It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like A Tropical Christmas.

You must be very well thought of by your many students,Bernieh..how lovely to have all those memories..
I really like your photo's,although the hot and steamy weather wouldn't suit a lot of us here..it is what you are
used to,so it won't dampen your Christmas spirit:o)

We gave our daughter our bigger Fake tree,with all the Baubles and other things associated with her childhood,which she loves..and we just bought a small one for a table in the Conservatory..It already had electric Candles on it,so we just add a few more bits and bobs,as we say..I cut some variegated Holly with berries for a vase.and just a few more decorative things around the lounge..Santa and Reindeer sit on the Hearth,and Garlands over Mirrors and Picture frames..that's about it now..Have a wonderful Christmas,and a very Happy New year to you and your Family..:o) xx

Hiya Bernieh, its a foggy dismal day here in my part of UK, our xmas decorations are up and the cards are arriving daily, my grandaughters school breaks up this week but grandson is not until next Friday.
I have many decorations that have been collected over 45yrs and they do have a special place, as you say the handmade ones all have little memories that come to mind as one retrieves them out of the boxes and they all have a place in my home.
Autumn is still hanging on here, really mild for Dec and lots of gardens still have colour to cheer one along, lots of berries this year and winter is only around the corner, its lovely to see your photo's, although strange in my mind to think of xmas decs out during a heatwave, lol....
Merry Christmas Bernieh and enjoy your holidays, take care..........

Bloomer, I'm still putting up the big Xmas tree even though it's just the two of us here now. I suppose it's really a bit too much, but I guess old habits die hard. Hopefully the grandchildren will make it back here for a Christmas one of these years, and the tree won't seem like too much.

Your decorations sound lovely. We don't see much holly here unless it's plastic of course. No hearths either, except on the television screen or on Christmas cards, lol!

Thanks for the Christmas wishes, Lincslass. Unfortunately the giving and receiving of Christmas cards is a dying tradition here now. Lots of people send e-cards instead. They're lovely, but I do prefer to see hand-written cards hanging up.

It sounds as if you have lots of wonderful treasured decorations to put up or put out. I just love taking out those precious things every year.

Yes Christmas is in summertime here. Hard to imagine, I know. One day I'd love to experience a cold white Christmas. It's on my bucket list.

I love giving and receiving hand written cards too..it's the darned postage that's the problem here..costs more than the card itself mostly !.I would hate it them to disappear,as I have doors that are panelled,where I blu tac them to each one..my hallway would look very drab without them,as I have five doors ! :o)

What a colourful blog bringing your Christmas to us! It looks so festive and cheery and I have loved seeing all you have done.
Here the days are very still at the moment and quite warm for the time of year. I am off to get our tree tomorrow - I tramp through muddy fields in my wellie boots until I find the right one and then tell the farmer 'That one please!' I really enjoy my annual visit to the Christmas Tree farm!
Happy Christmas to you.

Love your Christmas decorating Bernieh and your special hand made presents from loving students, decorations that make me smile every year are the handmade ones made my son at infant school (he will be 34 next week!)
2 stars and a snowman.

Wildrose, we don't have Christmas tree farms here. That's a novel idea for us. Of course there aren't many Fir/Pine trees around here anyway.

I do remember as a child though every year my father, my brother and I would pile into our Morris Minor, drive way out of our small town and look for a suitable Casuarina (commonly known as She-Oak) to throw on the roof of the car, tie down with rope and take home to go in a bucket of sand. It was the closest thing to the traditional European version of a Christmas tree that we had.

Neellan, I also have those treasured decorations made by my sons when they were at school. There aren't very many of them though, as making Christmas decorations wasn't high on the list of things to do at my sons' school after they had finished the first couple of grades. After that, they tended to make Christmas cards or candle holders from paddlepop sticks. That sort of thing!

:o)