It is now more than one year since I bought my little real Christmas tree. Not much exciting there I hear you say, except I do not buy real Christmas trees as a general rule so this was a venture into something new for me.
I grew up thinking that Christmas trees were made of silver tinsel (I think I still do really) and they are certainly something that 'live' in a box in the attic. I have had my artificial tree (sadly not silver tinsel) for many years now and I do like that it is there ready when I need it and I can just put it away when I want to.
My little Christmas tree has been repotted and has spent a year outside. It has grown well, it has had a moment of flag-waving and I have been really pleased with it. As Christmas got closer I started to think about bringing her back indoors to be decorated and then I hit a problem.
Problem number one was I brought her indoors and could not find a good position to place her. I did not want to put her over a radiator as I want her to continue to thrive. I found a nice place for her and just as I started to move away I thought I saw a hair or thread or something. This was problem number two: I bent down to pick it off and it moved. At first I thought it moved in possibly a draft, or maybe as I breathed out. I looked again and as my fingers reached out towards it, suddenly I saw what it was. Yes, it was a sodding great spider (this is a technical description). I carefully picked the pot back up - held it at arm's length and quickly but smoothly carried her back outside and put her on the front door step as it was closer than the back door. Spider safely deposited back outside I shut the door quickly and happily.
and there the little tannenbaum stayed. The more I thought about it the more I did not want to bring her back indoors. Not because of the spider, that wandered off of its own accord as I hoped it would. The more I thought about it the more I just did not want to bring her back indoors when she should be outside and free. I sat on the front doorstep and had a chat with her about it. We discussed options and she talked about destiny and started singing Johnny Hates Jazz songs about shattered dreams and asked if she could be decorated anyway. This felt like a reasonable request especially if it made the singing stop. I found some small baubles and a fairy that usually go on what is now called 'the main tree'. The little tannenbaum approved.
Now that Christmas is over, I have placed her back into the back garden, just close to the Courtyard Garden. When originally placed in the Courtyard Garden she was in the shadier recesses of the Courtyard where she was unable to get enough light. I think she was too close to the other plants and at one point she was looking a bit patchy on the side that didn't face the light. Once placed just outside of the Courtyard she soon recovered. So here she will sit until next Christmas when she will resume front doorstep duty, suitably decorated. She has found her role and her place. Always a good thing.
Stay safe and be kind.