The New Murrey and Blue blog

No, don’t crane your necks! It’s supposed to be upside down, as you’ll see at this site, from which the extract below is taken:-

“….Every year as December rolls in, some 2 billion people start to feel the Christmas cheer. While the celebration is primarily a Christian one honouring the birth of Jesus, its traditions merge with the beliefs and customs of a whole host of ancient cultures – gift-giving and feasts from the Romans; wreaths and evergreen trees from the pagans; cooked turkey from Native Americans; and the Yule log from Old Norse traditions. There are also numerous lesser-known traditions like Wassailing, Mumming, and the Upside-Down Christmas Tree!….”

Well, of course, some of these weren’t around in our medieval period, not least the turkey from North America. And while evergreens were indeed brought into houses and churches, the Christmas tree in Britain is down to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. It came from Germany, where it had been around for a long time, but it was novel to us. As for hanging it upside-down, well that’s a new one on me too.

It’s a pleasant thought to be seated in a rosy glow beneath my upside-down tree enjoying an egg nog….  The rosy glow is due the yule log I’m seated next to, of course. Of course! 😉