Barmy Blue's Bland Blog

(Alternative title: It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas Tree)

It was another big one today. A lovely little reindeer face with long curly antlers. That would look lovely as a little cake topper too.

I am so so happy today. The cards are no longer my problem

I stamped them before bed and left everything and I mean EVERYTHING mum would need to fill out the cards.
I left the cards on my desk in a neat little pile. I laid out all three books of stamps she’d gotten (she bought two the other day and found one from 2015 yesterday. Still valid). I also fished out both of her address books (because some details might be in her old one and not her new one and I was proven right) and left her one of my nicer pens so she wouldn’t have to use my ballpoint. I also fished out the foil stickers I got a few years ago that I would put on the backs of the envelopes just for fun. I left a little post it note to tell her what they were for and another little note giving her permission to use the pen I’d left out, just in case.
It turns out that she forgot one and we actually needed 18 cards but we got some nice cards and there was no point waking me up, getting out all my card stuff (because I put that away before bed too) and waiting for me to make a new card.

Aside from actually having to make them in time, there’s just one problem with making my own cards. And that is that we don’t get to buy any of the adorable cards we see. But we do give cards to our neighbours in the street and I don’t make those ones and we’re probably getting a bit light on cards so we got some lovely ones. So mum just filled in one of those for the one she missed. This person isn’t a family member and is highly unlikely to have any contact with my family so she shouldn’t feel left out.

The tree is finally up. I’m so happy now. And while we were at it I put the wreath up too. I do our wreath a little differently to most. I have it inside. You see, it’s a decoration just for us, mainly me since I’m the one who started this a few years ago and I barely go outside so I don’t get to enjoy it. We never have guests to enjoy it so why have it outside?

I started trying to look up why wreaths are a thing but got a little annoyed because apparently it comes back to Jesus and it represents his crown of thorns, which is fine. But another site specified that only applies if there’s holly in the wreath. The spiky leaves are the thorns and the berries represent his blood and so on and ended the sentence stating that it's a shame people have forgotten the real meaning of Christmas.

This bugs me. Quite a bit. Firstly you don’t have to be Christian or even believe in God to celebrate Christmas. Yes the holiday gets it’s name from Jesus Christ and is apparently to celebrate his birth.
What the heck does a few evergreen branches have to do with Jesus specifically though?
Because let me point out that before Christianity you have the various earlier faiths that are usually just labelled under the umbrella term of pagan. Now. Evergreens would be very important symbols during the winter, especially before people understood the science behind it.
And I would also like to point out that celebrations in Winter also predate Christianity. Winter solstice anyone?
So don’t be telling me that just because people don’t know why wreaths are hung on doors means that they don’t know the “true” meaning of Christmas.

The true meaning of Christmas is a celebration of life, the end of the year and the beginning of a new one and, most importantly, family and friends and if you lack either family or friends then good wishes to your fellow man.
People of multiple faiths can and do celebrate Christmas in some way shape or form. Not because they are celebrating the birth of a being that they personally don’t believe in but because the holiday represents so much more. It represents every one.
So if you believe then good for you, I respect your right to believe. But don’t get snarky with those who don’t especially since that attitude is NOT in the spirit of Christmas.
That’s all I’m going to say on the matter.

Also. I have my own theory on wreaths. Circles are seen as a continuation and/or eternity so a circle of evergreen makes a lot of sense symbolically as evergreens are the only plants that are green in winter and so represent life when everything else is dead (of course it’s not, it’s just hibernating but ancient peoples didn’t know that). So a circle of evergreen could represent eternal life and wishing to bring that power to your own plants (that you either grow yourself or sustain you during the year be it by giving food, shelter or materials to work with) and also to your household as winter would be a very tough time for the early peoples and many wouldn’t have survived the Winter.
So hanging this circle of evergreens (plants that are somehow magically alive all year round) on your door, which is the threshold to your home and contains yourself and your family, could be an attempt to imbue your household with the power to survive Winter and/or as a barrier so that Winter can’t get in and kill you.

That’s my thinking at least. Looking at it this way makes it seem like it could come from a pagan concept and has been adapted over the centuries to the tradition that we have now.
To me it’s a combination of things. It’s pretty to look at. It adds decoration to an, otherwise bland, door and gives off the wonderful smell of Christmas tree (fir tree) which I associate with Christmas because we have ALWAYS had a real tree. It also subtly reminds me of the big beautiful tree in the garden (which fell down so is not as big and beautiful as he was but still) which was planted by my family and so in a round about way evergreen does make me think of family which is the TRUE meaning of Christmas. I also like thinking about the symbolism that it represents including Christian symbolism, but mostly my idea of it’s origins. I feel like it would have soothed the ancient peoples a little in harsh times and I myself find that thought soothing.