Sunday 17 November 2013

Five weeks and three days...

...before the turkey needs to go into the oven.   And I realise that any of our American friends have got to negotiate Thanksgiving before that.   But, judging by the shop windows in our little market town, Christmas is very close indeed.   Out have come the reindeer, the sleighs, the snowflakes, the fake snow and all the other paraphernalia of Christmas and away have gone all the things you might wish to buy.   Never mind, as I say every year, it will soon be over.

But one thing is different here on the farm.   Since last year the farmer has bought a new field.   It sits among our other fields and so completes the block of fields, which is very satisfying.   The centre of the field had been planted with young Christmas trees which had been sadly neglected, so much so that when the field first came into our hands the farmer was all for digging them up. 

But instead he cleared a lot of the long grass from around them and so gave them room to breathe.   Many are struggling, but some are flourishing and will be ready for Christmas this year. I am not at all tempted to have one - the thought of pine needles drives away any longing for the real thing - although there is nothing to beat that lovely smell of pine at Christmas.

Most of the holly berries have been stripped by the fieldfares; there are a few left and I hope they will still be there to bring in for Christmas but I am philosophical about it, certain that if the snow comes (and some is forecast for this week) then the birds' need is greater than ours.

One thing is for sure as far as Christmas is concerned.   Next Sunday - November 25th - is Stir-up Sunday, so next Saturday is the day I make my Christmas puddings (Delia's recipe as every year), so that any friends and relations who can be roped in to visit on Sunday can give the bowl a stir for luck.   Far better than putting sixpenny pieces in the pudding - a sure tooth-breaker if ever there was one.

Get writing those cards!


12 comments:

Gwil W said...

The Vienna city hall tree lights were switched on with great ceremony yesterday. I think they get switched off on 6th January. That's nearly 2 months of Christmas lights. It's crazy!

A Heron's View said...

We don't send cards at mid-winter, what we do is to give a donation to a people minding charity. You see we are pagans.

MorningAJ said...

I've been writing Yule cards today (I'm Pagan too. Doesn't stop me celebrating midwinter!) And we went to Birmingham yesterday because the Frankfurt market has started. I love getting into the spirit of the season. Mind you - the decorations will be down as soon as possible after Boxing Day.

Heather said...

Street decorations have been going up for a couple of weeks in our little town. I suppose I'll get myself in the mood in time but at the moment I feel a bit Bah Humbug! I do look forward to Boxing Day evening when all the family drop in. Your kitchen is going to smell delicious very soon.

JoAnn ( Scene Through My Eyes) said...

Decorations are slowly going up in our town - this weekend would be a time when many do up their outdoor decorations but it is windy, cold and sleeting, - so perhaps next weekend. We will start exchanging the everyday teapots and teacups with our set of holly dishes - just a little beginning - but a fun time. We'll slowly decorate until the day after Thanksgiving - and then the tree and the outdoor decorations and wreaths and candy canes - and fun.

We celebrate and decorate and enjoy - and then the day after christmas it all comes down and a big housecleaning takes place - so the house will be in perfect order and shiny clean for the new year. It's a most glorious time of the year.

mrsnesbitt said...

Yep - got to think about the cards.

Willow said...

Ha ha Just hearing about sixpence in pudding makes my teeth hurt :)

angryparsnip said...

I will take a tree !

I am so late starting my cards. About two months late with all the testing for the antiserum and eye surgery.
I will be starting my Christmas cards tomorrow then the printing.
I am playing catch up.

I love the idea of making the Christmas pudding.

cheers, parsnip

Edwina said...

Well my cards and the few gifts I send to my closest female friends were done a month ago. I stopped making a Christmas cake and puddings, both of which I hate, a couple of years ago and now instead by Himself a really nice expensive, smaller, one of each. We don't really 'do' Christmas in our house any more, fresh greenery from the garden, lots of extra twinkly lights around the house and garden, and this year, a handmade wreath for the inner front door - a rather unfestive one in many ways, courtesy of Lucy on her Attic 24 blog. We treat ourselves, and have a drive round the villages to look at all the decorated houses and so on, but that's it. Pull up the drawbridge time.

Em Parkinson said...

I haven't got any cards! Still searching for a printer. I'm pretty well done with presents though; spreading the cost. Good luck with the puddings Pat!

Crafty Green Poet said...

In recent years we've started having living Christmas trees, we keep them in a pot and after Christmas back they go to Crafty Green Boyfriend's Mum's garden.

I've just about finished making my Christmas cards.

The Weaver of Grass said...

I must say that I do begin to rather lean towards Edwina's pulling up the drawbridge time. And I do agree with Gwil that two months is a terrible long time to have those Christmas lights blazing out (and wasting electricity).