The birds of Christmas

[shewhomust]

You'd think that taking down the Christms cards was the end of the story, but no: this is when I really enjoy them. Perhaps if I were better organised I'd be excited as the early arrivals trickle in, a sign that Chritmas really is approaching in; instead I feel guilt that we haven't sent - and this year, haven't even bought - our cards yet. The trickle becomes a flood, and I barely even have time to open the ones addressed specifically to me; durham_rambler takes charge, and opens the bulk of the cards, and arranges them around the sitting room. This sounds grouchy, but it's temporary: I like sending and receiving cards, I like seeing them around the place, and now that it's all over I get a chance to enjoy them.

My initial impression was that the dominant theme was birds, not necessarily those traditionally associated with Christmas, and yes, that still seems to be the case. We have:

Birds traditionally associated with Christmas:

• Two partridges in pear trees - oddly, the more realistic partridge is actually sitting in a wreath, the more stylised is in a peartree (equally stylised)


• Two doves of peace with olive branch (one solo, one accompanied by two branchless doves)


• Four solo robins (one pop-up, which is good, but with glitter, bad) and a wreath of seven robins

Birds not traditionally associated with Christmas:

• An assortment of garden birds, trying to claim relevance by including a robin, but also a wren, a couple of tits and - I think - a sparrow,


• a charm of goldfinches (twice)


• a kingfisher (in a snowy setting, but I'd definitely file it under birds)


• two owls, one of which is one of my favourites, and I don't know why I'm not finding it on the internet


• a family of emperor penguins: my mind offers me a soundtrack of the Four Yorkshiremen (a stable? we dreamed of a stable...). But I can't complain, since we also sent penguins: ours were having fun in the snow or what looked like fun...

Animals:

• Two Christmas reindeer, one tiny on a red background (from the newsagent); one Santa on a rocking reindeer, captioned 'Reindeer Rodeo'


• Deer, species uncertain, but definitely Christmassy because they are in the snow, three;


• Other animals in the snow: an otter, a fox, two highland cows. Plus a hare and crescent moon: does the moon stand in for the snow?


• A cat, not actually in the snow (cats have more sense), but sitting comfortably looking out at the snow,


• A friend sends a photograph of her dogs - but I'll count that with the 'home made' cards, I think.

Home-made cards:

There were ten of these altogether; I hadn't realised there were so many until I started sorting cards for this post (which in itself justifies the whole excercise).

• In addition to those dogs, there are two other photographs: one snowman and one idiosyncratic assembly of miniatures (a much-anticipated annual treat).


• Two artist's prints, one including another bird (some sort of corvid?); or maybe three: who painted this view of Durham?


• three collages, of which two incorporating hand-made paper


• and one hand-stamped.

Snow scenes:

• Four village streets - oh, actually, one of these was sent by the artist, too! And one has Santa on his sleigh flying overhead.


• People doing things in the snow: Peanuts carol singing, Japanese ladies visiting, vintage children gathering holly.

Other:

• Seven Christmas trees, of various degrees of realism, stylisation, decoration - only two of them in the snow.


• Two snowdrops in snow.


• Four gardening forks in the snow - each one topped with a candle, because these are "Four Candles..."


• Random Christmas themes: a bauble, a mistletoe wreath, elements of a Christmas dinner, three ships sailing (actually three boats, under a star)


• a Scottish themed card by artist Stewart Bremner,


• and just four traditional nativity scenes, all from traditional art: an illuminated capital from a fifteenth century manuscript, a panel from the ceiling of Ely cathedral (Victorian?) and two Old-Master paintings, neither of which I recognise.

So the birds are, as I suspected, definitely in the majority.

Now, is there anywhere local I can recycle these? Not all of them, there are some I'd like to keep, but most of them can go, if only I can find somewhere for them to go to...