Christmas Creativity

With great reluctance, I cut down my lovely paper birch tree in the front garden—not solely to make Christmas yule logs, of course, but to widen our driveway. I borrowed my partner’s drill and, after a bit of instruction, managed to create the holes for the candles.

Next, I used soapy water and a sponge to clean away any grime on the wood. I had never used a glue gun before, and needless to say, I burned the tip of my finger; I can be a little clumsy at times. After that, I decided to abandon the glue gun altogether and switch to a staple gun—much safer for me!

Waiting until the week before the Brockagh Christmas Market in Laragh, I gathered foliage from my garden that I thought would last through the holidays. I have a tall columnar yew (Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata Robusta’) and a holly tree, both species that keep well and don’t wither quickly.

Armed with festive ribbon, twine, faux red berries, a few props like miniature wicker baskets, a dog motif, snow spray, my sewing box, and some pine cones, I got to work on the design.

I spent several enjoyable evenings creating the yule logs, and now I’m ready to present them at the local market—just in time to share a little Christmas cheer!