Christmas lights – should they stay or should they go?

Every year we seem to accumulate more fairy lights – this year we acquired some gloriously garish multi-coloured ones from an ancient box of Christmas decorations that belonged to my gran.

And, every year, as the decorations come down, I find it hard to part with the joyful sparkle of a string of festive bulbs. Well... should these ones stay or go back in the box until December 2016?

They were a cheering antidote to the weather today.

Good for highlighting new wall additions too, like this soothing StoryTile, a beautiful gift from my lovely mother-in-law to be.

These two are definitely taking a sabbatical in the garage though.

After lamenting about my boring bauble selection, the tree got given some good treats, including the Christmas knitted prawn, an inspired gift from the super cool neighbours and a handmade stripy twirl, from my old and ever-creative friend Camilla, who used it as part of her gift wrap.

(Check out my Instagram if you'd like to see what was inside the parcel – as well as the amazing tree topper the neighbours also gave us.)

Are you hanging onto any festive remnants? And shall I keep the 1980s lights up all-year? Your thoughts are most welcome, as ever, in the comments below.


Nb. If you've noticed the layout of the blog has gone a little peculiar, forgive it. A behind-the-scenes facelift is underway but is causing a few glitches along the way. Short-lived ones... bear with me. Oh and happy new year!