Merry Christmas, Happy Solstice

Humble Season's greetings from Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

This is our only decoration and with 40 cm high it's enough. Placed upstairs in the Chef's apartment. I found it across the street last November or so including working lights but just left it in the hallway. Man found it and took it without asking, the stinker. But it's fine with me. Up here we look at it together at least. Bad picture without flash but to show the lights.

He had one without lights before that he had found years ago. That one had the cute musical instruments. That he now added to the lit tree that only had a few tiny balls. Top star I had somewhere, most likely found in some trashed bag with small things. Pic with flash here to show details.

Note: Bastet statue, bought. We love it. Globe, curb found last year. Wall, to be repainted.

No more big trees for me as I had in the past. To much hassle and I lack place. I still have this one in storage and it will have to go sooner or later. As well as the one my friend left me in 2003! I'm afraid they're not good enough to resell. I gave away a lot of the decorations already too.

I'm not against decorations as such. The tree as a symbol of the returning light and growing season, as in ancient times celebrated by the Germanics, makes sense to me. Perhaps some day in the future, I may do a rescued live tree again.

I just hope that more and more people will realize that we are pushed by commerce to buy more and new stuff every year. My parents had two boxes that came from the attic every year. Only broken or really old things were replaced.

On our last sales day before closing until the new year, a young man came to bring a box full of near new balls to the thrift shop saying I don't need them anymore. My collegue asked: no more decorations? His reply: we decided on a new colour. Need I say more?