Stumbling across this hilarious video of British actor Jennifer Saunder’s character losing her sh** over the annual ritual of setting up the Christmas tree, I was reminded of how fraught this chore becomes in some families – such as mine.
You either have to do it yourself or watch other family members absolutely botch the decorating.
I wanted to do something different this year to avoid the above-mentioned seasonal fiasco. I also wanted to get out of being the only one to take the tree down (I’ve been known to leave it until February in the hope that someone else will), pack up the ornaments solo and haul the dead tree away – to who knows where! – because it was only me who could be bothered.
Naturally, I went online for inspiration and found that peeps often get very creative (or minimalist) with their Christmas centrepiece. It got me thinking that an abandoned lattice gate round the side of the house could be repurposed. So after a bit of a scrub to get rid of a few cobwebs, weeds, soil and other signs of having been outside for a long time, I brought the gate in and positioned it where the Christmas tree would normally be stationed.
I have, over the decades, accumulated too many ornaments, but this year I stuck to just the old tinsel and shiny baubles. After forming the outline of a tree and adding the decorations, I was pretty chuffed with my endeavour, which took less than an hour and will take just five minutes to dismantle … and no mess.
What do you think of my slap-up “tree”? Also have a look below at some other creative ideas at pinterest.com.au that may inspire you to go unconventional this season. And, for those who have pets intent on ruining the lounge room Christmas spirit, check out how some clever people keep their fur babies away from the fir branches, courtesy of boredpanda.com.
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