featuring #TAKE YOUR SEAT
We have a Christmas tradition in our household.
We decorate the tree close to Christmas. It is hard work to resist the temptation to buy a Christmas tree and dress it in late November, together with everybody else, but we generally (though reluctantly) manage it.
In the brief time between Christmas and New Year, we fully treat ourselves to the dance of colourful lights, glitter and randomly hung baubles.
Past the 1st of January, we attack the tree from all sides to deprive it of any leftover edible contents: soggy homemade shortbread (always in unrecognisable shapes and always too thick to dip in your tea), wrapped sweets and assorted chocolates.
We have to put the decorations away by the 7th of January, because that’s when we hold our Tree Burning Party. Traditionally it is just the five of us: me, my husband and the three girls. Pawel chops the tree up, and we feed it to the chimenea bit by bit, whilst staring into the flames and watching out for the roasting aubergines on top.
Last year, we were all ill at Christmas, and feeling even worse during New Year.
The 7th of January came and went. The tree burning party got postponed. We did methodically deplete the tree and house of their festive attire by the 6th of January. Here’s to hoping.
The tree stayed, still green but bare, in the living room. I found its natural appearance soothing for the first few days . It started to bother me the second week. By the third week, the tree had become part of the room furnishings.
Early February, a friend asked me if we had set up a new tradition. A tradition of keeping the barren Christmas tree in the house, until Easter.
That was the day we brought the tree outside and chopped it into small parts. It got stacked in our pile of wood and is waiting for a purposeful use.
I am not sure what tradition we are deciding on this year. Will we have a Christmas tree at all? Will we reuse the live one we planted in our garden, ages ago? Should I just make one out of cardboard?
The recent environmental chatter makes me weigh more each decision I make.
And now there is also an opportunity for us to voice those questions.
#TAKE YOUR SEAT
The UN have launched a really easy to follow campaign, on social media: Twitter / Instagram /
They encourage everyone to have a say in what gets to be discussed at the next Climate Change Conference, taking place in Poland, next week.
This week, you can simply tweet or comment your contribution, which then gets added to the opening speech delivered by Sir David Attenborough.
Really simple to do. Remember to use their hashtag – #takeyourseat.
This is the second of my five stories this Christmas. Here’s the first one.