I put up one of those Facebook “then and now” photo things yesterday. If you look at my page, Stilly, you’ll see Dad’s parrot perched on high.

I’m told there are people out there who hire designers to deliver “curated” Christmas decorations in the latest style, etc. etc. Christmas decorations should be old favourites salvaged from parents’ and grandparents’ houses, mixed with newer items found at church bazaars, given by friends, made by the kids, or otherwise wandered into our lives. The colour-coordinated matchy-matchy Christmas decor I see in commercial spaces, on TV and on the Internet just makes me feel a bit sad.