Decorating The Christmas Wreath.

It is not that difficult.

Granted, my last thirty Christmas's were celebrated in hot and blistering weather with Father Christmas still sporting a beard yet being sporty in shorts ( some daring ones even in swimming trunks ). Lounging around the swimming pool after scrumptious X-Mas lunches really only left enough energy to admire the various X-Mas Decorations.

Until I moved here last year, I had never even thought of trying to make X-Mas things myself. Once I helped with it, some distant memories of doing craft at Kindergarten resurfaced. Along with it came the anticipation of Christmas. The one with snow, Gluehwein, a tree full of presents and a sighting of Father Christmas's red pants !

This whole week, our Community center has turned into command central for the Village X-mas elves...yes, us. It sounds like a lot of work, but it's a great week of camaraderie, meeting people and just having a jolly good time. After having helped the first day with making the wreath base, I helped a few mornings decorating a few of them.

Creativity is not one of my strengths, but they made it look so easy. There was no pressure as we could do up the wreath mainly to our own taste. Obviously there were a few guidelines, to avoid some of the wreath looking like " Oh my God, what happened here " and running the risk of being left on the sales shelf..

Doing it step by step was a life safer for me. Putting candles, then bows and finally gluing various ornaments to match the colour - schemes. The work was not without ' danger ' as there were lots of spiky things and a hot glue gun.

The latter had it in for me. It seems stupid to be caught out by it, but throughout the mornings I had small, rather insignificant, yet decidedly ' Ouch ' encounters with the glue gun, culminating in ' branding ' myself on my finger. I am convinced that I could almost hear the sizzle, just like when the cows get branded. My own fault, as I was most likely chatting and not watching where the hot glue was getting stuck to....my finger !

After seeing the battle scars of the seasoned decorators, I felt a little bit less stupid. At next years event I will be a whiz with the hot glue gun and hopefully also with everything else. Life is just dandy, here in our part of Burgenland...

Biggi

My 'Green ' theme...

One morning's work...the three that are on the black bag.