Christmas Production

My family loves Christmas.

photo credit- M Tan, Christmas 2010, Moulmein Rise, Singapore

In our home, preparation for Christmas usually begins right after Thanksgiving (next week!!!).  But this year, things are a little off key, given that we are each living separately in three different cities.  No one will be home for Thanksgiving- a first for me.  

Other things that will be different this year is that I don't have any of my Christmas decorations with me.  And if I were to order a tree here, I would have to deal with the local council for tree removal post Christmas (GROAN).  

I asked my husband if he could mail a few of the Christmas boxes from Singapore to me.  I was thinking of my owl, and some of the paler baubles.  I was thinking of my faithful tablecloth, the one that is actually a blanket and spun of green wool.

Owl & Blanket/Tablecloth, Christmas 2010, Moulmein Rise, Singapore

My husband suggested that I sourced for Christmas things locally instead.  He said- Surely there is a wider range in London?

So this weekend, while we were in Angel getting my roots covered, Bruno and I had a great time foraging.

Bruno at the hair salon- ready, set, go foraging!

  We walked the length of Upper Street and Camden Passage.  The more stores we popped into, the more I realised that one of the best things about starting Christmas from scratch is, I can attempt themes/decor ideas from a completely different perspective than all Christmases past.

I think Christmas is swayed by one's habitat.  So for instance, when I decorate in Singapore, even though I indulge in a real Christmas tree, I have to factor in the persistent heat and humidity.  The tree will wither and brown rapidly in Singapore- its demise is considered in the overall design scheme.  Another habit I have is to also use local fauna where possible.  I don't feature Santa, I don't hang stockings.  And I never ever do a white Christmas, because it just doesn't snow 4 degrees north of the equator.

Christmas 2012, Martin Road, Singapore, with local fauna on the table.

As we lingered in Angel, my original idea of using greens, fallen branches, and the color gold, veered off tangent.  I was just gathering sporadic pieces that moved me.  Suddenly, I found myself departing from the familiar, and putting together items that echoed the theme of wintery, white woods.

Woah- radical departure!

For the first time in my life, I also have the delicious challenge of decorating a fireplace.

YUMMY!

 At first, I was not sure where to begin.  Candles?  Right.  Some kind of garland?  I guess...

I stared at my fireplace for a long time.  Finally, I had a beginning, a hunch.  I thought, I need to look for letters.

Letters!

At Little Paris on 262 Upper Street, I found discarded vintage letters.  The shop owner was surprised by the word I managed to spell, and kept wondering aloud, why she had not thought of it, especially as she was French. 

I found some spray paint and came home to work excitedly on my letters!

 Uh oh.  I ran out of paint.  Uh oh.  The silver color does not work up against my walls, which are already painted a pale grey.  I put the letters aside and work on my table instead.

The ideas I have for my table are germinating in the right direction.  I am very pleased, but I am going to have to go back to Angel to get more stuff.  I need wooden stars, something sparkly and more ornaments.  At some point I would like to figure out something for the chairs as well.

Huge thanks to Home and Pantry (114 Islington High Street, Camden Passage), Jenny and Sarah, who own and manage the store respectively.  Everything on my table came from this store.  They patiently allowed me to pick at pieces that were not necessarily displayed together, and allowed me to reassemble the varied objects at whim.

The table cloth?  A scarf, hung along a row of delicate scarfs and jewellery.  The "vase"?  Hidden beneath the lowest possible shelf.  The tiny "baubles" in the vase?  Little artificial eggs left over from I suspect a different collection that were placed inside a tea cup, forgotten amongst  kitchen things.

(When I was done shopping, Jenny even helped me tie my bags together, generously gave me a few more items, brown string, and helped me carry everything out onto the main road, so I could hail a cab.  Thank you, Jenny!)

On Sunday, we returned to Angel and found a wonderful art store!

Cass Art, 66-67 Colebrooke Row

I received a quick explanation about spray paint and found a color that will work for my letters!

I found more ornaments for the table and allowed my enthusiasm to spill over to my bed.

I even found an angel to top K's whimsical, witty pop-up tree!

Then I think, that's what's so magical about Christmas- the whole preparation like Choreography, the fun in foraging, and then the sharing and giving with loved ones and the truest of friends.