Currently Reading Here Lies Arthur By Philip Reeve see related

It's funny how much alike my brother and I are sometimes. I was browsing at the Frankfurt Christmas Market today and Christmas music was playing. Certain Christmas songs invoke sentimentality and I couldn't help but miss Thomas when I saw some of the Christmas trees infront of the library. Low and behold, I went on Facebook today and got a message from him. My family has got a new Christmas tree and he had similar thoughts. Growing up, our family's Christmas tree was always somewhat chaotic. It was basically put on as much lights, garland and whatever decorations we've accumulated over the years. The tree was the same small one for years. When I was little, it seemed really big. However, when we realized that we were as tall as the tree, it was time to get a new one. I remember that there were years when decorating the tree felt more like a chore. When we moved to the house on Dougall, it became a job for Thomas and I to get done since the rest of the family was in London by then. Surprisingly, it was great fun to go buy all new decorations and fill the tree the way we really wanted it. Of course, a few family collections still made their way onto it. We couldn't part with those. Some things are worth bringing out once a year. They brought back childhood memories. The best thing about it was that the tree didn't look cluttered with odds and ends. Nostalgia is a good thing.

We haven't had a proper Christmas tree for the season since Daren and I moved here to the UK. To be honest, if there was a tree in our flat, there would be no walking room whatsoever. I'm happy to say that we do still have the first small evergreen tree we bought from our first Christmas over here. It's gotten taller and fuller and will do well to be adorned with a few festive ornaments. Christmas just doesn't feel the same without close family and friends to hang out with. We will have a turkey as Daren is already relishing the idea of getting a really good one from the game stand at the market. We still laugh about the teradactyl that he ended up bringing home that first Christmas here. If not turkey, it'll be partridge this year.

Ho hum, now I'm feeling a bit sad. Time to go make a cup of tea and curl up with a film.