On The Fifth Day of Christmas...Fiona Harper

On the fifth day of Christmas Fiona Harper decorates the RNA tree...

I love a lot of my Christmas decorations. Some because they’re special – like the miniature painted wooden toys that belonged to my grandmother – and some just because they’re pretty, but my absolute favourite are the home-made orange and clove decorations I make with my daughters every couple of years. They’re not the most stunning of tree ornaments, just a slice of orange with cloves studded in the rind and a bit of ribbon pushed through the middle and tied in a bow, but they’re my favourites.

This year my youngest daughter helped me make them, and we sat and chatted and watched a film on the television while we carefully pierced the edges of a few thick orange slices with the sharp end of some whole cloves. The weather outside was grey and drizzly and the fire was on, and the lights of the Christmas tree were twinkling away. It was the first time this year that I stopped rushing around and had a peaceful Christmas ‘moment’. Once we’d done our studding the orange slices went into a very low oven and dried out for the next couple of hours.

The reason these are my absolute favourite decorations…? Well, my eldest daughter put it best when she came downstairs, opened the living room door and exclaimed, “It smells like Christmas in here!”

Fiona's latest book...

This Christmas, ex-WAG Louise Thornton is starting her new life, away from the paparazzi - and her cheating husband. Un-manicured, back on carbs and holding herself together courtesy of some seriously good foundation, Louise will make things perfect for her son, right up until he leaves for his dad's on the big day. Then she'll be free to curl up and cancel Christmas.

But it turns out escaping the fame goldfish bowl comes with some perks:
peace and quiet, no baying press, plus regular battles with her Mr Darcy-esque new neighbour to keep her edge. And the best thing about a real,
country Christmas is that there's always lots of mistletoe to be found."