Latest Christmas Trends

Have you heard the latest? Christmas trends come and go – but keeping up with the Joneses must also include incorporating the latest Christmas trends in your family traditions.

However, a close look at 2006 Christmas themes will indicate that most of them are nothing save for traditional themes jazzed up to appear as good as new. For instance, one notes that a trend obtaining in recent years was using a real tree, rotted in its own pot, rather than an artificial one. A nice way of dressing mutton as lamb, perhaps…. and making people spend more money in the false belief that they are getting something new.

The reason, or the excuses, for this were many; there was the all-encompassing environmentally-friendly cause – and since artificial trees tend to contain derivatives of petroleum-related chemicals, this was a brilliant move. Then there was the sensuality of it all – a real tree smells exactly so, and moreover feels great to the touch. Besides, it needs fewer decorations since it may stand on its own both literally and figuratively.
The downside – needles all over the carpet – was offset by the fact that these, thrown onto an outdoor fire when dry, gave off an unequalled scent.

In actual fact, a real tree was what one originally got before the artificiality of plastic took over. In Feng Shui, it is a well-known fact that a pine tree denotes friendship and long life; and here we see, again, a blend of the traditional, modern, and esoteric. So if you want to combine the latest Christmas trends with an amusing anecdote or two, and good taste, chose a tree that will symbolize the three kinds of luck you want in your house not only for Christmas, but through the year – that to do with Heaven, with Earth, and with Mankind. This being the Year of the Pig, you can go the whole hog and place the pot in a large container of water, as close to the front door as possible.

This, as well as giving the tree the required moisture that it will lose in the heated environment of the home (and this will stop as many needles falling, and keep the tree happy), will help you welcome the ‘chi’ (energy) that comes in through the front door.

This is but one simple example of how the latest Christmas trends are enactments of the French proverb that says “the more it changes, the more it remains the same” (plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose).