Christmases Past

looksee

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/16/style/humblest-christmas-tree-auction-intl/index.html

We had a Christmas tree like this - I think ours was the Woolworth's version though - see article. It came into the house when I was maybe 7 or 8 and had the candle holders. My dad would put the little candles in and light them on Christmas Eve, for a very closely supervised few minutes. The only one of the decorations I remember clearly was a blue plastic-type moon with a face, though I know there were others, and cotton wool snow.

The Christmas that stands out most clearly was the one when my younger sister got a scooter and scooted round the very small living room till she fell off - it didn't take long - and cut her knee on the frame of the scooter. A very grumpy doctor was called out to stitch her up on Christmas morning.

Jellybaby_1

Wot's up? My post was doubled and now I can't delete either! Is the delete option gone?

looksee

Not seeing any posts apart from the one talking about deleting?

con747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121511744#Comment_121511744

It happens when you are the first post to respond to new threads. When you refresh the page the second post goes away. Although on this thread I was seeing 2 of my same posts until I refreshed. Gotta love the downgrade!

10-10-20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058327270/christmases-past

My neighbours had one such as this, only with a bit more skin on the bone than that yoke. They had the fake cotton snow and the pink tinsel too, I'd say they're still on the original incandescent string of 24 bulbs which used to be multicolour but are all now white-tipped fuses for the lack of coloured lamps, all connected into a dodgy lamp/bayonet connector under the tree. I think I knocked it over once too. 😁

Jellybaby_1

Thanks Con747 I'll try again:

I saw that report on the BBC, I believe it cost 6d originally, what a great return!! We always had a real tree 1950's - 1980's. I honestly don't think I ever saw an artificial tree when I was a child. Loved the smell of it, but it was tricky to stand up as it was usually stood in a bucket of coal for its foundations but it never fell over. We had never heard of a Christmas Tree Skirt either to cover the ugly little bucket. Himself bought an artificial tree way back in the 80's, said it would be worth it in the long run. I wasn't happy about it at the time but he was proved right. It cost €50 and we still use it every year, it's huge, almost up to the ceiling. I often say I don't like Christmas these days. I stopped liking Christmas when my mammy stopped providing it for us! 😪

con747

I have gone from the real deal to the full artificial to the "half" artificial tree because of space with way too much furniture in the room! The best memories are the 7 kids in the 2 bedrooms opposite each other with the door handles tied together to stop anyone sneaking down on Christmas eve to have a sneaky peak at the presents! Health and safety was non-existent in the late 60's/70's!

looksee

We had a real tree for years until one year I took it out into the garden after Christmas and put a match to it - literally just that - and it exploded into a massive ball of flame. So the next year we had an artificial one. But now I have moved house and there just isn't anywhere suitable for a tree so I have a big garland that goes up the staircase (which goes from the downstairs living room to the upstairs living room, directly, so its very visible) and have ornaments and lights on it.

10-10-20

My uncle used to take a branch off a spruce, pin it to the wall and call it a tree. Lights and all. Space-effective!

Jellybaby_1

Different strokes for different folks. Homes are different now, life is different. I still maintain you can't beat a real tree, or indeed a real fire. I'd love to have my real fire back but it's long gone since the gas man visited!