Holidays
‘Tis tree season: Festive grandma left Christmas tree up for nearly a year
By Hamish Morrison via SWNS
A festive gran left her Christmas tree up for nearly a year.
Gran-of-two, Pavola Slessor, 48, put her plastic Christmas tree up on December 13, 2020 with the intention of taking it down after lockdown.
But she found it was giving her moods a boost and delayed it beyond April.
“It started as a joke and I usually keep it up for the 12 days and then take it back down again, I’ve always done that. But this year I just started saying to folk I’d keep it up until the end of lockdown," Pavola said.
“Lockdown came and went and it kind of dwindled out, it was March, then it was April and I thought, I’ll just keep it up.
“It just became a standing joke and I still switch the lights on it every night. It just gives you that nice Christmas feeling."
The mom-of-one has been branded 'the crazy Christmas tree lady' and teased kids trick-or-treating for Halloween that she believed it was Christmas already.
“I got tagged in Facebook posts about ‘the crazy Christmas tree lady,'" she said.
“There were people saying they wish they had done it. Then there were people who had done it too.
“One of the funny comments I got was: ‘She needs sectioned.'
"Mostly people just say ‘Oh my God, you still have your tree up!’
“I had the guisers at Halloween and I pretended to them I thought it was Christmas time. It’s in the front hall, so as soon as I open the door, there it is.”
After a washout Christmas last year where she missed seeing some of her family, Pavola has a special Christmas planned this year, with her baby grandson Myles, who was born in October.
“Last year was quiet, the full family wasn’t there. People were still wary," she said.
“It will be my grandson Myles’ first Christmas."
Daughter Stacey, 30, and grandson Cody, 11, will celebrate along with her dad Pete ,74, who was shielding last year due to his age.
“I love Christmas, it’s a great time of the year, but with COVID, everybody has just been down in the dumps," said Pavola, who works as a home carer.
“They lifted restrictions for a couple of days last year and then took it away from us again."
She is hoping to have more time for things like present wrapping this year, although she is ahead of the game already due to shopping for gifts all year round.
She said: “I’ve already got Christmas presents wrapped, I buy through the year, so I’ll still get that Christmas feeling.”