When I was a girl we made our own decorations, no one had money to buy baubles for the tree. A 3ft artificial tree may I add, anyway did any of you make bells with the milk bottle tops? About 2wks before Christmas the collection of these tops began, not just plain silver ones, oh no. About this time the dairy put decorative ones on, if I remember rightly little mistletoes adorned them.
So our gathering began, Mam of course washed them first. We would squeeze them around our fingers (me and my sisters) until they resembled a bell, string about 3 together with cotton and hang it on a branch, before long the tree glistened. Let's not forget the Christmas Spirit of days gone by, I'll finish on this note, as Mam used to say " I'll be glad when all the trimmings are down, they're only gathering dust." :hihi:

When I was a girl we made our own decorations, no one had money to buy baubles for the tree. A 3ft artificial tree may I add, anyway did any of you make bells with the milk bottle tops? About 2wks before Christmas the collection of these tops began, not just plain silver ones, oh no. About this time the dairy put decorative ones on, if I remember rightly little mistletoes adorned them.
So our gathering began, Mam of course washed them first. We would squeeze them around our fingers (me and my sisters) until they resembled a bell, string about 3 together with cotton and hang it on a branch, before long the tree glistened. Let's not forget the Christmas Spirit of days gone by, I'll finish on this note, as Mam used to say " I'll be glad when all the trimmings are down, they're only gathering dust." :hihi:

Yes, I can certainly remember making those Christmas Bells from milk bottle tops, what fun it was too!! I remember them being "fancy" as you say, round about Christmas time. Also made paper chains and trimmings from crepe paper. Making the trimmings was part of our Christmas.

Yes I remember making bells out of milk bottle tops and crepe paper streamers that you used to cut fringes into with scissors then you twisted them and draped them across the room.Also paper chains made out of glued paper they would be classed a fire hazard now:hihi:

Yes we twisted crepe ones too, but we never made fringe ones SILLY ( your user name) I'm not scolding you :hihi: that must have been hard work.
Also like you and parsleydiva we glued strips of paper together to make chains. That must have kept us quiet for a while, licking all that glue never harmed us, because we're still here :D

I remember making the paper chains also it was great fun when we were small,I used to make snow men ou5 of cardboard and cotton wool.

That sounds like fun, very creative in your family, love more details sheff21

Christmas is coming???! It's the begining of September!

Bah, humbug!

Back in festive mood!

As kids we used to nag mum to make her "special christmas glue" so we could build our paper chains.
Obviously, we didn't know that the glue was nothing other that flour and water. It worked, though!
I have 5 siblings, so the competition was stiff as to who would make the longest chain.
By Christmas day there were so many chains that you couldn't see the artex on the ceiling!

Oh, we also used to copy that Dennis Norton guy off the telly, by making loads of little "champagne" glasses out of empty Murry Mint wrappers to adorn the mantle peice!

How many of you wrote a list to Father Christmas and sent it up the chimney, hands up :hihi:

Joto,

I've got something to tell you about Santa Clause. Please sit down...

Please don't spoil my illusion CJSheffield :(

We used to have a "tree" which came out every year, hardly any "foliage" on the branches and it had a candle cup on the end of each branch where a plastic candle the size of one that you would see on a birthday cake sat. Even the candles were the same ones used year in year out and the baubles looked more and more dilapidated as the years went on but, it all came out every year.
We would sit and look at it in awe and, it was magical, it made butterflies in your tummy, you couldn't wait for "him" to come. Kids being mesmerized by a balding piece of metal with broken glass baubles and bent wax candles sitting at strange angles, the "tree" had a wonderful presence.

My hubby (as a kid) decided to light the candles on their tree, the whole thing took off in seconds including the table it was standing on, health & safety eat your heart out!

How many of you wrote a list to Father Christmas and sent it up the chimney, hands up :hihi:

My hands are up!!:thumbsup: We also used to fringe the crepe paper and yes, it would be a safety hazard these days, although having said that it must have been then with all the coal fires!

Yes we twisted crepe ones too, but we never made fringe ones SILLY ( your user name) I'm not scolding you :hihi: that must have been hard work.
Also like you and parsleydiva we glued strips of paper together to make chains. That must have kept us quiet for a while, licking all that glue never harmed us, because we're still here :D

It was hard work fringing all that paper I think that it was probably Mum's idea to keep us quiet for longer. and yes hands up I posted my letter to Father Christmas up the chimney perhaps that's why I never got much:hihi::hihi:

It was hard work fringing all that paper I think that it was probably Mum's idea to keep us quiet for longer. and yes hands up I posted my letter to Father Christmas up the chimney perhaps that's why I never got much:hihi::hihi:

Yes we'd sit there writing that list, and telling Santa how good we had all been.Then up that chimney it was sucked, can you picture all these little bits of paper floating around in the sky. Wouldn't it be awful if the next morning you found your note, you'd think Santa had either thrown it away or dropped it.
Like Duffems said it was magical even though money was scarce, all I got in my pillowcase was an apple and orange and of course some nuts then one gift two if I was lucky. Nothing like Ipod, video games etc like they get today. No I'm talking a selection box, but boy didn't we appreciate what we got.

We appreciated what we got because we didn't get things all year round Birthdays and Christmas were special and we were grateful for anything we got. Can you imagine what today's kids would say if that's all they got on Christmas morning:hihi:

I remember one year when my older brother wouldn't go up to bed because he was too excited. There was the sound of a fire engine outside somewhere, this was very rare and, of course, no sirens, but an actual bell. My brother flew up stairs which were very steep in terraced houses, his feet never touched the stairs and he had to desperately hold onto his pyjama trousers as I was right behind him, he was petrified he wouldn't get any presents if he saw Father Christmas. Little did he know that Father Christmas (our dad) was still in the pub!

Duffems

One of the years at Christmas was special, Dad took us to is works Christmas party. We all got a present from Santa, mine was a sewing kit. Well I thought I'd died and gone to heaven, the box was made out of cardboard with a flowered pattern. There was a lid on the top which would open to reveal scissors, needles, tape, (memory stops there) but I do remember it had little drawers that pulled out to reveal different coloured silk thread. It was the best gift ever. Going off topic a bit here aren't I :D

Not at all, that's what Christmas was all about, the impression if had on youngsters was unlike anything else. I once went along to a "works" kids Xmas party and, as we were playing games someone looked out of the window and saw it was snowing, the feeling I had when that happened has never left me, it was magical!

We made milk bottle top bells at school, as well as pine cones covered in glitter and my youngest brother made a star of David out of lolly sticks and covered in glitter.

See we do have creative males on this forum, how are you doing Steptoad? our paths haven't crossed in awhile :D