Above: our stockings, hung on the bottom of Mom and Dad's bed.Below: our Christmas tree with Abby's leg as a size comparison.
MADRID
"I like this one," I say, pointing to a foot-tall (including the pot) light green tree.
MADRID"I like this one," I say, pointing to a foot-tall (including the pot) light green tree.
"That's much too small, it won't fit any of our ornaments. I liked the one I saw in the shop window on our way," Mom says.
"But it was fake, I will not have a fake tree."
"Well, we can look some more, but this one's definitely too small." We're standing outside a florist shop near our apartment in Madrid. It's the 22nd, and we're looking for a Christmas tree. Unfortunatley, there aren't any Christmas tree lots in the city, and all the table decoration ones are too small to fit our five ornaments.
The next day we set off on a walk around the city. We come across the Plaza Mayor which is full of stalls, all selling figures for belen (see previous blog post) and other Christmas decor. We look hopefully around the edge at the stalls with moss for the belen and trees. Again, the trees are either much too small or adorned with fake snow (which in my opinion is even worse than having a fake tree).
Finally, we come across a stall with lots plastic trees hanging upside down. We settle on one about 1 1/2 feet tall with a little stand and a few light green tips to its needles (to make it look as though it's fresh and growing ?!?) I was very disappointed that we stooped low enough to buy a plastic tree, but it was either fake or none at all. For the rest of the day Abby carried around our tree wrapped in two plastic bags.
When we got back to our apartment we erected our miniature tree and put on our five star ornaments, which had been brought from California. We also put up a banana leaf creche we had bought in Tanzania this summer. Abby made a paper chain out of wrapping paper (the only type we could find that didn't have Disney princesses or Bob the Builder on it). By Christmas Eve our little apartment was looking quite festive. We hung our stocking at the end of Mom and Dad's bed, and piled a small mound of presents around the tree (they wouldn't fit underneath). After a lovely soup dinner we went to sleep with visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads.
"But it was fake, I will not have a fake tree."
"Well, we can look some more, but this one's definitely too small." We're standing outside a florist shop near our apartment in Madrid. It's the 22nd, and we're looking for a Christmas tree. Unfortunatley, there aren't any Christmas tree lots in the city, and all the table decoration ones are too small to fit our five ornaments.
The next day we set off on a walk around the city. We come across the Plaza Mayor which is full of stalls, all selling figures for belen (see previous blog post) and other Christmas decor. We look hopefully around the edge at the stalls with moss for the belen and trees. Again, the trees are either much too small or adorned with fake snow (which in my opinion is even worse than having a fake tree).
Finally, we come across a stall with lots plastic trees hanging upside down. We settle on one about 1 1/2 feet tall with a little stand and a few light green tips to its needles (to make it look as though it's fresh and growing ?!?) I was very disappointed that we stooped low enough to buy a plastic tree, but it was either fake or none at all. For the rest of the day Abby carried around our tree wrapped in two plastic bags.
When we got back to our apartment we erected our miniature tree and put on our five star ornaments, which had been brought from California. We also put up a banana leaf creche we had bought in Tanzania this summer. Abby made a paper chain out of wrapping paper (the only type we could find that didn't have Disney princesses or Bob the Builder on it). By Christmas Eve our little apartment was looking quite festive. We hung our stocking at the end of Mom and Dad's bed, and piled a small mound of presents around the tree (they wouldn't fit underneath). After a lovely soup dinner we went to sleep with visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads.
One of my favorite parts of the holidays is decorating the house, so I was glad we got to do it on a small scale this year. It was fun to scrape together a tree and some wrapping paper to create a traditional Christmas, but to be able to experience the Spanish customs as well.
Lily
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