Sunday night....
Wombat : *Drag Christmas tree out from the store room*
Little Wombat : *Assembles tree*
Wombat : *Untangles chasing lights and coil them around tree*
microWombie : *Hang ornaments all over tree*
Mrs Wombat : *Clean up white teddy bear*
Wombat : *Places star ornament on top of tree*
Wombat : "Ready?"
MrsW/LW/mW : "Yes!"
Wombat : "And now, let there be lights!" *click* :
That was the annual setting up of the Wombats family Christmas tree. It won't rival any of the trees in the shopping malls or hotels. It's our family tradition to set it up at least twelve days before Christmas and taken down only after the twelfth day of Christmas.
We have been using this tree for the past thirteen years. The tree does look a bit aged and tired, but we had a lot of great times around it during Christmas. Little Wombat and microWombie grew up with it. Those pine cones are real, picked from the area around Perkasa Hotel in Kundasang.
I may want to get a new tree next year, but am in two minds about disposing this one for it has so much memories. Oh well, let me think it over during the next twelve months.
But if we do replace it, this is what we will probably get next year :
Wombat : *Drag Christmas tree out from the store room*
Little Wombat : *Assembles tree*
Wombat : *Untangles chasing lights and coil them around tree*
microWombie : *Hang ornaments all over tree*
Mrs Wombat : *Clean up white teddy bear*
Wombat : *Places star ornament on top of tree*
Wombat : "Ready?"
MrsW/LW/mW : "Yes!"
Wombat : "And now, let there be lights!" *click* :
That was the annual setting up of the Wombats family Christmas tree. It won't rival any of the trees in the shopping malls or hotels. It's our family tradition to set it up at least twelve days before Christmas and taken down only after the twelfth day of Christmas.
We have been using this tree for the past thirteen years. The tree does look a bit aged and tired, but we had a lot of great times around it during Christmas. Little Wombat and microWombie grew up with it. Those pine cones are real, picked from the area around Perkasa Hotel in Kundasang.
I may want to get a new tree next year, but am in two minds about disposing this one for it has so much memories. Oh well, let me think it over during the next twelve months.
But if we do replace it, this is what we will probably get next year :
14 comments:
That's a Xmas tree? I thought it's a clothe-hanger.
Rkaru: That's it! I am definitely getting a new tree next year! Wait, maybe I will chop a live tree from Kundasang next year.
Now that's one good investment. Thirteen years huh?
Kay: Yup. I remember buying it at Yaohan Lahad Datu in 1994. Yaohan has now closed shop but the tree still stands. It looks very thin, that's because the artificial pine needles has dropped of quite a lot each time we put it up and take it down.
Whoa! Lahad Datu got Yaohan?
The Dude: "Yaohan? What's that?"
I suggest you refurbish the tree. Put in some love together and watch it still standing tall for the coming years. You will never get another Christmas tree as great as this one.
Rkaru: Of course. Even Tawau had Yaohan as early as 1987.
Doc: Okay. Now I am NOT going to get a new tree next year. Aaaaaargh!
Oh well, imagine 15 years from now, you are sitting under the SAME tree with Mrs. Wombat, telling stories of Santa Claus to your grand children. And the then father mW will be thinking 'WTF this old man is trying to cheat my children like what he had done to me???' It should be much fun.
Okay, for sentimental reasons you're not going to dump the tree, but it's gonna get skinnier and skinnier each year. Solution; you've got to make it fuller. Get creative. Buy pine garlands and fill it up with them. You can either wrap around the tree in a spiral or top to bottom in a zig-zag pattern. You'll need more than one garland of course.
Invest in new trims. If your current baubles are still good, buy some more in that colour scheme. It's always a good idea to have a theme going. Traditional; red and green. Baroque; gold and old. Or go silver and blue. Silver and gold can't go wrong either. One trick of the trade, don't hang baubles one by one. They'll look loose. Hang in clusters of 2-3. I always do 3. And don't only concentrate on the outside of the tree. Treat the inside as well to make the tree fuller.
Same goes with the lights. Start with the lights first, going in and out so that your tree wont only be lighted on the outside. I think your tree is a six-footer? I always use minimum 8 strands of 100-bulbs lights for a 6' tree.
As final touch, get some ribbons. Those glittery 2" wide types, of course, colour to match your theme. A lot of ways you can use ribbons to spice up your tree. You can make them into bows as supplement to your baubles. Or you could also just take 4 or 5 rolls, and just snake them in and out of the tree.
Trimming up Xmas tree is fun. I used to look forward to November.
Doc : 15 years from now, microWombie will be 21 years old. That make microW's child at least 2 years old to be able to understand the concept of Santa Claus. 21 minus 3 is 18. This means microW knocked up some chick when he is in Form 6 in order to have a kid 2 years old. I am gonna have a word with him about that....
Rkaru: I bow deeply in awe of your immense knowledge in the art of Xmas tree decorating. You do this for a living, so who am I to argue? I say, what say I fly you into Lahad Datu early December 2008 and you be my tree decorator? Hotel, air ticket expenses covered.
Reuter News December 2008 - Powergrid for East Malaysia went down for 3 days due to multiple exploded high power transformers. Thousands of meters of high tension wire melted, setting off forest fires. Local citizens choking on haze. A certain marsupial cannot be approached for comment yet.
Aww keep the tree for sentiments sake...
Refurbish it like suggested by Rkaru and doc..
Plus add in a time capsule present. ie a secret present that always be displayed but never opened for long time... allow micro wombat to open it when he is 30 or before you kick the bucket.. that would be so sweet ..
Saw a twelve footer the other night in the local supermart at RM280. Unfortunately if I buy it, it will end up bengkok in my living room.
Post a Comment