An alternative Christmas tree

Made by Mary

Jonni has asked me to share pictures of my Christmas tree in case there are others who are finding it difficult to get a traditional tree as they are deemed unessential in areas under lockdown.

I have made a Christmas tree every year since retiring to Greece, as I don’t really like artificial Trees and the real ones are way too expensive. My husband and I are reclaiming a wild and neglected plot and are trying to make a garden. This means we have a lot of branches and twigs created by the heavy pruning we have to do to try to bring our trees under control. We use a lot of this wood to fuel our woodburner, but I held back a few branches this time to make this tree.

It is constructed from three main olive branches that were cut and screwed together using metal brackets to hold it on a plywood base. I used paper mache clay to fill in the gaps and disguise the joins. This is the largest of my trees so far, so this year I didn’t paint it. I spent a day with a hot glue gun, sticking bits of greenery and pine cones to the branches instead. I added gold coloured plastic leaves to add a bit of sparkle. It did take time, but cost me next to nothing as the decorations are mostly old ones that I add to each year.

If you don’t have access to branches, you can also make smaller versions using twigs. I have added a picture of last years tree too that was made from a dead almond bush! I painted it and covered it with glitter.

At the end of the season I strip the tree of all the reusable parts and the tree itself is burnt.

I hope this will inspire you to make an alternative tree this year if you cant get hold of a real one.