John Lewis Christmas department - is it me?

[Gingernaut]

Have they gone for the outright bonkers?

The decorations are themed by colour.

Green/peacock, pale pink, white, red and russet.

Each set of beautifully made glass baubles contain odd additions.

Green for example has avocados, asparagus, onions, wellington boots, greenhouses, Santa as a gardener and a floret of broccoli.

Red has a roast turkey and all the trimmings, a turkey staring straight at you with a full fan tail, a cook book, bacon and eggs in a frying pan, a chocolate Yule log and a pork pie, complete with red berry.

Russet has a caravan and a variety of toadstools.

Tinsel, decorative objects and tree skirts all coordinate.

Who's going to buy all this?

Who's buying a gigantic bauble filled with feathers (white)?

Who's buying a garland consisting of folksy pom-poms and bells?

My Christmas tree has been 'embarrassingly' kitschy for years, borne out of the fact that once upon a time I couldn't afford to splash out on a whole collection of colour coordinated and/or themed decorations all in one go. Instead, I tended to buy stuff in post Christmas sales where it was more hit and miss so decided I'd go for the 'unusual' as my 'theme'.

I'm recent years that 'bonkers' look has become far more mainstream.... Paperchase for example has been doing it for ages. I went in John Lewis yesterday and was immediately struck by how similar there stock was to my tree this year.... came out with a grasshopper and a snail!

Their, not there obviously!

I'm allowed to buy one new bauble each year (I accepted this rule in light of increasing pressure on available storage space and DH sanity).

This year I'm expecting our first baby so I got this one. www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-partners-abc-penguin-family-bauble/p4131178 . And cried about it, thanks to hormones.

We don't have a tree theme, unless it's "homage to 1980s mismatched multicoloured family Christmas".

I love the JL jellyfish bauble, but it has sold out. This one made me laugh, so I may pop in this week for the blue version.

Santa in a spaceship 😂 I love them, I'm going to buy a couple

I saw the penguin one and thought it would be perfect for anyone having/recently had their first child. Sadly here there woukd be a row about who had been left out. 🙄

I cried over all sorts whilst pregnant. That bauble is definitely something which would've tipped me over the edge! 😄

Tablecloth that's adorable, I was looking for a bauble for a new mum work colleague, this would be perfect. I adore all the glass baubles, they remind me of my grandmother's tree. Shes in her 90s now and still has a 1930s 3ft tree handed down from her mother adorned with the original unique glass decorations, all different and wouldn't look out of place in JL.

@boatyardblues.... JL in Milton Keynes still had jellyfish yesterday if that's any help? They might be able to post them to you?

The aubergine 🍆 is a bit questionable but lots of the rest are amazing. Scheduling a trip in now next week 😂

I think I agree op. The aubergine made me feel a bit icky and for some reason I hate the garlic.

The London ones I love though!

We were in JL last week (Solihull) & some of them were really bonkers & gave us a giggle.

I have bears and sausage dogs on my tree.

I like bears and sausage dogs.

We have random baubles.

I’m cross that we forgot to go to the Christmas shop in Disneyland Paris this summer, but we always choose one each from somewhere like JL to add to the collection each year.

Ah yes. How could I forget the jellyfish?

JL in Birmingham had them.

And the dyed feather humming birds and the little dyed feather robins that come with little crocodile clips so they can 'perch' on branches.

DD and I spent a happy half hour in there yesterday admiring the bonkers garlic, aubergine and other random things. I really liked the greenhouse one.

You've just reminded me, I need lights!

I do like the greenhouse one too. But camping Santa? He doesn't have time to camp! Crazy

I like to get a decoration that represents what our family have been doing or interested in over the previous year, so decorating the tree each year we get nice reminders of our past. Which reminds me, I need to make a pokeball bauble for DS, because there don't seem to be any nice ones online.

I might have to get the garlic for DH- we both love it but he's going mad recently adding garlic paste to everything, so he'd appreciate that!

Rather than expecting customers to newly deck out a whole tree every year, I think JL see that people will happily spend £10-£20 on a bauble or two that makes them smile or says something about them or their family to add to their existing decorations. Suddenly it turns into a tradition that you get a whacky or funny bauble for the tree every year, which makes JL £££.

little dyed feather robins that come with little crocodile clips so they can 'perch' on branches.

Were these not popular in the 80s? my mum has lots of birds that clip on.

I was in the JL Christmas shop the other day, I loved it! The rainbow, strawberry and caravan baubles are now on my wish list. I did think the 🍆 was a bit though!

So, Basingstoke, Newbury or Reading for the best JL Christmas Range?

Thanks Cats

@Tableclothing that’s perfect for your family 😊. Given how good Daddy Penguins are with their babies hopefully it’ll be a good omen!