A Delightful December

2014 marks the first December I’ve been able to spend in my own home, and I’ve really enjoyed it. T and I splashed out and bought our first real Christmas tree from Berkshire Christmas Trees, which cost us £50 including delivery and the metal stand. As we can’t drive, this was the most affordable option for us. The service was excellent; I rung up on the Friday and Sue was able to deliver on Sunday. She kept in touch via text, which was a really nice touch. We weren’t able to pick out our tree, which was a shame - our specimen was a bit bottom heavy – but the foliage was lush and dense. Overall, it was a really convenient, hassle-free experience.
It arrived on the 1st December (yes, I know, we were VERY early) and it’s still looking good today. I’ve not been particularly religious about watering the poor thing and it’s definitely gone thirsty a few times, so I’m really impressed with its hardiness.

I’ve never had a real tree and the needles were a bit of a shock – I’ve never hovered so much in my life! On the flip side, I was able to cut off some of the lower branches to make natural garlands for my door frames and walls. We’re lacking a mantel piece so we made do with a home-made wreath over the fireplace!
I was reluctant to spend a fortune on decorations this year. It’s been an expensive annum and I didn’t have the funds to splash out on expensive bits and bobs, so I decided to make as much of my decorations as I could. I bought some cheap twine and ribbon, and painted some keys and some pine cones white. The fox and robin were a gift from T’s parents; they’re both from John Lewis.
A Christmas dinner has become a bit of a ‘Friend-mas’ tradition, so I dutifully cooked a full roast with ALL the trimmings on Sunday 21st and had some of the gang over. I decided to cook a gammon and a rump of pork, as I find they’re the best value options when you’re trying to feed four hungry boys!

I always buy a Sainsbury’s Basics, unsmoked joint – as long as you put effort into your seasoning (cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, gloves, celery, onion and carrot) it tastes like the premium range.

Cooking Christmas dinner took me about three hours in total, but it was well worth it to see everyone’s smiling faces when it was served up. I also enjoyed the aftermath, when we were all groaning and cursing our own greed.

I'm off to Winchester tonight to celebrate Christmas with my family. Best wishes to you all!