This somewhat decrepit looking Santa is the oldest of our Christmas ornaments, dating back
to my childhood. In those pre-commercialised days my father simply cut some branches from the
big evergreen growing in the back garden and we then decorated it. I loved the ornaments although
this is the only survivor as the beautiful glass baubles shattered so easily.
As fashions changed we eventually invested in an artificial tree, which photos show to be a scrawny affair.
I love the scent and romance of a 'real' tree, so for several years we bought one from the local forest. But
the love affair began to wear thin when I got fed up with finding pine needles around the house at the
height of summer. So a few years ago, we invested in a good quality artificial tree. It looks almost as
good as the real thing and is a lot less hassle.
I've had a long day at work as I had to cover the Council annual estimates meeting which was still going
strong when myself and a colleague from the local radio station walked out three hours after it started, so I'll
catch up with commenting tomorrow.