Thought they told us to cut down on
energy consumpton!!



Back to basics with Mother Nature
supplying us our needs



A white Christmas? No thanks, I've got
Broad Beans growing out there!

We are very lucky in this green and pleasant land of ours to have an abundance of Holly and Leylandi Tree's and these two combined are the source of wonderful Christmas decoration displays.
There is simply no reason, other than time, to buy artificial greenery when it's there for nothing and will give you the satisfaction of saving money and having a more personalized decor.

I harp back to my youth when Christmas was just that. The walls were strewn with Holly and the Tree just had Candles, although this I don't suggest for obvious safety reasons!
Lights are without a doubt nice on the tree and this should not necessarily be a 'cheap buy'. Make sure they conform to all the British Standards and remember to turn them off occasionally!

Other home made decorations can be very cheap. Matchboxes wrapped in Christmas paper hung on the tree. Even cut orange's lightly cooked in an Oven can hang quite attractively.

Pine Cones are usually a'plenty at this time of the year and add to the natural look. These can be homes for creepy crawlies though, so a quick dip in the sink won't go amiss.

Some people like glitter and sobeit. Silver foil can be shredded through your Office shredder quite easily and saves you £'s on buying it.
It can also be wrapped around golf balls and used as bangles.

The Yule Log
Even if you haven't an open fire, there is nothing nicer than having the Yule Log, not only for it's attractiveness, but for tradition and it's meaning.

The origins are from long ago when people would build a fire to celebrate mid-winter.
They would find the said log, take it home in procession and singing songs.
They would then decorate it with evergreens and often pour ale or cider on it before burning.
It is said that this will bring health,fruitfulness and productively amongst themselves, their land and livestock.

I find mine about October time (I don't sing!). I take my dowsing rods into the woods and find a piece which they draw me to.and a few days before Christmas Eve, I decorate it with holly and other greenery.
I also write a little message, tie it altogether and burn it on the fire.
In fact, last year, I attached my Credit Card to it and haven't looked back since!

Christmas for many companies is big money and the only positive I can find amongst the commercial side is that it employs people!
It's a one week 'high' and a stark return to normaily not long after, especially when you can't make the repayments.

Perhaps it is a bit of 'baa humbug', but mostly it's trying to re-create what was a festival based upon a Christian belief, a time when kids liked Christmas because of the family they were re-united with and not 'how many presents am I going to get'.

Frugality is not anything new. It's simply taking us back and letting us stop a while to see what's around us.