Christmas tree

Our Christmas tree had a transformation this year. I shared on the left a picture from last year, with the white & purple baubles. On the right is the Christmas tree from this year. The purple baubles will be donated to a charity and the white ones are joined by different sizes, colours, and shapes of baubles. I love the way the tree looks. I loved it last year too, but now it is more personal.

Many of the baubles have no meaning, but some do, so I will talk about the ones that have a meaning.

The black bell’s story is below. The London bus is lovely and a reminder of my time living in London, while at university. The glass robin is just cute, also handmade by a Liverpudlian artist.

I bought 2 decorations from the Ukrainian stand at the Liverpool Christmas Market. My husband got one too, see below. I wanted a black background with flowers in the traditional Petrykivka painting style. It is a style specific to Ukraine and it was included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity back in 2013.
I have a set of jewellery like this and a candle holder and a T-shirt. For me this kind of painting is stunning. The lady who was selling the baubles (made in Ukraine) did not have one on a black background, so I got one on an ivory background and a bell which has a black background.

This is the bauble my husband picked. It can’t be more Ukrainian and more defiant than this. We both loved it.

The telephone booth is so nicely made, as the handle is sticking out of the bauble.

This was an unusual find. It is a Chinese taro dessert soup. We had this kind of desserts in Oxford, so it is a reminder of that.

This sign was bought many years ago, when we had Festus, hence the 3 of us.

I love the glasses. I bought this one and a Martini glass too. This glass doesn’t have a specific meaning, but it’s just so cute I had to highlight it.

A Liverpool bauble next to a Champagne bottle seems very appropriate.

I made this Angel myself, see below its story.

This is how I made the Angel in an workshop after a presentation. It is a Christmas version of a Ukrainian Motanka doll, a traditional amulet doll. In the top left is the stuff we needed to make them. I swapped the pink hair on mine with a gentleman who was making his for his granddaughter. The Ukrainian lady guided us with patience, even if it was clear that this was proving to be quite challenging for ALL of us doing this. We were helping each other and chatting. It was such a wonderful experience. I’m glad I have a reminder of this, as a Christmas tree ornament.
It took me about an hour and a bit to make this. It was the first time I’ve done something like this. I loved it! Also, I would gladly do another one if I have the opportunity.

Avocado, as we are vegans, and glass baubles which make the lights look through them really nice.

Lastly, a cute dog, a French poodle.