This post is number 1 in a series of 24 for the 2011 Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories.
On the 24th Day of Christmas, I'm supposed to talk about the Christmas Tree.
Did you have a real tree, or was it artificial? How big was the tree? Who decorated the tree? What types of Christmas trees did your ancestors have?
We brought in the '70s with an updated model. This was green! It looked like a real tree. Well, except that it had a metal "trunk" and you could move the "limbs" around, but...it looked like a real tree! While the rest of the world suffered with fragile glass ornaments, we braved the new decade with the most up-to-date in Christmas technology - the satin, unbreakable, ornament. Yes, there were still strands of that old fashioned tinsel, we wouldn't have to worry about our ornaments breaking!
On the 24th Day of Christmas, I'm supposed to talk about the Christmas Tree.
Did you have a real tree, or was it artificial? How big was the tree? Who decorated the tree? What types of Christmas trees did your ancestors have?
I honestly do not remember a "real" Christmas tree while growing up. While friends of mine had the scent of pine filling their houses, we didn't. We always had an artificial one. My first memory of a Christmas tree was a glorious mix of 1960s tackiness. White artificial tree, blue balls. While I don't recall the color of lights on the tree, I do remember my daddy stringing blue lights on the evergreen tree in our yard.
We brought in the '70s with an updated model. This was green! It looked like a real tree. Well, except that it had a metal "trunk" and you could move the "limbs" around, but...it looked like a real tree! While the rest of the world suffered with fragile glass ornaments, we braved the new decade with the most up-to-date in Christmas technology - the satin, unbreakable, ornament. Yes, there were still strands of that old fashioned tinsel, we wouldn't have to worry about our ornaments breaking!
Once I moved away, I was free to experiment with trees. Every fall, I wandered the aisles of stores suffering from Shiny Christmas Ornament Syndrome. Through the years, I've had several different decoration schemes. Burgundy & gold, purple & gold, Victorian Santa, even Mardi Gras (colors, not masks) . I admit that I have an embarrassing amount of bins (somewhat color coordinated) with most of the ornaments I've collected over the past thirty years in my supply closet.
Since we moved to the new house, we have two trees. Since we have a "fru-fru" living room, there is a tree in front of the window so all can see. We also have one in our basement den. That area is "country" in design and, as such, so is the tree.
And now, we've come full circle. The Christmas tree in the "fru-fru" living room? White artificial tree. Blue balls.
No comments:
Post a Comment