 90s, so the carpet would be smothered in pine needles by New Year’s Day, but nevertheless, we persisted.
It’s clearly something that’s stayed with me because when I saw people merrily carrying home Christmas trees during the last weekend in November, I couldn’t shake the sense that it was somewhat early. But this seems to be the way of things now: a full month of decorative spruce before throwing it to the curb come 27 December.
I have forged my own traditions as an adult, namely a year-on, year-off approach to Christmas decorations. This will inevitably dissolve as the baby grows up but it works for now: last year we had an 8ft wonder in the window, strung with ribbon and glass, while the mantel and bookshelves wore shiny fringing and paper chains in matching hues. This year, I’m frankly too exhausted.
But it’s not too late! Christmas Day may be but three days away, but if you’re not frantically marinating a large bird now’s the time to fill your home with greenery. Forget the plastic stuff (it never looks convincing and is one big carbon footprint taking space in your cupboard) and embrace the natural decorations waiting outside your door.
If you have a garden this will be easier. The traditional stuff can be found in most British domestic gardens and you’d be amazed at how much less space it takes up once it’s inside your house. A few sprigs of yew, box or fir can work wonders as a tough and tufty structure that can run along a table or across a shelf, ready for some fairy lights. But look to the skeletons of dying-back perennials, too: wafty grasses, the delicate flowerheads of hydrangeas and honesty and, if you’re lucky, the festive red swell of rosehips can all be used with aplomb.
Before I had a garden, I’d make a wreath with off-cuts I’d taken from the nearby woods. Forage responsibly, if you’re going to do it: make sure you have permission, only take what you need (which is less than you think – one carrier bagful is enough) and only take from plants and areas where there is an abundance, as berries, leaves and flowers all provide sustenance for small creatures. Holly, ivy and mistletoe are plentiful if you keep your eyes open. Moss is very helpful for adding bulk to a wreath, extra greenery and covering things up.
Once you’ve got your haul inside, a lot can be done with little vessels: small bottles and vases can be tucked inside a sausage of chicken wire to make an impressive mantlescape, or just dotted along a table with a few springs in among the candles. Who needs a tree?
