It’s December! And we’re rockin’ around the Christmas tree at Balhousie – getting those trees dressed and making the most of the Christmas cheer this year.
It fair makes the heart swell with excitement, and we finally feel Christmassy with the lights sparkling in the early winter nights.
We’ve all been decorating our Christmas trees with ornaments, tinsel and lights for as long as we can remember, but did you know the tradition goes back centuries, with decoration colours coming from nature and earth tones? Bringing a tree indoors during winter, stretches back to pagan times too, representing life during dark, cold winter nights, with red and gold and green to symbolise winter flora: green for the evergreen holly or mistletoe, red for seasonal berries, and gold for the sun.
Modern-style tree decoration started in Germany in the mid-1500s by placing candles on branches. (Maybe too much of a fire hazard for Balhousie), but it wasn’t until Queen Victoria’s reign, that the Christmas tree decorating got to the UK, actually 1848, when a picture was published in the Illustrated London News of the Royal Family beside a large tree adorned with glass ornaments from Prince Albert’s native Germany.
So in good tradition, they’ve been decking the halls with boughs of holly – well, tinsel and baubles and lights – from Balhousie Huntly in Aberdeenshire, to Balhousie Clement Park in Dundee and an alternative felt tree at Balhousie Antiquary in Arbroath, so everyone can have a go at dressing the tree how they want it, meanwhile, at Balhousie The Glens in Edzell, they’re getting their Christmas Postboxes set up for all those Christmas Card wishes winging their way to residents.
And don’t forget to post those letters to Father Christmas everyone – you want to make sure he knows what you want!
