Posted on by susurrus

Festive Fun: Decorating The Blog For Christmas

Crimson flowers with yellow streaks forming a star

It may seem far too early, but cut me some slack: I’ve decided this blog needs some festive cheer. Not the cheer-on-a-loop designed to sell things, but pure, just-for-the-fun-of-it cheer. In this post, I’ll be putting up some festive blornaments (= blog ornaments; see definition at the foot of this post). Alternative ones.

For my first blornaments, stars, I’ve chosen the annuals pictured above, which I found tumbling from a hanging basket at The Southport Flower Show and preserved in pixels to brighten a moment. To my way of thinking, if the flowers featuring the stars are miniature trumpets, so much the better. 

Tiny tomatoes on the vine with a larger tomato for scale

Next I’m adding the natural red and green baubles of Tomato ‘Red Currant’, from the same show. These little orbs are as shiny as can be, and as my sweetheart says “when you’re tired of looking at them, you can eat them”. The real ones, that is, not the blornament version.

Blue, bell-shaped flowers held on slender stems

For bells, I offer you the wild harebells we found waving on wiry stems near my favourite pond in Lancashire. Though lavender-blue, I can imagine them making the same pure silvery notes as the sleigh bells that ring when Father Christmas arrives (the sound always brings back memories of reluctantly going up to bed on Christmas Eve after setting out his glass of milk and mince pie).

Old wooden barrel with foliage plants

Then I’m adding a garland – English ivy will do the trick. If coleus and heuchera bring their colour to the party, the more, the merrier. And we need tassels. It’s the rule. Campanula ‘Pink Octopus’ – your moment has arrived!

Campanula with long petals, making it look like an octopus

For tinsel and lights, you’ll have to work with me a little. If I had firefly pictures, it would have been a cinch but as it is…

Spikes of starry white flowers topped with pink buds

…tiarella flower spikes will be my lights, the tiny pink buds clustering at the top of each spike adding a warm, festive glow…

Fern with silver and burgundy fronds

… and painted ferns will be my tinsel. Ok, it’s a stretch, but who said that tinsel ought to be long, thin strips? Everyone? Are you sure?

Spanish moss draped over a shrub

My sweetheart (seeing this and being less appreciative of the painted fern tinsel than I might have hoped) suggested his Spanish Moss would make better tinsel, with nandina berries as lagniappe. I’ll let you be the judge.

Cluster of brightly coloured gladiolus flowers

Finally, (you were afraid this was never going to end, weren’t you?) a fairy for the blog equivalent of the top of the tree. There are plenty to go around, so you can pick out any fairy you like, provided she’s pink. They’re not the plastic kind, so don’t forget to put her in a glass of water, or she’ll wilt.

Definition

Blornament
Blor-na-ment

noun
Small thing used to decorate a blog that has no practical purpose other than to make it attractive.

plural noun: blornaments
verb: to blornament

44 Replies to “Festive Fun: Decorating The Blog For Christmas”

  2. How jolly. I’m in no way ready for Christmas yet, but for such lovely natural adornments, I’m prepared to enjoy them for what they are.

  4. What a great idea! I particularly like the tomatoe baubles! Festive colours and edible!!

    1. Not quite the traditional green and red, but I could get used to it! I suppose if these were made into real life ornaments, they’d be accompanied by brussel sprouts and roast potato halves.

  11. Blornament! Brilliant! I particularly love the verb form! This is inspired, from petunia star to tiarella light, and I hope blornamenting catches on. It truly captures the spirit of the season, which, I fear, gets away from me too easily. And, besides blornament, another new word for me: lagniappe! Thank you!

  12. How very clever and so much nicer than man-made fakery. I love your idea of Christmas decorations and I love the painted fern! Three cheers for blornaments – hip hip hooray!!

    1. I did wonder as I was writing it whether I was going to take anyone along with me on this one, so your enthusiastic, getting-into-the-spirit of it response was especially welcome.

Comments are closed.