Back to the plot

I am hugely aware that I haven't posted anything the least bit frugal or moneysaving this week, and for this I apologise....shall try to do better next week and manage a few frugal days!

Today I can report some frugal success, though, because yesterday, UJ brought us a "new-to-us" Christmas tree.  The YFG has been wittering on a little about the size of our wee tree, and saying that she really really wants a "new" one, by which term she actually just means "a bigger one".  Bigger I could organise easier than new.

UJ has got bits and pieces in his house from three households - his own which he shared with my grandmother, my mum and dad's stuff, and some of my other grandparents' belongings which my parents took with them when they moved in with him and my grandmother.  Confused?  Bear with me!

My mum and dad took with them to the house a large-ish green fake tree, which was put up in the conservatory at the appropriate time, because my grandmother's historic silver tree always stood in the front window.  Now that UJ is alone in the house, and rarely there over the festive period, he never decorates at all, so all the holiday decorations are surplus to his requirements.

I gently asked whether he might bear to be parted from the realistic evergreen which was languishing in the loft, because I knew it was bigger than ours and might satisfy the YFG's craving.  He agreed that we might become the new custodians of the said tree, and it arrived here yesterday, at which point the YFG thought that we should start decorating.  I think I have managed to put her off for about a month.  I shall share some photos when we do eventually get the tree up.

Not only, though, did UJ bring the tree, he brought every yuletide decoration which has ever graced any of the households, and I now have four large boxes of almost-antique [in some cases] decorations in the sitting room, and no idea where to store them all.  I have phoned my sister in desperation and let her know that some of her favourite childhood memorable items may now be here, and she is coming over next week to have a look through the boxes, as these items are as much hers as they are mine, and I really do not need them all!  My sitting room will rival Santa's best Grotto if I were to use them all.

Moral of the story - someone somewhere has got what you need, and they are possibly looking to rehome it free for the asking - if you ask, put out the message that you have a want, they may just supply what you are looking for!

On a side note, this festive holiday would have been my wee tree's 21st birthday, so I am reluctant to deprive it of the celebration - we may just have to have two trees this year!  And I hope you appreciate how hard I worked to avoid repeating the C word too many times in this post.......