When you enter into the foyer section, you'll be met with the fine sound of the Carolers hitting all the high notes.
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| Foyer section of The Garlic Tree |
They and their Lyrics Sheet Stand are stationed at the door to give the customers a hearty welcome. A Christmas tree is obviously a must in this area, so the Snowy Holiday Tree is positioned in the corner, despite having a dusting of snow which makes it more of an outdoor piece. To go with this the walls have been coated in the Illuminated Trees wallpaper, and topped with a number of Carnival Lights. None of these features are new this year; in fact the Carnival Lights isn't even a Christmas item having been included in one of the Carnival updates in the Summer of 2013.
The ever so slightly unusual inclusion in my foyer is the Potted Palm. As far from the Christmas theme as you get, it seems to be playing the role of host. Where are Phoebe and Action Chef Lee? To be continued...
Moving into the main section, and there some 2014 additions included here.
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| Main section of The Garlic Tree |
This year my Christmas centrepiece is the Gilded Tree. I just love how stylish this tree looks, and even at 30 gems in the third Christmas update I just couldn't say no! Surrounded by Golden Italian flooring, I've done all I can to make it look as stunning as possible. The Ornament Ball Counters which were re-released two weeks ago match the golden tones seamlessly too, so overall I'm very pleased with this region.
The Ornament Ball Tables are the natural choice to accompany the counters, making it two years in a row I've opted for the Ornament furnishings. However the Ornament Ball Chair is missing. Costing 2 gems each it was never a plausible buy, but that's no problem as I have found the Balloon Stool to be a perfect substitute. The packed balloons could pass as baubles, and even the yellow tint to the glass matches with the table.
Like with Halloween decorating, I've stored away my Wooden Pillars for a while, with the Blue Tree and Pink Tree standing on the corners of my centrepiece. I bought all four on Black Friday when they were offered really cheaply, without really having any plans at the time for how to use them. In truth I'm slightly frustrated I didn't pick up four copies of the Baroque Column - they would have set me back far more gems, but their sophisticated golden design would have really made my main zone a showstopper!
Nevertheless, the Holiday Choir and Drummer Drumming - both from 2012 - do a fine job of filling out the remainder of my main area. The only other gripe I have is floor related. My usual Elegant tiles are still in use despite not really ticking the Christmassy box, since there's not really any seasonal options which have pulled me in as of yet.
Over in the cosy section, I have got a festive flooring in place.
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| Cosy section of The Garlic Tree |
The Christmas Rug is another old item, and it's not the only one seen here. The Mistletoe Kiss was my premium purchase at Christmas two years ago, and remains one of my favourite Christmas pieces. Having the cute couple standing right in front of the Holiday Fireplace only adds to the romance. I've said it over and over, but the fireplace is such a bargain when offered, reaching a new low of just 7 gems on Black Friday last month.
The Holiday Bear and Festival of Lights work well as filler for the area, and were both purchased when active as limited time offers at the end of November. The Candles and Gran's Phonograph do a similar job while the Cask has been used to fill out junctions in my dividers for a long time, so it's nice to give it a more prominent role for a while.
Christmas 2014
To really convey the cosiness, the Log Cabin wallpaper is in use, and gets two accessories - the Cabin Window and Holiday Lights are also old items which have now been recycled for multiple Christmases at my diner. The Holiday Lights are a particularly cool decoration which a lot of players clamour for during this period. It's a real shame they've not had an airing in the market this year.
To close out this zone, the Saloon Bar from the Old West goals is providing refreshment, and the Lounge Lizard is obliging! Originally there was going to be a greater emphasis on the bar theme in this section with the Pool Table also included, but I'm satisfied with the cosy balance I've ended up with.
Shimmying to the left the kitchen area isn't massively altered for Christmas, although the Gourmet Chef Santa and Snowman Chef have been drafted in due to Action Chef Lee, the 50's Chef and the Swedish Server going AWOL!
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| Kitchen section of The Garlic Tree |
They're dealing with the Christmas service alongside the evergreen workers in the Swedish Kitchen. The only other signs of the season are the Santa Hat Banner added last week and the Joy Sign to the left. Meanwhile one of my buys in the ongoing sale - the Pie Table - will be a permanent resident.
The remaining two indoor festive sections make up for the relatively tranquil kitchen.
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| Santa and New Year sections of The Garlic Tree |
On the other side of the Balloon Dividers there's a lot of noise and excitement! I find it annoying that we don't really get a chance to deck out big time for New Year because it comes so quickly after Christmas, so the solution was to commit an area to New Year throughout December! This idea didn't actually hatch until after I accrued the New Year Party (Black Friday again!) The Bubbly Fountain released last New Year and the Carnival Balloons are right at home at this party, as is the Party Cart added only yesterday. Despite all these goodies, the clear scene grabbers are the many attendees.
This is where Captain Phoebe and co have disappeared to! They're taking some time out to let their hair down and see in 2015 in style! There's a real range of folk at this party, including the Mexican Dancer, Rose Seller and the Jock. Set on a Ruby Red Mosaic floor and with a Sparky Wallpaper and Party Banners in the background, this is sure to be a classic New Year shindig!
It's going to get pretty hot at that party, so you may consider taking a breather outside where there's a nip in the air.
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| Outdoor section of The Garlic Tree |
At the outset of December this area was looking rather forlorn with the Clouds floor tile a substandard attempt at some snow. I'd been desperate for a snowy tile for coins, and thankfully TeamLava obliged with the Reindeer Tracks in the goals update. Mind you there are still some clouds present courtesy of the Cloud Loveseats which do an excellent job of portraying large piles of snow. Also adding some snow to proceedings are the Snowy Field wallpaper and Gingerbread Dividers.
The three floor decorations available exclusively through the goals are all on show. The Reindeer Grove in particular is a superb item which really captures the Christmas feel, but I adore the Christmas Reindeer and North Pole Sign too. The Snow Angels and Giant Snowman also sit in this Winter wonderland nicely.
Speaking of Winter wonderlands, I had a couple of dips in the Winter Wonderland box when it was on sale at 25% off, and was delighted with the results.
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| Prizes from Winter Wonderland box |
The Dogsled Team is 3x3 in size and really useful for filling up a big gap. Definitely an item to be chuffed with for 24 gems. The Snowy Fountain is understandably less impressive, but still a good capture, not least because it works really well placed in front of the Reindeer Grove. I like to think of it as part of the house's front! Since I bought these two they have both been released in the Christmas sale, but I'm not too fussed really as they're still good value at the prices I got them for.
Overall I'm really happy with the outcome of this year's Christmas decorating. It's a theme I like to go to town on, and after not parting with too many gems on Black Friday I've been able to be quite liberal in my spending. I also benefit greatly from this being my third Christmas playing Restaurant Story. A lot of my decorations are from previous years, and it's really enjoyable to try and mix and match the wide variety of items.
So that concludes the grand tour of The Garlic Tree this Christmas. But you needn't worry as there are going to be further tours available for your reading pleasure on Saturday when I provide a glimpse of some of my blog contributing neighbours' places. It's going to be a packed out post!
Now get back to your Christmas dinner!
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