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Does anyone still put tinsel icicles on their trees?


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I was writing up some stuff about my childhood Christmases, and I realized that I haven't seen a tree with tinsel on it in years and years. Not tinsel garlands, but those tiny individual strands that were also called "icicles." The kind that your father lectures everyone about every year because it has to be hung strand by strand never in clumps are you kids listening to me.

 

Does anyone still do that, or was it a 1970s thing? Do they even still make that stuff?

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My mother hung tinsel the same way--one strand by one strand. With tender loving care. And she removed them the same way, and packaged them up and re-used them every year. And, I still have that tinsel!!! It must be at least 40 years old. It's definitely different than the icicles of today, or at least a few years ago when I purchased some. The older stuff had more weight and hung so much nicer--real tin, right?.

 

One of these years I keep meaning to use the old tinsel but I'm afraid it will just make me sad, kwim? We usually use the cheap newer icicles and throw them away when we are done. Not this year though... our cat is still not trusted around the tree. ;)

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I know a family that this using tinsel icicles is *a must* tradition each yr (so, no you are not alone, and not just a 70s thing, hee, hee!).

 

Hubby and the kiddies decorate for Christmas -- not me. We have an artificial tree and I think hubs has reused a red garland and red lights for the last 3 yrs.

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No, I think you are right. Lead sounds familiar. That is why they stopped making it...and why my mother was careful to keep hers. Apparently she wasn't very concerned about us ingesting it! :lol: Tinsel is a better name than leadsel, though...

 

...and now I'm really glad I haven't used it, because my cat probably would eat some.

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Yes, tinsel is still made. I put it on my tree every year except this one and the years I had cats. I just don't have time to put one strand on the tree at a time because I use several thousand strands. I have to take them all off before I can ditch the tree in the woods, too, so that hassle is eliminated this year. The tinsel nowadays is flimsy compared to the old kind. I am the only person I know who is pro-tinsel.

 

We had both tinsel and artificial snow spray on our trees when I was growing up -- even before the 1970s.

 

It is very dangerous for pets to eat it. Our dog could not care less, but when we had cats, we didn't use it.

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We are planning to next year when our youngest is older. We have a beaded spider that a friend of my father's (she knew me growing up) made us. It's beautiful and has a special place on our tree. She sent it with a sweet story about how some spiders loved the pretty Christmas tree and raced all over to see everything on it, leaving their web behind. Santa, appreciating the spider's joy and knowing that the lady of the house wouldn't, turned the webs to tinsel. We have the spider, and the story doesn't work without the tinsel on the tree too.

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We saw some at Target tonight and I was taken aback by how loud my "NO!" was when dd asked if we could get some. I almost feel bad for disallowing something I had so much fun with as a child, but the cats make a good excuse. Our trees growing up were completely covered because we were too impatient for going slowly and sparingly. They were like a sparkling Cousin It and I'm not exaggerating.

 

 

Now the angel hair. My Memaw had some on her bar (kitchen looking into living room area) and placed her holiday village on top, so it looked all snowy. Anytime I would rest my arms on the bar to talk to her in the kitchen that stuff would sting the @#$ out of my arms. And like a child I kept putting my arms there because it was still a mystery to me. Last year I noticed that she started using cotton. I didn't ask her why. Maybe the pain finally got to her.

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When I was in high school I spent a summer working at a tinsel factory.

 

Really.

 

I made a TON of garlands. Tinsel was not my thing (though the ladies who worked the line were very nice and listened to a lot of light rock).

 

I.hate.tinsel.and.all.garland.

 

:lol::lol:

 

We did have it on our tree as a kid - and we drug it everywhere - and we clumped it on. :lol:

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I remember the heavy lead tinsel, and remember my mom complaining when they went to the lightweight stuff.

 

I used to decorate my grandparents' tree for them and was always quietly rolling my eyes when I got to the old angel hair angel tree topper. Now I have theirs on my tree (like this one):

http://cgi.ebay.com/VTG-CHRISTMAS-ANGEL-TREE-TOPPER-SPUN-GLASS-w-ANGEL-HAIR-/150535150802?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item230c981cd2

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I was writing up some stuff about my childhood Christmases, and I realized that I haven't seen a tree with tinsel on it in years and years. Not tinsel garlands, but those tiny individual strands that were also called "icicles." The kind that your father lectures everyone about every year because it has to be hung strand by strand never in clumps are you kids listening to me.

 

Does anyone still do that, or was it a 1970s thing? Do they even still make that stuff?

 

TOTALLY! Our tree isn't done until the tinsel's on!

 

Dh's jobs are lights and tinsel. The kids and I are not good tinsel hangers.:001_smile:

 

(Now I can worry that I am further stuck in the 70s.)

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(Now I can worry that I am further stuck in the 70s.)

 

I'm so with you, sister!:thumbup: My kitchen had harvest gold appliances which I dreaded when I first moved in here. I still have the range, because it's outlasted all of my friend's newer ones, plus the warmer color has grown on me. A few years ago I bought a stand mixer that matches it.

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I remember the heavy lead tinsel, and remember my mom complaining when they went to the lightweight stuff.

 

 

Oh, I'm with your Mom! That impostor they sell today is a nightmare clings to everything but the tree! So no more tinsel in our home. If they brought back the leaded stuff, you bet I'd buy it. And, I'd remind all visitors not to eat it. ;)

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We used it when I was growing up. We don't use it now because it's dangerous for animals to eat it. Our cats do, and also we recycle/compost our tree every year I wouldn't want wild critters getting into it and getting sick. I don't miss it at all though; the tree is still beautiful without it. :D

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I was writing up some stuff about my childhood Christmases, and I realized that I haven't seen a tree with tinsel on it in years and years. Not tinsel garlands, but those tiny individual strands that were also called "icicles." The kind that your father lectures everyone about every year because it has to be hung strand by strand never in clumps are you kids listening to me.

 

Does anyone still do that, or was it a 1970s thing? Do they even still make that stuff?

 

 

That's a 1940's thing, if you go by mother's photos of childhood Christmasses. That's my fave(reminds me of mom & grandma & the old days) and we always do it. I haven't picked up any for this year (just got a tree). Thanks for the reminder. I have picked it up from the grocery store seasonal isle around here, so yes they still make it, although it's not exactly the same. (I don't care about clumps lol)

Edited by LibraryLover
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We used to put tinsel on the tree when I was little. We now have something from Vermont Country Store that is like stiff, thin, twisted metal tinsel strands with a hook at the top. They come in a little can and are about 6 inches long. They can be sharp, so we couldn't use them when dd was a little one. They add a little sparkle.

 

(As an aside, this year we strung cranberries and I'm surprised at the pop of color they add!)

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I find tinsel distracting. :lol:

 

It was on our tree when I was a kid, and my mom was the only one who was allowed to put it on the tree. She did it strand by strand, while the rest of us didn't have the patience for that.

 

She always saved hers, removing it strand by strand, but it finally gave out and it was time to buy more. I didn't realize the old stuff had lead in it, but I do remember my mom complaining that the newer stuff just wasn't the same.

 

We have cats, so I wouldn't use it, but seeing a tree decorated with tinsel brings back memories.

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I was writing up some stuff about my childhood Christmases, and I realized that I haven't seen a tree with tinsel on it in years and years. Not tinsel garlands, but those tiny individual strands that were also called "icicles." The kind that your father lectures everyone about every year because it has to be hung strand by strand never in clumps are you kids listening to me.

 

Does anyone still do that, or was it a 1970s thing? Do they even still make that stuff?

We put tinsel on the tree when I was a kid, but I grew to hate it because mom bought so much of it and it all got put on the tree. Now I don't put it on at all. I don't think mom does anymore either.

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My son asked for tinsel for the tree so I bought some at Walmart yesterday (50¢) and I'm going to put it on Christmas Eve so it will be a surprise Christmas morning! I'm actually pretty excited about it! :lol:

 

He also mentioned a few times that he wanted a star topper instead of an angel so I will put that on the tree as a surprise too.

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We are planning to next year when our youngest is older. We have a beaded spider that a friend of my father's (she knew me growing up) made us. It's beautiful and has a special place on our tree. She sent it with a sweet story about how some spiders loved the pretty Christmas tree and raced all over to see everything on it, leaving their web behind. Santa, appreciating the spider's joy and knowing that the lady of the house wouldn't, turned the webs to tinsel. We have the spider, and the story doesn't work without the tinsel on the tree too.

 

Oh my gosh, we celebrated Christmas at my parents already and she had a story about spiders so instead of using the tinsel (crazy cats) she made little spiders with googly eyes and connected a long silver ribbons hanging from them and one by one, we went to the tree and placed our spider and then wrapped the ribbon on the tree. It was really sweet, and I had never heard of the story before. Its an alternative if you have pets.

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I still use tinsel because the tree doesn't look like a tree without it...we used it when I was growing up too. :)

 

I knew a person who would put it on their tree ONE strand at a time, no joke!!! Maybe she was OCD or something and never knew...lol!

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I think that so many people now have artificial trees, and they don't want to have to remove the icecicles every year.

 

Yes--I think this is part of the reason that tinsel is not so popular.

 

Has anyone set up on a poll on real vs. fake trees? (And just what would "other" be??)

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Oh, I'm with your Mom! That impostor they sell today is a nightmare clings to everything but the tree! So no more tinsel in our home. If they brought back the leaded stuff, you bet I'd buy it. And, I'd remind all visitors not to eat it. ;)

 

Today I saw holographic tinsel at the Dollar Store. Ack!

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Gosh, this brings back memories! When I was growing up, my mother was wild for angel hair. She would gently pull it apart, just so, and place it over each light. It did look really nice.

 

My Granny, OTOH, loved tinsel (I grew up with my grandparents, but would spend time with Mom too). This is the kind of tree I remember most - the tree with tinsel!

 

I've used tinsel as an adult a few times, but since I usually have at least one cat, I haven't in recent years. I know some people think it's "tacky", but when I pass some in the store, I'm always tempted to buy it! In fact, this year, after we finished decorating the tree, I thought "okay, now all it needs is some tinsel"!

 

Veronica

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Oh I miss that! My grandmother used to put angel hair on the lights. I haven't seen that for sale in years.

 

That stuff is HUGELY popular in Europe. They sell it by the boxful here. I think it's so pretty.

 

My mom used to use tinsel and put it on strand by strand. She used the same 2 boxes of it for years and years until they finally got lost in a move. It was so different from what they sell today in the States. I've seen stuff very, very similar to the old kind of tinsel for sale here (Germany), and I've been tempted to buy it, but know I would just get irritated half way through putting it on the tree. I prefer clumps of the angel hair inside the branches to give the tree sparkle and depth.

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My mom still does. We had Christmas at her house yesterday. I said I think you are the only person in the universe who still uses tinsel :lol:

Guess not.

 

I will try to post a pic of her tree(if I can figure it out)

 

100_2252-1.jpg

Edited by Kristafish
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Tinsle and angle hair are too hard on artificial trees because you have to remove it all every year-that is next to impossible.

 

I keep reading how hard it is to remove tinsel from artificial trees, but I do it every year. It doesn't bother me a bit. Since we usually (except this year) put the tree up Thanksgiving weekend, I'll do just about anything to take it down. Besides, I enjoy mindless, repetitive tasks. :D

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I keep reading how hard it is to remove tinsel from artificial trees, but I do it every year. It doesn't bother me a bit. Since we usually (except this year) put the tree up Thanksgiving weekend, I'll do just about anything to take it down. Besides, I enjoy mindless, repetitive tasks. :D

 

 

You have far more patience than I!! My hat is off to you. :001_smile:

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