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| Richmond's famous convict bridge (1823) |
I have had not one, but two visits to Richmond in the last week or two. We've had appalling weather for at least a month, so the first time the sun managed to struggle out from behind the clouds, #1 granddaughter gathered me up and drove me Richmond for afternoon tea. One by-product of the weather we've been having was that everything was lovely and green, something which I have rarely seen in this area.
Richmond was its usual charming self. It's Australia’s oldest intact Georgian village and has quaint cottages and stately homes, a historic bridge, a river with ducks, several vineyards and eateries and its historic goal. It took me a long time to realise that much of what we admire in Tasmania today would not have been possible without the toil, misery and free labour of convicts.
I had planned to visit one of two Christmas tree farms in this area, but one wasn’t open yet and the other hadn’t yet put up its Christmas decorations, so there wasn’t a lot to see. I always thought running a Christmas tree farm would be an ideal job where you'd only had to work a couple of weeks a year, but apparently that is not so. Steph, the owner of the Coal Valley Christmas Tree Farm told me that there's always plenty of planting, watering and pruning to be done. Noticing that I was a bit disappointed, she suggested visiting the Christmas shop in Richmond, which I hadn’t heard of before. Not many other people had either so by the time we found it, it had closed for the day.
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| There wasn't a lot to see at the Christmas Farm yet |
The next time it wasn't raining or blowing a gale, a friend and I went back. We had a lovely time poking around in all the little shops looking for prospective Christmas presents and finished off with a picnic in the park. With a bit of help we also managed to find the Christmas shop and what a stunner it was.
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| The Christmas Shop is so discreet that many of the locals didn't know it was there either |
A Cornucopia of Christmas
Housed in what appeared to be an old granary with some doorways so low even I had to duck, there were three floors and a mezzanine or two, full of all things Christmas – assorted Santas, elves, Christmas trees, wreaths, a bevvy of angels and decorations from many different countries and traditions. These are not your cheap dollar shop knockoffs. There are $50 hand blown Turkish glass ornaments here.
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| Many different Christmas traditions come together here |
I've been reading about how this year’s Christmas décor is all minimalist and we are in a time of austerity for many, but you would not guess that here. It is the (North) polar opposite - opulence, richness, excess. Altogether like that, it looks like a Baz Luhrmann film set. Think "The Great Gatsby" or "Strictly Ballroom." It speaks of the theatrical, the grand, even of a little decadence - yet it isn't necessarily about affluence or conspicuous consumption.
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| I loved the "too muchness" of it all - it spoke of abundance and plenty |
As one whose childhood Christmases were all minimalist, but not by choice, it reminds me of the wonder I felt upon seeing Myer’s windows at Christmas. With their fairy tale themes and mechanical figures, there was the sense that no expense had been spared to give people and especially children, a magical experience, and one which everyone could enjoy regardless of whether they had money or not.
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| I'm not sure if this is an Eastern European Santa |
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| Christmas would not be complete without a big "Little Tin Soldier" |
Lovely though minimalism is, you don’t get that sense of enchantment with modern décor. Nor is about those flimsy decorations you throw out each year when the fashion changes. I see it rather more like the two hand -painted, hand -blown glass birds which my sister and I had and which were carefully unwrapped from their tissue paper each year, bringing with them a sense of continuity and memories of family Christmases past.
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| These elves and gnomes are among my personal favourites |
The Christmas shop is open all year round so don’t worry if you can’t make it at Christmas. Richmond does have a number of other tourist attractions too such as the Pooseum, the Model Village and all kinds of interesting shops.
It might be a bit late for this year, but how about a Reverse Advent Calendar. Instead of you getting a choccy each day, you put out a box with some type of goodie in it and put something different in each day – tins of food, warm clothes if seasonally appropriate, a hand made gift, a book – something which will bring cheer to someone during the festive season.
Lots of other good things happening at this site if you need cheering up.
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