Aussies don't always get the dates right. So they put up their Christmas trees on the 1st of December.
They are mostly fake so no shedding dramas there (does a tree shed?).
Back when I was a kid we usually had a dog or a cat that wanted to get a good back rub on the Christmas tree. They always ended up covered in pine needles and very, extremely unhappy, yet covered in a fabulous, festive scent.
In my parents home there was also this unwritten rule of putting that much chocolate and candy on the Christmas tree its twigs bent downwards. Mum and Dad always liked putting a few cheeky rum balls and chocolate covered little liqueur bottles (yes, this exists in Austria) right on the top of the tree. They never ate them quick enough though, and whenever us kids had made our way through the caloric thunderstorm that was the bottom of our Christmas tree we accidentally went on to eat those damn liqueur bottles. The chocolate was nice, but what was hiding inside made my eyes water a little. I was able to handle creme de menthe from a surprisingly young age. This might explain my fondness of alcoholic beverages throughout my teenage years. And my fondness of mint ice cream.
Or nothing at all. Who knows? Do you?
Stories of my life.
