Cones for Christmas

I am useless at identifying certain trees. Even internet searches don't help. There are so many varieties plus the fact that female trees often differ to males. A bit like humans, when you think about it! The above picture is a Fir ... although (apparently) that name covers all sorts of pine and other varieties. It is a dominant tree at the end of my garden ... I just call it the Christmas tree for I feel sure it was planted after a festive season of years gone by. It is huge and appears to be trying hard to reach the heavens. The cones are lovely (see next picture) and the squirrel only wrecks an occasional one when he needs to sharpen his teeth. They are quite decorative (the cones, not the Squirrel's teeth) round about Christmas time. 

The next picture shows a tree that is one of many lining one side of the garden. They belong to our neighbour but we get the benefit on our side of the fence. The birds hang out in these trees because of their close proximity to their feeding station. Anything to oblige! The name of this tree is also a mystery. For years I thought it was a white cedar but when I checked on the internet I couldn't find a white cedar that looked like ours. 

As you can see this also has cones. Tiny ones that turn brown in winter. I have in the past decorated the house with sprays of greenery while the cones are fresh. They make the house smell wonderful and very Christmassy. I might fill a few vases this year since it's a lot easier than hanging Christmas decorations. 

What do you use to decorate the house at Christmastime? My chief aim is to display all the lovely Christmas cards we receive. I arrange them on framed paintings and on some of my decoupage pictures. I put them on doors and walls and shelves, coffee tables and other surfaces that we won't need to use for a couple of weeks. The rooms are colourful and smell great, thanks to the cones and greenery from the so-called cedar.