The house was a hive of activity today. Mirinda had the day off work so she was busy in the greenhouse and taking the girls around Thursley while I had some pre-Christmas prep to do. The main thing, however, was the arrival, then dressing, of this year’s tree.
And, as well as being perfectly proportioned, it smells wonderful. We once more had it delivered by Send me a Christmas Tree who send me a reminder every year and always deliver excellent foliage. Even if you have to change the date, nothing seems to be a problem.
I’d originally organised for it to arrive on Monday, but then we were offered appointments for our second jabs so I had to bring the delivery forward. No problem, they said and, as promised, it arrived today.
Just before it arrived (literally, minutes) I had started making the obligatory cranberry sauce. In fact, I’d emptied the cranberries into the blender and hit the go button and there was a knock at the door.
I finished the sauce after the tree was safely stood in the holder I prepared yesterday.
I should say, right here that all my traditional UK Christmas fare comes courtesy of Delia Smith. I have been using her Christmas timetable and recipes for years and, apart from a few Chez Gaz embellishments, happily rely on her expertise.
That also goes for the fruit mince I made a couple of days ago and which I used while Mirinda dressed the tree.
They didn’t last very long. I’ll be making more.
It was lovely having both of us working away in the extension, her with her ornaments and me with pastry. At one point, she asked me if I minded it being just us at home this Christmas. I told her it was perfect but, to be fair, it normally was just us. She meant at home and not in some European country enjoying the markets and strange traditional meals.
That made me think and I concluded that, apart from Florence, I’d rather be home than anywhere else at Christmas. I really loved our two Christmas visits to Florence.
By the time I was ready to make dinner, the tree was decorated beautifully, laden with all of our various decorations collected on our travels over the years. It was very full.
I had to cheat with the above photograph. By the time the tree was finished, it was too dark to take a decent shot. I waited until tomorrow morning to take this photo instead.
