What’s the right time to put up the Christmas tree? This question causes so much debate. The shops certainly begin early and we all groan. Traditionalists might say the first day of Advent. which is the preparation and lead up to Christmas, others go with the 12 days before. When I was a child growing up on the farm my dad would chop a branch from one of our huge pine trees for us to decorate. I still associate the smell of fresh pine with Christmas. However this only happened a week or so before Christmas so that the tree would last.
At my house we have so many November birthdays I like to wait until they’re finished and then put up the tree. It brings me a lot of joy, more so if I’ve got helpers. Decorating my home to prepare for Christmas lifts my spirits, puts me in a festive mood and reminds me of the reason for the season –  love that transcends all things in a world that needs it badly. Whenever you put up your tree doesn’t really matter, what matters is what’s in your heart. If you don’t have love in your heart, you won’t find it under the tree. Happy tree decorating and Merry Christmas.