Thinking back to Christmases spent in London and Sydney, it was such a novelty for us to go and choose a real Christmas tree and lug it home through the city (squeezing one on to an old London routemaster bus was quite an experience!). Nothing says Christmas more than the smell of fresh pine and a light scattering of green pine needles.
Unfortunately, the traditional pine trees don't fare particularly well in the northern Australian tropics. If you're lucky enough to find one, you'll be even luckier if the unrooted plant survives a brutally hot December. By the middle of the month, usually all that's left is a blanket of wilted pine needles covering the gifts below.
What we do have in abundance though, are palms... in all shapes and sizes. I must confess that palms aren't exactly my favourite type of plant, and if we didn't rely on them so much for privacy, we'd probably replace them with a whole range of eucalyptus and native shrubbery. This being said, the humble palm does offer up some pretty spectacular debris shortly after seeding.
Last week, in an attempt to avoid plastic fantastic and bring a bit of nature into the home, I took Lalie outside into the backyard to collect some seed fronds. The stalks had been curved into a rough semi-circle from the way they had drooped down after seeding.
While Lalie played around on the swings, I played around with my fronds, overlapping them until I had formed a circle. Before I knew it, I was staring at an enormous wreath - the perfect substitue for a real tree! I quickly pulled some vines from the fence and secured the wreath together. This whole process took less than half an hour and didn't cost a cent. Not a single tool was used; just my hands and what was available to me in the yard.
A paper star (lamp shade), a string of lights and a packet of $5 glitter baubles later, she was finished and hung.
Our backyard Christmas wreath isn't perfect - it embraces all that's wild, organic and handmade. It's a bit skew-if and completely untamed, but it reminds us that we're celebrating this holiday in true Australian spirit. Casual, carefree...anything goes!
2012 will always be a memorable year for our family for so many reasons. It was the year of first birthdays, first overseas family holidays and new business ventures. So much goodness has come our way... but not without enough struggle and sacrifice to make us really appreciate those good times.
