A favourite Christmas decoration

I have posts, posts, posts in mind for this blog. Things are a little bit hectic here, so I'll delay them even more, except for this, a gorgeous little Christmas decoration I discovered at our local Trade Aid shop last week.

This is a real heirloom decoration, I think. At about $16 it's one of the most expensive tree decorations I've bought. In fact this one is a gift for a lucky friend.

But compared to the cheap plastic ones, I think it is utterly worth it. It's been hand made by someone who has set up a business to sustain his or her family, and just needs appreciative buyers like us. It's giving aid via trade instead of one-off donations that might feed a family once, unlike a business that will feed the family long-term. And it gives me such pleasure, this cute little half-dome scene!

The stock in Trade Aid impressed me more than ever before. It used to all be so wildly ethnic that the only thing I really wanted was some rose soap. Now there are divine light fittings, floor rugs,quilts and more that look as good as anything at somewhere like Freedom Furniture, are cheaper and far, far better quality. Have a look some time!