As I'm sat writing this week's blog, out of my office window, I can see the snow covering my front lawn. To my right is a roll of wrapping paper and to my left, a bag of presents. It's definitely beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
Over the weekend I did a thing, I wasn't going to, but I was suddenly taken by the urge and thought bugger it! I decided to put my Christmas Tree up.
Now before anyone does the "it's too early, it's November" moan at me, I refer you to my blog from last week and respectfully say, I didn't come to your house and put your tree up.
Ever since me and my sister Lucy were little decorating the tree was a big deal. My dad would always insist that we put it up on the first Sunday in December and it was something we'd all do together. Nat King Cole and Dean Martin's Christmas album would play on the stereo, there'd be mince pies and mulled wine.
Dad was in charge of lights and tinsel, mum in handing out the baubles and me and Lucy would put them on the tree. When they were all on, we'd kiss the angel and dad would place her at the top of the tree.
My grandpa had bought my mum and dad the angel for their first Christmas and when Lucy and I moved into our own houses, dad bought us each our first angels.
After mum and dad died, Lucy and I split the family Christmas decorations. We decided that the tree at my house would be "the family tree" and I had all the decorations from our childhood.
The truth is nothing on my tree really matches, I'm not one of these that has a theme, or a colour, the theme is Trinder. The decorations are ones that come from my childhood, ones I've picked up on my travels, ones that relate to the furry Ts or just ones I like. There's no rhyme or reason!
My favourite decoration is Red Whisker. He's a small red mouse, not particularly Christmassy and if I'm honest, I have no idea where he came from or when we got him.
When we were little dad would tell us stories about the Nogglers, who were always fighting an evil witch who loved at the top of the mountain in Noggler Land. The witch had a sidekick, a red mouse called Red Whisker who would tell the Nogglers what the evil witch was up to. We both loved these stories.
Every year, Lucy and I would fight about who got to put Red Whisker on the tree and there would have to be photographic evidence so that we took it in turns.
Red Whisker now officially lives with me.
I've developed my own tradition of watching "Arthur Christmas" as I decorate my tree, I love that film.
On Sunday evening, I unashamedly sat basking in the twinkly lights of my Tree and watched Christmas films and it made me happy.
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