Judy P's Tickle Trunk

…..or My Tree Doesn’t Have a Good Side

Last year I had two trees. Granted, one was a pineapple and the other a basil plant, but they were pretty enough and there was no mistaking that they were Christmas trees.

I was astounded to find that you can buy a real fir tree here in Florida for the same price as you would pay in Nova Scotia (exchange rate considered) but, considering I wanted to continue in the Thrift Store Christmas theme I found a more than gently used one, a whole foot and a half high (easy to store for next year). I brought it home, removed the ribbon decor, fluffed it up and should probably have left well enough alone. The little bits of ribbon add enough of a festive air don’t you think?

But no, I had to have lights. I tried all clear lights at first. They were pretty but there were only 20 on the string and looked a bit sparse so I went with the coloured ones I used on the pineapple last year. Turns out it is not my year for lights. As you can see above, all four colours are brilliant and well represented. Once strung this year they all worked well for the first three seconds:

If you look closely you can see the blues and greens and reds and yellows. But every time I turn them on now the blue only works for two seconds and the green pales at four. I jiggled wires, shuffled batteries and accepted what is meant to be – a motley tree.

Where’s da lights on da East side??

Almost all of the decorations are all from the Thrift store. I love the little birds which have dangly legs that ring like bells if you shake the tree. Please don’t shake the tree!!!

The tableau at the foot of the tree is not from the Thrift Store. These little books have been my fave for years. The flamingo ties in the tropical theme. The bunny is made from Nova Scotia beach glass (not by me).

But what is awesome is my little Christmas miracle. After we left Florida last year I pitched the basil tree in the compost bin, pot and all. Wonder of all wonders, it lives!!

Guess there wasn’t a lot of frost here between April and December. Had a little 2014 tree in my breakfast frittata and it was just as tasty as ever. Maybe even better for having suffered.

And if that story also rocked your ever-lasting Christmas socks then you might also enjoy one of my favourite Christmas tales from when I was just a small trout: The Little Fir Tree by Hans Christian Andersen.

Stay tuned for The Evolution of the Christmas Garment.

© Judy Parsons 2015.

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