We take our Christmas traditions very seriously here in Chez Tracey – one of which is the official tree-putting-up ceremony. This usually takes place on the first weekend in December, but these days is done according to Sarah’s social engagements – so went up last weekend.
We open a bottle of something bubbly and put out a few canapes as a late lunch and then get stuck into the serious business of tree construction and decorating.
It’s a fake tree, and it’s full of decorations we’ve acquired over the thirty-five Christmases we’ve spent together, all of which remind us of people and places.
The Christmas I was pregnant with Sarah, we bought a gorgeous glass ball from DJs in the city. The following year, she chose her first ornament – pointing to a gold bear from her pram. Over the years, she’s chosen the cupcake Santa, the Surfing Santa, the parachuting Santa and various bells and baubles. Sadly, the Ted Baker very glam ball we bought in Melbourne in 2014 broke last year.
There are ornaments that remind us of people and places. The pandas I brought home from Hong Kong when I was there doing a relocation for work (2008), the pottery bird from the handmade markets in Perth when I was there doing another relocation for work (2009), and the pohutukawa my friend brought over from NZ. Whenever I hang that – and another I’ve bought since – I think of her and my “adopted” country.
In 2015 we brought two ornaments back from London: a suitcase with a map that was a reminder of the major project Sarah had done for the HSC that year and a cocker spaniel that we splashed out on in Liberty. It’s a posh cocker spaniel and looks nothing like Kali, Adventure Spaniel, but a spaniel it is.
There’s the rolling pin and gingerbread recipe from the Christmas shop in Brugge (2018), the sea creatures to signify our move to Queensland in 2017, the National Trust bauble from Lacock (2019) and the silver reindeer that reminded us of the one in Covent Garden (2020).
In 2021 there was a squirrel in the hope that borders would be open and we’d get to the UK during the following year. We did and bought this gorgeous glass ornament in 2022 to remind us of the forests we saw in Norway while on our cruise that year, and this angel from the Bronte Parsonage in Haworth.
Last year, Sarah was off to the UK and Europe for Christmas, so Big Ben was the ornament of choice. This year, our first Christmas without Kali, I bought this ornament to remember her.
Sarah bought these initials from Fortnum & Mason (my favourite shop in the world) with her. I’ve wanted one of these since I saw one hanging on Nigella’s tree in one of her seasonal specials. Sares also scored a couple from the Christmas markets in Germany.
Finally, the box of Frida Kahlos my friend Heather gave me for Christmas last year adds even more colour to an already colourful tree.
Just as we deliberate over the choice of ornament each year, so too the food is a subject of some conjecture. Often we replicate Christmas morning and serve pinwheels and tattie scones with smoked salmon, this year though, Grant didn’t have time to make the tattie scones so we changed the whole thing up a bit with home-made sausage rolls, scones, and little finger sandwiches. Same same but different. I forgot to take a pic of the sausage rolls until after they’d almost all been demolished.
What about you? Does everyone pitch in to decorate your tree? What about themes – is there one, or is it a hodge podge like ours?
And Anyways... 
Some great looking decorations there (and love a little touch of NZ too). Ours is also a collection of memories, going way back. We won’t put ours up until about the 20th. In fact, as a child the tree wasn’t finished until Christmas Eve, so when I got up in the morning it was all complete…like magic. Of course, we always had real trees in Europe, hence a much later ‘putting up’ day!
And it would smell like a real tree too!
It did! Smell memories coming back…
Hi, Jo – Your tree looks gorgeous. I love each of your decorations and the history behind them. I am planning (operative word) to pull out our decorations and begin decorating soon(ish). Stay tuned for updates on that!
Hi Jo, our ‘family tree’ holds treasured ornaments collected over time. I usually set it up alone, with a glass of wine and music playing, weeks before the big day. I hold out a few pieces for each of us to hang our favorites on Christmas Eve. Today, I am setting up the dining room tree. It is ‘themed’ Peace, Love, Joy and holds gold ornaments I purchased or were given to me throughout the years – hearts and angels, with a little bling throughout. A girly tree, just for me.
Your tree is beautiful and full of heart – the perfect representation of Christmas.
Mine is a hodge podge of memories like yours. I love your tree and the cute ornaments. My tree has been up for over a week and it makes me happy every time I look at it. I am the tree decorator in our family, always have been. Hubby does the outside lights. Your snacks look very good.
I love trees like yours where every ornament tells a story or holds a memory! I’ll take that over a designer, colour-coordinated, themed tree any day. Wonderfully decorated tree, Jo!
Deb
I am beyond impressed you know the YEAR each ornament was purchased! Our tree is also a hodgepodge and yes, each ornament brings with it memories.
This year, no tree is going up – for two reasons. The first is hubby’s knee surgery will not allow him to get the boxes from the attic. And no, I’m not physically capable to do it. I knew when we booked the knee surgery, this was going to be the case. We’ve had other years when we were living in 2 places where we didn’t do the tree thing. It always made the holiday’s a bit dimmer. I was (kinda) ready for that. But now, there’s the displacement. So that’s added in another element of oddness for this year that I’m trying to work my way through.
[Oh, yes, the ornaments survived the flood… they are high up in the attic space. It’s kinda odd that the things we use rarely are the things we still have. Most of the daily-weekly use things are gone. ]
Our real tree usually goes up around the first of the month with fingers crossed it is fresh enough to last until Jan 2nd. Definitely a hodge podge of ornaments. Unlike you I don’t recall the years just the locations or who made them. Man those sausage rolls look good – they are something we only have in England.