Christmas preparations in my Dorset village

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here in Lush Places.

The trees are up above our doors and the lights are due to go on officially this coming Saturday, although I've thrown caution to the wind and switched mine on already. 

The lights are warm white, more's the pity. You see, I have once again bottled out of following my non-conformist heart and gone for coloured ones. My lights may be warm white but in an act of quiet rebellion I've already got them on, several days before they are supposed to be.

On Saturday evening, the vicar will throw the switch of the giant tree on the village green and then all of us will sing We Wish You a Merry Christmas before scuttling out of the cold and into the pub for mince pies, mulled wine and Christmas carols. Meanwhile, my little tree, with its wispy tail of lights across the front of my house, will be saying triumphantly to the rest of the spruce bunch, 'well, I beat you to it. I've had a whole week to shine all on my own.'

Last week I dressed as an elf to be Santa's Little Helper. I watched with great satisfaction the look of pure delight (and sheer terror, in some cases) on the faces of the children who went into Father and Mother's Christmas's Grotto in the village hall.

This weekend there's another festive fair in aid of the three churches in Lush Places and its close environs. I hope to come out of it laden with festive goodies, having spent nothing on petrol or filled the pockets of corporate giants.

I'm hoping to do most of my shopping here in Lush Places and top up my gift pile with the odd jar of jam (very odd, as I made it) and small bottles of sloe gin and damson vodka.

It's not what you give, it's all in the giving.

I'm delighted the grandchildren can't think of what they want and the best they can come up with is an Advent Calendar. Oh to be so satisfied with the simple, little and inexpensive things in life rather than the latest electronic gizmo or festive fad.

Me, I'm after socks that don't grip my ankles too tightly and smellies from the ethical Lush or The Body Shop, just in case you were wondering what to get me.

In this crazy, capitalist, consumerist world, I'll leave you with this delightful advert for a Welsh hardware store.


That's about it.

Love Maddie x

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