Let me introduce you to Mr Big. Our Nordmann Spruce.

There’s just 13 days left until Christmas!!! Eek!Have I finished my shopping? Nope! I’ve just sat down to write up my first Christmas-related blog post, started craving chocolate and then realised that I’ve got a few Milky Bar adventure calendar chocolates waiting to be demolished. Win! 

Anyway, I digress… that’s not what this post is about…

This is the first time in 4-years that I haven’t had my own tree to decorate. Sad times… but it’s all for a good reason. Onwards and upwards and all that jazz. Since moving out of my little Kew Gardens pad in September, and into my friend’s house in Greenwich, you could say I’m a little bit up in the air this Christmas. The reason being... I decided that – with the perils of being freelance/unsure what I wanted to do (read as: where I wanted to be in 2018), that I would not sign another 12 to 18-month contract on a flat.

However, I'm really excited to share my plans for 2018 with you all soon... WATCH THIS SPACE!

My own Christmas decs are in hibernation – so, instead, I’m helping Alice to celebrate her very first Christmas in her new London home. I was kindly offered a free tree for the second year running from the guys and gals at Pines and Needles. Take a peek at last year's Christmas tree...

Last year, I took my housemates Mel & Patrick to the Wimbledon store to select our evergreen beauty. This year, it was Brockwell Park – out of all of the 28+ London stores – that proved to be most convenient for us.

The Brockwell Park Pines and Needles store is tucked just inside the park entrance off Norwood Road. But be warned! Parking isn’t easy, so be prepared to drive around a bit in order to find somewhere close enough to lug your tree back. If you haven’t got a car, the Pines and Needles team can also deliver and install your chosen tree.

VOTE NORDMANN FIR!

We chose a 6ft non-drop Nordmann Fir, priced at £59.95 – emphasis on the non-drop! Last year, I *think* we went for a spruce… all I can say is that when the tree was past its best… getting those needles out of the carpet was a right pain!  If you’re looking for something more petit, you can pick up a 3ft-5ft Nordmann Fir from £38.95 to £50.95.

Decorating your Christmas tree is such a personal thing. Like many things in my life, I’m quite eclectic when it comes to the decorations I like to stick on my tree. This year Alice has opted for a rather Scandi looking Christmas tree – with a white and silver theme. Oh! And not forgetting the Hogwarts Express decoration!

competition

Top 5 Tips for decorating your Christmas tree

1. Lorra lorra laughs 

Re: decorations. If it makes you smile, buy it! Invest in the best: Don’t be put off by expensive ornaments. I mean… I’d like to see you try hand-blowing an artisan glass bauble… and like everything in life – you get what you pay for! Think pounds per wear, like when you buy clothes.

2. Be sentimental

Or, should I say, pinch a few decs off your parents and grandparents. It’s guaranteed to warm the cockles of your heart every time you hang that particular decoration – year in, year out!

3. Pass it down

This is similar to the one above, if you’ve got kids of your own, give them a special decoration to remember you by. Liberty’s, Anthropologie*, Graham and Green and Zara Home are some of my favourite places to shop for baubles and creatures to decorate my tree with. 

4. Share the love

Get together and make an occasion of it! Invite your family and friends, bake mince pies, wear silly Christmas jumpers, stick on a festive music (there are some excellent pre-made Christmas Spotify playlists) heat up the mulled wine and take in turns to dress that tree! 

5. Think like a Dane

Add a little Danish Hygge to your home. It doesn't stop with the tree! Add some fairy lights and pretty Christmas candles to your home. Christmas is all about cosiness!

About Pines and Needles

Pines and Needles was founded by brothers Josh and Sam Lyle back in 1995. It all started when the youngsters (then aged 15 and 13) came up with the brainwave of loading an old horsebox with Christmas trees from their family farm in Scotland and taking the long journey down to London.After a few years the kilted crew grew in size, the Internet beckoned, and the rest, as they say, is history.

In 2016, the company hit the headlines for supplying a tree to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the first time the couple had been sent in public. It also bought a second plantation in Scotland, doubling its capacity to grow trees.

In 2017, Pines and Needles acquired The Christmas Forest in a bid to expand its portfolio of stores in London and heighten its presence in the capital and beyond. Although every Christmas is incredibly busy, the brothers said they want the tree-buying experience to be a magical family occasion full of laughter, winter warmth and nostalgic memories.

Photography © Lucie Kerley

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