Monday 6 December 2021

The Swedish Chef, The Green Paperclip And The Kitchen Sink

On Saturday I got the Christmas Decorations down from the loft. I had a massive cull in 2019, and passed a lot of stuff to Ferndown Charity shops last autumn. I wasn't altogether sure what I'd kept. I knew the smaller tree we've had here at Cornerstones for some years had gone to UCF for the Tree Festival, and my Ferndown staircase garland had gone [this is a bungalow] and I also knew that I'd kept my main tree and the decorations - some of which date back to 1978. 

I also realised that the nest of coffee tables had gone- so where would I stand the larger tree here? Fortunately my Mum's octagonal table was just right - I spent a happy couple of hours decorating the tree, and putting out a few other pieces [many of which will go away before George arrives - toddlers and Willow Tree figures do not mix happily]

Every piece has a story, and there are so many memories - hanging Gill's London bus was a bit emotional, but other things made me giggle.

Under the tree are a few red santa hats, felt reindeer antlers, and a basket of small toys [McDonalds did Muppet characters in the Happy Meals and we collected quite a few]

Rosie has never seen this tree, she was fascinated and wanted to know the stories. 

I have a few nativity sets, including a wooden one, and a matryoshka [the largest doll represents the Magi, and the smallest is baby Jesus]

Rosie's been studying Christianity at school she says- and performed a wonderful retelling of the story for us.

Anyway, if you don't know the tale, there were two couples, both called Mary and Joseph, and the kind inn keeper in Bethlehem let them all stay in the stable. One baby went in the box for the animal food, the other went in the kitchen sink in the corner [a random piece of doll's house furniture] The fairy told the Kings where to look and they all went. They gave the baby two small wooden sticks and a green paperclip.

Lots of other visitors arrived to see the baby Jesuses, including Miss Piggy and a small wooden elephant. And they were very hungry so the Swedish Chef cooked them all some nice food, and they lived happily ever after. The End. Now we will listen to music from Grandma's Musical Bell.

The village is looking very pretty with lights down on the village green and another tree on the grass verge nearer Cornerstones - lots of the houses are lit up too.

Saturday evening, Bob and I enjoyed the Village Carols in the Parish Church, music by the Dereham Town Band. Refreshments were provided [free] by the local shop/PO and the butchers, tea, coffee, mince pies for adults,  squash and hotdogs for youngsters.

And at the back of the church, an intriguing item with a For Sale sign. It reminded me of an old joke about the curate's bicycle, which I cannot possibly share here.

There was a huge display of Toys&Tins at Foulsham yesterday - and the chapel had been decorated beautifully. I've had a slow start, but I am beginning to feel Christmassy at last.

What I have not worked out yet is how to display cards- in both Leicester and Ferndown, there were glass double doors between the dining room and lounge, and I blu-tacked cards on them. Cornerstones is too small for that - and I have no picture rails, or mantelpiece. But I reckon we will get far fewer cards this year anyway for all sorts of reasons.

I so love this time of year...





24 comments:

  1. When I first moved into my bungalow I used to blu-tack cards onto various things but a few years ago I decided to put most of them inti a basket. I read then again and again during the Christmas season, far more than ever I did when I struggled to display them. (The home made ones still get displayed though!)
    And the decoration which I won in your giveaway last year, the 2020 one themed for coronavirus has inspired me t have a go at making a 2021 decoration myself. It may get on my blog when finished.

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    1. We are tending towards the "basket" idea. I recently encouraged my aunt to put all her sympathy cards in a basket, and then she can read them again easily. I'd forgotten last year's giveaway. Yes, do make a 2021 ornament!

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  2. It all sounds v lovely and festive. I do wish we had a tree! CBC is not so keen on getting a fake tree but is conscious about a real tree meaning trees getting cut up. Not sure what will happen! Our house is difficult for displaying things- no picture rail or mantlepiece or easy shaped walls for putting up hooks. Our main living room doesn't have any windowsills either.

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    1. Our previous fake tree lasted more than 20years, this one is at its 7th Christmas. It is covered very thickly with ornaments. It is cheaper financislly than a real tree, and I think in terms of "carbon footprint" probably works out better than the growing and transporting of 7 real trees. But it is a dilemma... I was disappointed to discover that a local Tree Festival has 50 trees, imported from Denmark - why did they not use "home grown trees"?

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  3. Oh, I love Rosie's Christmas story! Anything with Miss Piggy, the Swedish Chef, and elephants would be my kind of story! :D

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  4. I love the story, perfectly understandable, especially the gifts. How thoughtful.
    I use Lakelands amazing 'Gripping stuff', a double sided sticky tape, which I put on the sitting room door. You can reuse it.

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    1. That's interesting, I may check that out in their Norwich store. Thanks!

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  5. Oh dear, hope the baby in the animal feed box survived!My house is impossibly small so a tiny tree is the answer. One year, I bought one of those 'floating' trees that are flat on the back and you can hang on a wall. My eldest made me get rid of it because he said it was so spooky just hanging there in mid air! I put it on the local Freecycle page in the January and someone came to collect it!

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    1. I like the flat 'floating tree' idea but would have to hang it low so its trunk touched the ground. But I am not sure I have enough wall space anywhere to accommodate that. I do NOT like those perverse Upside-down trees that look like fir ice-cream cones!

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  6. Oh I LOVE that alternative Nativity story :-)

    Christmas decorations collected over the years bring back such special memories don't they. I had one that broke a few years ago and I sobbed like a baby to think it would no longer be with me, as the person who gave it to me wasn't anymore. I still think of it every year when everything else comes out.

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    1. I get what you mean. When I went to Scotland some years ago, I bought two pairs of Rennie-Mackintosh style earrings, one for myself and one for my cousin. Mine were taken in the 2015 burglary, and I was sad. I was so touched last week, when Gillian's son insisted I had Gill's matching pair as a replacement. But when I break things [a special mug cracked recently] I just have to say "Its only stuff, I still have the memories"

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    2. I think its' lovely that you have the matching earrings, and so sweet of Julian to insist that you take them. He is a good guy for sure! I know you will remember Gill with joy every time you wear them!

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    3. Julian is a very thoughtful guy - he sent Gill's Dr Who earrings to Kezzie- and is trying very hard to ensure his Mum's things are blessing others, not just sitting in a cupboard

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  7. Reading Rosie's Nativity story was a real treat and certainly made me smile. We still have the nativity figures that I bought for our first Christmas when we were almost ready to leave Italy, our first adventure. We have Mary and Joseph, baby Jesus in the crib and a cow and a sheep. Later in Canada I created a stable which lasted for decades. Then in Vienna I had brought just the figurines for the windowsill, and I found 3 Kings in the same style from Italy at a Christmas market. When I got them home, they were slightly the wrong size and of inferior quality. So I went back to the market and begged to return them. No deal, but I could buy something else. So we now have a handcrafted wooden stable. It has a window at the back and I have been putting a small pillar candle behind it and another inside hidden away. But they have to be taken out to be switched on. I'm still looking for small flameless candles with a remote!

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    1. How lovely to have Nativity stuff from all around the world

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  8. My grandchildren were old enough to put the tree up and decorate it all by themselves this year. It has waaay too many things on it and definitely looks a bit wonky! They had so much fun. It's the best tree ever!!

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    1. I love the enthusiasm of the children. Overloaded and wonky is good!

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  9. Card display idea: remove the top and bottom of an empty coffee can or similar sized can. Wind some yarn going vertically all around the can. You can insert the cards through the yarn so that they fan outwards from the can, as long as the cards are not taller than the can. Display the can on a table, etc.

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  10. I hope that you will be inundated with Christmas cards, positively overflowing with them! I hope that Santa sacks of love and words and poems and pictures will plump heartily at your door and beam with joviality. Please email me your 'new' address so that mine can join the happy throng xx ps LOVE the Jesus treasure hunt.

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    1. Thanks Mags! I will email you. BTW what's happened to the Jolly Postman?

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  11. We usually get our coffee in the UK in jars or packets, but I googled this idea. It is colourful, clever and compact!

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  12. We go very minimal for Christmas - but my parent's nativity set purchased in Jerusalem in 1963 sits on my mantel all year round - it is in olive wood. Merry Christmas

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    1. Oh that is a lovely thing to have inherited

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