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Christmas decorations

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  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,088

    Ho Ho Dove. 

    No curtains yet as we have very efficient roll down shutters so I can take my time deciding about curtain rails which will need to be decorative and also strong.   Also thinking about future wall colours and painting.   Good excuses to wait for them to be too big to climb curtains.  

    We have a cast iron table with a glass top out i the barn.  Need to measure it as that would avoid the tablecloth problem.  Failing that theer's a smaller one with no top which I could fix up.

    I like Xmas lights to be plain, warm white.   Not that stark,white of so many modern LEDs.   I find blue lights cold.   I loathe flashing lights.

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,088

    That's a good idea Runnybeak.

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • AuntyRachAuntyRach Posts: 5,291

    The lights and decs people put outside their houses always seem a bit strange to me - as they don't really get to see them? Is it because they are selflessly bringing cheer to others? Is it because they have plenty of cash to spend on electricity? Some offenders even keep the lights up all year- even the Santa-shaped ones! Effeciency on ladder work or plain lazy?? 

    I don't mind some tasteful lights and greenery- 'Winter-val' style but inflatable Santa and singing reindeer just aren't for me.

    (just the opinion of a grumpy Aunty who has to work over Xmas)  

    My garden and I live in South Wales. 
  • I can remember as a child the magical look of the real Christmas tree at home when the candles were lit by mum or dad - just once each year and not for very long.  We children had to keep very still, imagine that now - what a fire hazard it was.  Our tinsel was just plain cotton wool.  Then mum eventually bought a set of rather large and basic electric lights for the tree in and some real tinsel - it was just long, thin silvery strands but very exciting to move into the 20th. century.

  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601

    We had lights like that DR! In fact, I had them until about a year ago when we gave them to a collector. As you say, we couldn't replace dead bulbs and they were not safe to use but just looking at them took me right back to childhood. You are the only person I have spoken to who remembers them. 

  • Joyce21Joyce21 Posts: 15,489

    As a child, we had the round glass globe lights with delicate paintings on them.

    SW Scotland
  • We didn't have an electric socket in the room where the tree was - which partly accounted for the candles rather than electric lights on the tree. We lived in very austere times.

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,088

    Everybody used candles before the electric strings came along.  Candles clipped to the branches with special holders to hold them steady and positioned so as not have a branch directly above.

    I know Germans who still do it, for authenticity.

    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601

    You certainly had to be careful! I know my mum had real candles when she was small. I wouldn't  try it myself.

  • pr1mr0sepr1mr0se Posts: 1,193

    DoghouseRiley - that took me back to the 1950s when we had those ornamental lights:  a Santa, a Parrot (yes, really!) a Snowman amongst others.  They didn't last long, though, so plain lights were then the order of the day.

    Our set of lights (which my brother still has, with some of the original bulbs) was bought by my father in 1953 for celebrating the Coronation.  The price on the Pifco box says 17/6 and there are 12 lamps in a loop arrangement.

    When you think of the average wage in those days (perhaps about £10 per week?  I'm guessing here) the investment in one set of decorative lamps was huge.  But they have lasted, and lasted, and lasted and . . . .

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