The very symbol of Festive celebrations has to be the Christmas tree filling the house with the gorgeous deep pine scent of the forest, nostagically glowing against the old slate flag stones of our hall.
Each year I take the selection of the Christmas tree very seriously indeed. I search the small adds in the local press and even peering over hedges to the local Christmas tree plantations.
This years selection was no exception and it created quite a stir with the cat and horse family as the prickly green monster arrived to disturb their winter hibernated!
The traditional Christmas Tree at Ednovean farm
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
How steadfast are your branches!
Your boughs are green in summer’s clime
And through the snows of wintertime.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
How steadfast are your branches!
O Tannenbaum or Oh Christmas Tree
Based on a German Folk song
dating from 1815
When Buying the Christmas tree go prepared!
This year I forgot my own advice to take gloves of course and as the rain trickled down I found the one at the very front really quite attractive after all and gingerly picked it up, for a quick twirl, to check for symmetry and branch density, before heading in to the payment desk where a kind lady even gave me an unexpected voucher for a cup of coffee as well! So thank you Trevena Cross Nursery at Breage for a wonderful Christmas tree this year!
Choosing the perfect Christmas Tree
As you can see Christmas tree selection has several salient points……….
- It has to be 6’ tall
- Of traditional variety not one of those chic no drop velvety green beauties
- Have full beautifully spaced branches
- and touch the hall beams.
As far as my husband Charles is concerned should
- Come no further than the slate flagstones of the hall, so that the needles can be swept up each day and
- Exit promptly on the twelfth night
- Oh – and for happy marriages it is probably better if I shop alone!
When the tree is finally selected, paid for and pushed and levered it into the back of the land rover, it was ready for me to drive home surrounded by the very aura of Christmas.
The Ednovean Farm animals are not too sure about the prickly monster!
We left the Christmas Tree in the stables overnight in a gently spreading puddle, much to the consternation of the horses. As each eyed the prickly green monster with serious suspicion and voiced dismay with a series of loud snorts.
I think they were rather glad when the tree was taken indoors the next morning! Not that peace reigned it the house either. As the ridiculously large collection of cardboard boxes full of Christmas decorations came down from the loft, Louis cat, a veteran Burmese that was re homed to us, decided the “End was nigh.” He prowled the house wailing disconsolately. “Yeowwww they are moving and leaving me!!” “Yeowww-wow I love my home here” – I began to think I would have to decorate by stealth as I tripped over cardboard boxes with the unhappy feline in attendance!
Christmas arrives with the tree!
Finally, as the tree took shape, an aura of still gently calm descended and Christmas 2015 is finally underway. I do believe and I even managed to hang a pretty wreath to the courtyard this year – Happy decorating!
And the cats? They are totally ignoring the tree, so I suppose the Santa hats for them would be out too?!
Christmas festivals in West Cornwall
Penzance will celebrate the pagan festival of Montol on the 21st of December at the Winter Solstice, with masked lantern parades and guise dancing. The final act of the year and the welcome doorway to the sun’s return to warm the earth again.
Mousehole will celebrate Tom Bawcock’s Eve surrounded by their magic Christmas lights on the 23rd of December commemorating to tale of a local man and his trusty cat Mowser who set to sea in terrible conditions to try to catch fish for the starving villagers. When the villagers realised his boat was gone they lined the harbour in silent vigil to wait fro his return but Mowser sang to the great sea cat and he allowed Tom to fish and bring a feast back to Mousehole that night. here is a wonderful Children’s book “The Mousehole Cat” so beautifully illustrated that is a must buy if you are shopping for the young on holiday!
Finally on Boxing day the population race to the sea driven by the thought of too much Turkey perhaps for the traditional Boxing day swim (no wet-suits please) Sennen is a good place to watch or St Ives and i do know of one hardy group of ladies who swim daily from the Battery rocks in Penzance but that’s another story! Sadly I never can find my bathing costume at this time of the year !
Oh Christmas Tree over the years
The old flag stones seem to glow below the Christmas tree 
The 2017 Christmas Tree – familiar as an old friend respendant in Christmas decorations gathered over the years 
P.S If you would like to make a similar natural Christmas swag to one in our dining room visit December My winter Garden and scroll to the bottom for full instructions.
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