Ringing out from pine to oak

[sovay]

This year, trimming the tree first involved combing out handfuls of dry oak leaves from the branches of our Fraser fir. I have no idea. Possibly I shouldn't have invoked Robert Holdstock this afternoon.

Have a lot of pictures.



Gelt. Someone must have played dreydl for it at some point, because I remember overhearing the rules being explained. Hershel of Ostropol still does the best job with that.



In his deep-frying saucepan where my brother dropped him, Great Cthulhu bubbles slightly.



The Christmas cactus is blooming for Christmas. It's as surprised as anybody.



This is the oldest ornament I own. It was given to me by my grandparents, who never celebrated Christmas or had a tree in their house: I was two months old and my parents were raising me as a both-ways child. It's the first ornament I hang on a tree.





Sculpture in the foreground by my grandmother: it's called "Send in the Clowns." Sculpture in the background by my father: I don't know that it has a name. Ornaments belonging to me and my brother: I'd forgotten about the touring car.



Some ornaments in their natural habitat.



The woman with the pomegranate.



The woman with the pomegranate if you forgot your 3D glasses.



I am incapable of not thinking of this ornament as an oracular pig.



Our tree contains both a Star of David and Robot Santa. I like my family.





I have trouble getting the flash to stay off on this camera. The results are occasionally a lot more ominous than I was going for.



I have no idea, but it's cute.





A gold-dipped skeletal leaf with the shadow of a dove cast on it. Somebody's symbolism, knock yourself out.



This is in fact a mouse made from wrapping paper. The fact that it looks like circuitry has always just further endeared it to me.



Finally, the tree lights came out.

The plum pudding is steaming.

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

The oracular pig is the sweetest thing ever, and I love both versions of the woman with the pomegranate.

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

Great Cthulhu is indeed impressive.

Lovely photographs, all of them. Thank you for sharing them.

Was it unfortunate that you had to remove the oak leaves? I'm sorry if it was, although it sounds to me like potentially a message from the oak trees, and perhaps not a bad one.

The Christmas cactus is blooming for Christmas. It's as surprised as anybody.

One of ours was a Veterans' Day cactus, this year. The other one might be showing a few blooms right now--I need to look at it again.

[selidor]

trimming the tree first involved combing out handfuls of dry oak leaves from the branches of our Fraser fir.

Any message from the deepwood is probably a good sign.

I rather like the oldest-ornament. It's like a little disk of amber: precious.

[ashlyme.livejournal.com]

It's nice to think you have a visitor from Mythago Wood in your house. I like the amber star very much, also your father's sculpture.

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

I love this post wholeheartedly, words and pictures.

[zdenka]

Every Christmas tree should have a star of David and an oracular pig.

[ron-drummond.livejournal.com]

Wow such great vivid colors and forms all aglow so you can almost feel the warmth radiating off the screen. Lovely and delightful! The only thing I miss are the human faces...

[ajodasso.livejournal.com]

I just realized I've never actually tried plum pudding.