I always used to get a cut real tree, not having anywhere to plant out a real one. It was always a hassle to drag it out through the house again. The year Ian died I bought an artificial one (which he would not have entertained) and replaced it with a slimline 7ft tall one for my smaller living room here. I also bought a small potted Norway Spruce, which is still alive, a year later, by my front door. This even after the ice and snow last year broke its growing shoot off, and it now has a much more rounded shape. Also, despite my best efforts, it gets blown over quite often by the strong westerlies. I put some solar lights on it this winter, but they aren't working, so once the electrician is finished, I'll dig out my smaller set of outdoor lights and fit those.

The village is all lit up this time of year, and I have a string of their coloured LED lights from my guttering. The lights are timed from 4pm till about midnight, and the village tree is on all the time.

Andrea