behold the Christmas stick

So normally we have a perpetual (like a perpetual trophy) Norfolk Pine in a pot for a Christmas tree.  But as I went to drag it in from the garden this week I noticed it was quite full of...well...dead branches. After snipping them off I figured it would be quite tricky to hang our decorations on a stump of a tree.  So w needed a new Christmas solution (after my bold suggestion we had NO tree was shouted down).

We chopped off a branch from the grevillea tree, stripped the leaves, spray painted it white and stuck it in a bucket of sand.  Behold the Christmas Stick.

This is a decoration from Harrods.  Whenever I unpack the Christmas decorations I regale the children with the story of these decorations.  We were given 12 beautiful glass Christmas baubles from Harrods one year from lovely friends.  Although we were in London backpacking - not an ideal way to carry glass decorations. We sent them home in a box nestled in bubble wrap. Five of them made it to Australia.  But we have had all five for the last 12 years. 

Our Christmas stick looks like someone got the decorations out of the box and sneezed them onto it.  And the children complained that I MAKE them listen to Handel's Messiah while we decorate the tree.  Although I happily noticed this year they were singing along.....

We are happy with our efforts.

We will see if the Norfolk Pine grows a few more branches for next year.