Cathy Cooper reveals how a surprise tree ‘decoration’ meant she had to pack away her usual collection…
Last December was complete chaos. I hung all my baubles on my old artificial tree, which spends most of its time in a box in the attic, arranged the string of lights and then festooned the whole lot with garlands of tinsel.
I left the room for a few minutes and when I came back, I found the tree swaying violently from side to side and everything on it shaking uncontrollably.
In the middle of the branches, I suddenly spotted two eyes peering out and a paw trying to grab a vintage glass-bead helicopter that I’d once bought in Vienna.
It was time to get the clamps out and secure the tree to the table. All the precious things had to go back in the box and only the wooden ones were left. My tree was now kitten-proof!
This year, with the kitten now older and wiser, I hope to bring the baubles back. I have quite a collection of Christmas decorations, some dating back over 60 years, but I also like to find a new one each year that reflects our modern times.
One of my favourite places for seeking out the luxurious and unusual is Fortnum & Mason in Piccadilly.
Bypassing the counters of dusted chocolate in the shape of hand tools and aisles of fancy musical box biscuit tins, I head straight upstairs to the festive floor. It is a proper winter wonderland with tables piled high with shimmering hand-blown glass globes fit for the most tasteful Norway spruce but I am on a mission to seek out the more kitsch variety that will fit in nicely with my home full of collectibles. The miniature vintage record player is perfect and I leave the store feeling very posh as the uniformed doorman ushers me out.
Closer to home, a great place to buy the weird and wonderful is Mojo in Twickenham’s Church Street. Last year they had a very tempting window display but, with pandemic restrictions in place, no shoppers were allowed inside so it was a matter of pointing out what you wanted through the glass, tapping your card and receiving the packed goods via the door.
In Teddington High Street, The Collecterie is always worth a visit. Once there was a whole array of beetles in jewel-like colours and encrusted with rhinestones but I came away with a character from the Arctic instead.
If the ferry is running and you really want to push the boat out, then a trip over the Thames to Petersham Nurseries is a must to get that festive feeling and perhaps come away with a miniature caravan, a typewriter or a glittery walnut or retro decoration.
In November 2019, I fulfilled a dream and spent a few days in Salzburg visiting the various markets. In the centre of this enchanting Austrian town were shops full of tree decorations and a wonderful museum dedicated to Christmas and how it was celebrated in the past with displays going back to 1840.
My tree is always full of treasures and whatever pleasure I get from it, is nothing compared to the enjoyment my kitten Stella got when she spent her first Christmas with us last year.
This year could be very interesting…
Words & Photos: Cathy Cooper
Twickenham Wildlife Photographer