the trees were taller, then, when you were young

ho ho ho

that kind of greeting can only lead one to conclude that this is a Christmas related post, i suppose. and indeed this is such, look you see, for it is time to consider tree. 

assuming you are reading this at some stage around publication date, or at a future (as opposed to the past) similar time once we are free of the wretched ways of 2020, hopefully you are in the "spirit" of things. you know, the season of goodwill, of gifts and that. and, tree. 

behold, then, our tree, as proudly erect as possible, for the festive season this year. 

one thing i would like to think is enhanced by using the greater good of Commodore 64 format for the above is yes, indeed, keen eyed readers, this happens to be a new tree what we have. whereas i suspect my travels in this world are long past the halfway point, i would appear to have had something akin (or like) a midlife crisis this year, and have actually gone done spent coins of money this Christmas. i mean, yes, i would on gifts, cards and that, but now i seem to be purchasing ancillary matters.

for a recap, should for some reason you be interested and yet (wisely) cannot be bothered to seek any previous posts what i done, it is so that our Christmas tree for the previous six (6) editions has been the same. and that one was the most agreeable (as in cheapest) i could find for south of £10; bought on the understanding that it would "do for the one year" and it would be replaced in time for the next. 

what say we do a look at the new one, but not in Commodore 64 mode, as excellent and great (but of course) as Commodore 64 mode is? 

a select few of you might (perhaps) notice something also different (beyond tree) in the above. no, not whatever is going on being presented on the tele. yes, indeed, new curtains. this was indeed further expense from me, but a moment of necessity rather than an expression of opulent, bourgeois extravagance as such. for reasons best known to themselves (and yes i asked but they just stared at me then wandered off) our cats elected to rip the absolute f*** out of the previous ones. beyond mending, i went to the shop to get replacement ones, and they said that i could have absolutely any curtains i liked, so long as they were these silver velvet ones. 

so, anyway, the tree. provenance is a fine, fine thing, and yes, i can tell you that this was bought off of Tesco, for a princely sum which is neither north nor south of £15. rather annoyingly, i discovered basically the same sort of tree was indeed on offer at select Morrisons chapters (but not the one i went to at first) for a fee £7 south of what i paid, but hey ho. 

now then, one or two (several) of you for some reason like reading what i do here (thanks) but really have no wish to see images of me (very wise). if that is you, then you may want to do a very fast scroll past the next image, for it is i in it. 

my Christmas cash splash appears to truly know no boundary then, for yes, as is pictured above, i have indeed, at last, succumb to the society placed pressure of buying a "Christmas jumper". the years gone saw me avoid such, mostly as they appeared unavailable in my size but also it made little sense to purchase a usually limited worn item for a larger cost. but then, in a moment of weakness, i said to myself (or out loud, to puzzled and concerned strangers, presumably), oh, stop being such a f*****g grinch or grouch about it and just f*****g get one.

in respect of garment selection, not as much thought or consideration as you might think went into the selection and eventual (reluctant) purchase of this one, a jumper which in fairness celebrates the wonders of Only Fools & Horses. any tv show which mentions David Bowie in the title song is, of course, a good one. limitations on size availability (and this one is rather snug when i like such baggy) meant it was either this or a Coca Cola one. since i was paying £20 (!!!!!!!) for either, i decided rather to endorse a great, albeit London based, television show rather than give money to promote a big massive corporate. 

off to the south (at least of where i am presently) we go, then, and a look at how trees are over across the equator. and down a bit still. in terms of the time when i wrote this, but one of the family had sent me an image. should others follow i shall try to update, but for now, here is the Christmas tree of Mum and Dad. 

most splendid, and yes, i do believe the angel upon the tree is quite familiar to me. for clarification, we go with a star on top of ours, simply as that was what was in the box of decorations what we bought. 

do i not wish, want or long for having a "real" Christmas tree in the house each year? especially as i am ostensibly home and such are widely (if not freely) available? very much so. the scent which they protrude is, at least at first, splendid and allows one to reminisce. also, i am convinced the feeling of Christmas being less than what it was comes from a move away from real trees and towards the convenience of plastic. but, real trees are a nightmare, what with the pine pin things that fall off of them, the decay of a dying tree, and goodness knows what our cats would do to such. 

another gander south of the border, then, if you consider the equator to be a border (many do). it is so that my sister has overcome the complexities of a severe bout of "CBA" and has, kind of at the last minute, agreed to the erection of a tree in her family home. 

with nuance and elegance it combines the subtle double beauty of wishing (aspiring does not sound very festive) to attain design perfection and simply getting it done in a "this will do" way. so very few of us, if any, ever, shall reach her deft skill levels. 

one more look, or gander, at our tree in Commodore 64 mode? well, sure. although i think the correct wording would (maybe) be a different angle, since i guess you could take as many looks (or ganders) at the initial picture as you wished. language and grammar have never not been quite so good strong points of mine, to be sure. 

well, anyway, that's that for another year. my apologies for the overtly subtle drawing attention to the more commercial (fiscal) aspects of all things Christmas in this post. i imagine any communists reading this shall be most distraught by it all, but then they tend to be distraught by all. 

may all be well with you, both this Christmas and all times, all of the time!

be excellent to each other!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!