Let The Festivities Commence...

Today is December 1st and that can mean only one thing:

It's been a hive of festive activity at Gidday HQ today. First order of business was the construction of the Mum's traditional seasonal supplement, the advent calendar...

It took me a while to find today's window, hidden as it was in a back street...

Then there was a spot of present wrapping to make sure I could get some Seattle-bound goodies into tomorrow's post (Seattle-A, look out for Santa-Kym's delivery very soon.)

Then it was time for that favourite of all my favourite Christmas things - decorating the tree.

I missed out on this last year between lounging about in Langkawi and meandering around Melbourne - and since Christmas 2011 I've travelled to Krakow and Amsterdam (among many other places) and have added a few more objets d'Christmas to my horde. 

Needless to say I spent a happy couple of hours laying out all of my carefully wrapped ornaments and awarding them their leafy homes for the next month...

And last but by no means least, Alfie Bear has a new Christmas hat...

So it's all systems go here at Gidday HQ.

Let the festivities commence!

Tis The Season...O Christmas Tree

I'll be away over Christmas/New Year so there is a notable absence of Christmas regalia at Gidday HQ this year.

No festive Christmas wreath at the door, no flickering Christmas candles and no Christmas tree.

That's right. Gidday HQ is tree-free.

Which means I've had to find my foilage fun elsewhere. And in my kicking up the leaves, I've found something both inspired and eco-friendly.

Eco landscaping company, Green Rabbit, have come up with a scheme which offers the Viennese a Nordmann fir (sustainably grown of course) for free. They then collect your Living Christmas Tree after the big day and replant it elsewhere but if you want to keep this tree and plant it yourself, you pay and Green Rabbit will supply a booklet to help you care for your tree.

What a great idea...what a shame that it's only available in Austria.

I'll just have to stick with the version the Pelangi Beach Resort, Langkawi has provided.

O Christmas tree O Christmas tree, only 9 sleeps to go...