Christmas tree conflict!

As do you!

@JaneR and Phoenix I have done far worse than ground up wort in muesli. Hot chocolate laced with rum or whisky disguises most things and seems very caring to onlookers. Is there an evil grin emoticon with a Christmas hat on?

Great idea, that branch thing. Since we have two fallen trees in the garden right now, I shall don my waterproofs and go search for a suitable branch.

I've been wanting to make a wreathe this year. Supposedly I need to find something called 'dogwood' that is to be found everywhere as a base.

bags with the right branch it does look lovely. As mentioned, I use a silver bucket, and I mean the ordinary shiny ones in hardware shops! Cheap and effective.

Newsflash!!!! He is currently putting on the second set of lights!

We decided just to use the top 2 sections, which come to about 5ft. (I had forgotten the tree is actually around 7ft! So doing it this way means we don't have to move the Pembroke table, which now lives in the sitting room after being moved from the hall to accommodate a rather handsome chest of many drawers that Mr P bought earlier in the year. but also a bit

I may have to exercise restraint though, as being smaller, it could end up as the most over decorated tree in the village.

We've already had a minor incident with the star, but with the aid of a chopstick and some plastic bag ties it's sorted!

Sounds as though you are getting a result there, Phoenix. Well done.

My artificial tree has has to get a bit of a splint too. It is in two sections,which fit together quite well, but the top bit of the top section (where I would put the fairy if I had a fairy) is sort of grafted onto the main trunk, and the grafting has failed with age. It has gone from needing a plastic bag wire tie just to steady it when it first got wobbly to having a green plastic cocktail stirrer bracing it to now getting fuse wire twisted firmly round it and concealed by strategically placed tinsel.

Trouble is, with the extra bit fixed in place it is too tall for its plastic carry-bag, so it has to be de-splinted for storage and have A & E treatment each year.

Tegan Dogwood is stems that go a lovely colour at this time of the ., usually red . I have one growing in my garden , it is beautiful ,
I think you be able to buy them from florists !

This is how you can cheat Tegan
Cheap as chips

Oh heck; I've just found a very small, sweet Gisela Graham wreathe that I must have bought since last Christmas [it's reduced]. Can't remember buying it [slippery slope territory]. Wonder what else I'm going to find in the 'Christmas cupboard'?

Well done Phoenix !! Here's to more power to your elbow !

I have done the twiggy painted branch thing and thought it looked good but this year DD and 2 DGS are coming and I was told I needed a tree. I bought a cheap plastic one from Tesco and after spending some time putting it together I think it will pass muster by the 4yr old.

A very happy Christmas - however and wherever you are - to one and all

Thank you, tiggy! I keep wondering about the tree, but while ever DGC are around, I have to keep doing it. We now live near DD (48) with whom I bought the very tacky fairy when she (DD) was three, and she still comments on it..

Good for you, Phoenix!

Hello all, a pretty happy Phoenix here!

I have just caught Mr P, glass of Lidl cider in hand, going back into the sitting room to have another look at the tree! (Our usual tradition is a glass of sherry whilst putting up the tree, and a glass of port whilst taking it down, but different times call for different measures)

In my eyes, it looks gorgeous, but no doubt there may be some that think it looks like a fairies wedding cake! Don't care! We have a tree and Mr P admits that he's glad we bothered! (At one point he did say he thought there were too many lights, as we used the same amount even though the tree is smaller. I pointed out to him that it is impossible to have too many lights!)

We have a very good fake ficus benjamina in the sitting room which always has to go into the hall at Christmas, last year I used a spare set of lights on it. Did it again whilst himself was doing the lights on the tree. He came out and said "Oh good, glad you've done that again, it looked lovely last year"

So pleased!

Good to hear, Phoenix. Will you be taking the next chance to sneak in a hint that it is worth doing something that makes you feel happier about life? Tactfully, of course - as we always do.

Ohh depending on exactly what you mean, could be on dodgy ground there!

PS. What exactly do you mean?

I mean saying "I am so glad we put the tree up after all. It makes me feel so much more cheerful about everything!" or something similar. Not bashing him over the head with it, but showing that it was a good idea.

Er...um...excuse me for changing the subject...but Phoenix would you mind explaining a three bird roast to a uninformed American?

Envious , it's basically a boneless thing that you just slam in the oven because Lidl (the store where I bought it from) have done it all for you, chicken, duck and turkey, boned out and rolled along with some stuffing.

(I did try to find a good example and post a link, but I couldn't find a suitable image/description)

Elegran for a moment there I thought you meant what Mr P refers to as "beastliness" after a Harry Enfield/Mr Chalmondley-Warner sketch!

Phoenix that is brilliant - I hope your Christmas continues it's positive note.

Perhaps you could also explain to Enviousamerican about a 5 bird roast too ! And here we were thinking that everything was bigger in America

Would I recommend beastliness, Phoenix?

We breed some pretty big turkeys over here.Some people were even called turkeys years ago.It was popular to call a person that was acting foolish a turkey

Tegan I have been known to snaffle dogwood branches from parks and car parks in my locality. There is no shinning up trees involved as Dogwood is more of a large bush than a tree. A pair of sharp secateurs are all you need.

I don't know, Elegran would you?

tiggy now you are just confusing things! Envious I think that basically you can stuff as many boned birds inside each other as you see fit, except for swans, as they belong to the Queen.

I suppose that in theory, you could start with a wren or goldcrest, then sparrow, then blackbird, then seagull, pigeon, quail, partridge, pheasant, eagle (no, probably protected) duck, chicken, goose, turkey....

Oh hang on, the pigeon might be smaller that the seagull, and are we straying into an area of conflict of tastes, I mean the seagull may have been mainly eating saltwater fish, which might affect the flavour. On the other hand, if it was a gull that lived mainly slightly in-land, at least for feeding purposes, it's diet could consist of pasties, chips, ice cream and small children..............

Sounding better phoenix - all down to a glass of Lidl Cider?

Or is it Brandy phoenix ??

So pleased for you, phoenix - and going back to your OP, it isn't trivial at all.

stansgran