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Thursday 20 December 2012

Christmassy.

First things first, our front door has finally turned pink.....or magenta:


In our house, the colour terminology depends on where you went/go to school. Pink may be considered a particularly feminine colour yet magenta, of course, is manly as it's the colour of valour, of blood spilt on the battlefield. It's all about  perception. The girls in our family are happy with pink, yet the boys console themselves with magenta.

The sample pot that I had decided on, way back in the dim reaches of time, turned out to be all wrong, so the painter had to randomly conjure up this precise shade.....by mixing up a bit of this and a bit of that. Of course I had to endure lots of eye rolling when I explained that I was a simple girl and all I wanted was bright pink that could be passed off as magenta.....after the requisite four coats were applied he admitted that he was 'quite chuffed' with how it ended up. Me too, I love it. And in case you were wondering, so do the boys.

Why does our tree always undergo a dramatic growth spurt just at the beginning of December? I'm sure that it grows centimetres at this time every year, moments before we lug it inside to be all loved up. This was our tree, the first year it did Christmas with us.....nine years ago:


And this is how it looks this year:

 

So, while we've been wrapping presents and cooking....today we made Turkish Delight and all day I've been in denial about how much gelatine, or rather gronund up animal hoof and horn, is actually needed to get it to set. Yuck/yum.....I've also been reminiscing about Christmases around our tree, which for the rest of the year sits forlornly potbound in a corner of the garden struggling to receive the attention that it craves. Miraculously, this year it has performed again and has now outgrown the whole family....and that's no mean feat.

In a blur of daydreams of Christmases past, I've been thinking about that first year when we lived over the river in a different house, when the not quite one year old was covered in the horror that is a bad dose of chicken pox and how the fairy sustained scorch marks on the pink tulle layers of her dress when she ventured too close to  the cooktop in the only just finished in the nick of time kitchen.....about the year when all of the hints and innuendo paid off and there was a pink KitchenAid under the tree....and about all of the hysterically funny dress up concerts over the years that it has inspired our children to perform.

So then, because Christmas is such a bittersweet time for tripping down memory lane, I started remembering all of the people who have helped us celebrate our own version of Christmas around this very same tree. About how, against all expectations, we have been so fortunate to have four amazing children to share our lives with. And about how my dad won't be joining in. This will be the fifth Christmas that he's been gone and while it's not as raw as the first...or even the second...there is still such a sense of absence always present in the shadows. For me, the magic of Christmas seems to be equally about the creation of new happy memories to add to the memory bank and an opportunity to unashamedly dip in and reclaim old ones.

My heart goes out to anyone reading this who has lost a loved one this year and who will be experiencing their first Christmas without them. I remember so vividly what it feels like, I think it's because Christmas rolls around, without fail, year in year out and acts as a prompt for hope for the future and an opportunity to indulge in recollections of the past.

Rx

19 comments:

  1. Oh Romy. Tears are spilling down my cheeks. Such a beautiful and evocative post, my friend. Yes, the vast difference between presence and absence. J x

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    1. Hope you have a very special Christmas Jane and all the best for next year. Rx

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  2. If the door gets stolen you will know who's taken it.

    I love the photos of the kiddies. I had always hoped for Blondes!

    A lot of my single childless friends are dreading Christmas- it is very polarising, and can be lonely.

    I usually loathe the day too.

    I keep thinking of your French friend who lost her son, how awful this time of year must be, and my closest friend lost her child on Christmas eve..always bad memories.

    I got your card and luff it thanks R, see you next year!!!!!! xxxxxxxxxx

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    1. Fingers crossed it won't get stolen!

      I too used to dread Christmas before having children when all of the in laws used to bicker over who's turn it was to make us go to theirs and other such irrelevant trivialities. The thing about it is the overriding baby theme which is really hard to escape from. Was thinking the other day that it is such a disruptive time of the year and comes around so soon.....seems like only yesterday....so really it should be allocated once every five years?!

      Also thinking of those with really bad memories.....hope so fervently they can make new happy ones.

      Loved your card too, merci! Your baby is utterly gorgeous. Until next year! Rx

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  3. The door is beautiful. Love a bold front door (says she who has a black one....). The tree is a great idea. We do the opposite at my Dad's place - we cut a pine or cyprus down from the garden each year. They are generally huge, and are saplings gone wild which would have to be cut down anyway. Some make beautiful more European style trees, rather than the fluffy pinus radiata that we get from the Christmas tree farm.
    Lovely thoughts on what will be a difficult Christmas for my family and for so many others - I've been thinking about my mum a lot over the past week. I still can't quite believe I'll never speak to her again. xx

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  4. Our first without Dad. :-(
    Warmest wishes of the Season to you and your family x

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    1. I'm so sorry, I know what it feels like. Every best Christmas wish to you and your family, too. Rx

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  5. Our first without Dad. :-(
    Warmest wishes of the Season to you and your family x

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  6. Our door used to be black......then I received Janelle's book about Paris for Christmas last year and was smitten by all of those stunning door colours so I embarked on Feng Shui to find the perfect colour and to give me the justification to present my argument for change. How lovely to have a tree from your Dad's garden, that's a beautiful connection too.....and environmentally friendly!
    Forever is such a long time, amplified by celebrations that happen year in year out, regardless. I still sometimes catch a glimpse of my Dad in a crowd, only to catch him up and realise that it's not him and never will be....for a few moments the sensation that he's been found is euphoric and then it's back to reality. I hope your reality this year also balances out with happiness and hope for the future. Rx

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  7. Your door is gorgeous. As are your beautiful kids. Mine are blonde too. (As The Farmer is blonde) I am very brunette and when the kids were babies people used to look at me like I stole them....

    Christmas can cause so many mixed emotions in many people. I work in health and invariably spend the week before Christmas helping people come up with plans to get through the day with a minimum of distress. It is dreaded by many.

    Having said that I hope you and your family have a good Christmas Romy and that wonderful memories are created for your children.

    Take care.

    T

    xxx

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    1. Santa was telling my children this morning that they 'have hair just like their Mum'.....was idly pondering if he was insinuating that theirs was chemically assisted too?!!

      Hope that you all have a lovely Christmas too.
      Rx

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  8. Loving that door. Very brave, but definitely paid off. Kx (The Blog a House Built)

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    1. I'm besotted with the door....have been polishing the bronze step daily so that it reflects the pink....wondering how long it will be until I quit such obsessive behaviour?! Rx

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  9. Oh my gosh, I would give anything to be able to paint our door that colour! You need some huge pots of hot pink hydrangeas either side! (Very 'in' in the haute horti world, apparently. They were everywhere in NY and London this year.)

    Loved the rest of your post too. My partner's father died quite suddenly on Christmas Eve 3 years ago, and so the day is always bittersweet in his family. He's just driven off to Adelaide this morning so he can give his mother some emotional support tomorrow. It's a sad time for many.

    Your kiddies are so beautiful, but what I love most is the fact that they adore books. That's a gift you gave them Miss Romy.

    All the very best for Christmas. See you in the New Year! xxx

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  10. I was using a door in your book 'Paris' as inspiration to show the painter! Pink hydrangeas would look stunning....will have to try and find some.

    How horrendous for your partner and his family, it must make Christmas unbearably difficult. I hope that they can find some solace.

    So grateful my children are bookaholics, their ultimate idea of the fun is a trip to a book shop followed by the health food shop....we found the two year old the cutest (and funniest) Cozy Classics version of 'Pride and Prejudice', told in 12 words and 12 felt illustrations, yes really!

    All the very best Christmas wishes to you too, am so looking forward to next year! Rx

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  11. Beautiful Post Romy, every bit of it. Love your Pink door and the photo of those gorgeous kids of yours. It's the first year we've had Christmas without relatives staying with us so we're thinking of new traditions too. Have s wonderful day tomorrow. Mel xxx

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  12. I was sent over here because I was blogging about painting my door Magenta/Pink as well. Glad to see it looks so lovely xx

    Anna (My Design Ethos)

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  13. LOVE the magenta. A real stylish statement. The Christmas accessories set it off perfectly too. Good for you, sticking to your guns.

    Erika @ thislittlepretty.blogspot.com xx

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  14. Oh the new front door colour is truly stunning, as are your lovely children! xx

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I LOVE hearing your thoughts! Rx