Category: blog

the magic of film

As a treat in the Christmas holidays me and my family went to see the film Hugo by Martin Scorsese. It was a hit with all of us. The film was a visual feast.  The settings of the railway station, a snowy, wintery Paris, and the details of early 1930’s fashions, the automata and toy shop were beautifully filmed. The story was intriguing and compelling and it reminded me how much I am enchanted by the films of Georges Melies. I haven’t read the book on which the film is based but I plan to track down a copy.

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A clip from one of Melies best known films.

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baubles, fairy lights, holly and ivy

Christmas is a time of traditions for me, both old and new, and my Christmas decorations are part of these traditions. Every year I think I might just put up some different decorations, perhaps something a bit more contemporary or decorate in a different colour scheme. However, I am very attached to my Christmas decorations, some of which have been passed down from my grandma and many were gifts. There are baubles that I bought for my children’s first Christmases, stockings and an advent calendar I made when the children were young and lovely vintage baubles I found in a charity shop.

Decorations have found their way on to our windows and these we do make new each year. This year there are fir trees and snow flakes on the front room window. We made the snowflakes from junk mail inspired by this post.

I always have evergreens, holly and ivy, fir and yew in the house for Christmas. Collecting greenery or ‘scrumping’ as it’s known in our family has been a Christmas tradition for me since I was a little girl. You might be wondering why I’m writing about Christmas decorations and traditions at this time but for me Christmas isn’t over yet. I don’t start putting up my decorations until the week before Christmas and they stay up until twelfth day (6th January), just another tradition.

(click on images to enlarge)