Being born in
the late fifties I have few recollections of that austere decade, almost all of
my earliest memories are from the brasher, brighter and less restrained
sixties.
As a result my
early memories of Christmas are of a bright and sparkly time when paper chains
and the watery colours of paper stars, bells and balls were being replaced by
foil and tinsel.
Hence the
Silver Tinsel Christmas Tree, looking back it was a quite unspectacular
specimen of a tree compared to what’s on offer nowadays, but we loved it.
It stood
less than 5 feet tall with its fold down tinsel covered wire branches tipped
with red beads to symbolise berries.
However by
the time Dad had worked his not inconsiderable magic and covered it with every
size, shape and shade of bauble, glass birds with feathered tails, lantern
lights, strands of brightly coloured tinsel, chocolate treats and tiny crackers
lain on the branches it was transformed and was absolutely stunning,
It was the
only tree I ever knew until my teenage years came to an end when in the
mid-seventies I suggested we have a real tree just for a change.
I would
never have suggested it if I had realised that it would signal the death knell of
the Silver Tinsel Tree as the following year it was replaced by a green plastic
tree more akin to those of today.
After my Dad
died a few years later the task of decorating the tree fell to me I realised sadly
that I hadn’t inherited his tree dressing skill and was never able to equal
him.
I came close
one year, in 1983 but I think in the end I merely flattered to deceive, the
task has fallen to my wife for the past 24 years, she makes a far better fist
of it then I ever could.
Whether she
possesses the necessary skill to transform a Silver Tinsel Tree however we will
never know.
