Christmas tree/decorations ...antique glass or plastic...... real fir or ?????

[VE7 Kilohertz]

As mentioned in my last post, we have our douglas fir up and decorated and started to think about how we decorate our trees.

I have for the last 15 or so years, been decorating mine with items from the 40s and 50s, all starting with my grandparents old decorations, and Mom and Dad's and stuff I have collected from antique and second hand stores. I even have the decorations from when I was a kid.  (mmmm, seems the collecting started very early in life)  All old glass, and the lights, the old 8 per string threaded base (can't remember the tech description for it but about 3/8" threads), frosted, and the bulbs are about an inch and a half long.  I put a diode in series with the tree lights to knock down the voltage to 60 or 70VAC. Dims them nicely and keep the house from burning down. Like our BA rigs, these were made for 110VAC.

I'll post a picture or two when I get a minute.

So,  what is the tradition in your house?

Merry Christmas!

Paul

[VE7 Kilohertz]

And a few artwork pics.

These are as good as old QST artwork. I have them displayed in the house. Fun FUn FUn

Paul KHz

[ab3al]

down here in 3 land we decorated the bushes in the front yard with bud cans all year long

[KB2WIG]

Here ya go Mack, dont let anyone say u have no Christmass spirit .... ..    klc

[The Slab Bacon]

there is definately something to be said about a real tree and the old decorations!! It takes me back to when I was a kid and Christmas was extra special!!

                                           the Slab Bacon

[WA1GFZ]

We swapped over to a fake tree this year. Our house is so tight the smell of the real tree made me sick all vacation right up until I left the house on Jan 2. Bummer but the mode trashed my lungs. At $35 to $40 for a dead twig it didn't hurt that bad.
Our young kitty likes to play with things on the tree so the good stuff was not put out this year. We did take a look at it. 

[WD8BIL]

there is definately something to be said about a real tree and the old decorations!! It takes me back to when I was a kid and Christmas was extra special!!

Ahhh.... you no good selfish nimrods and your antique vintage crappy sentiments.
There should be laws against that kinda stuff. Cutting down real trees hurts the environment.... and for what ?? Your selfish pleasures. Then there's the pollution as you haul'em out back and burn'em. OR... they end up on the curb for someone else to deal with.

You should all do what we do here. DIGITAL CHRISTMAS TREES.
Yup.... a repeating digital video of a decorated tree up on the big screen plasma.

After the holidays ya just shut it off.

Come'on.... get in the 21st century already !!

 

[Tom WA3KLR]

Jan. 2 - Back to the fish tank loop.

[W9GT]

there is definately something to be said about a real tree and the old decorations!! It takes me back to when I was a kid and Christmas was extra special!!

Ahhh.... you no good selfish nimrods and your antique vintage crappy sentiments.
There should be laws against that kinda stuff. Cutting down real trees hurts the environment.... and for what ?? Your selfish pleasures. Then there's the pollution as you haul'em out back and burn'em. OR... they end up on the curb for someone else to deal with.

You should all do what we do here. DIGITAL CHRISTMAS TREES.
Yup.... a repeating digital video of a decorated tree up on the big screen plasma.

After the holidays ya just shut it off.

Come'on.... get in the 21st century already !!

 

Gosh Buddly...Ya could have just said:  Bah Humbug and summed it up!

 

73,  Jack, W9GT

[WD8BIL]

Your right, of course, Jack.  Be brief !!

All kidding aside, we have gone artificial on the tree but I always make a few wreaths of Norway Pine to add the festive scent.
 

[Ed - N3LHB]

The tree here is fake, but a good repro...  We use old glass decorations 30's? (the older the better!) and I passed on using the brandy new in-the-box shellaced cloth covered wire lights. Used lights from the 50's instead, with plastic covered wiring. I thought the cloth covered wiring light strings would get cracked and ruined... Maybe we'll try them next year....

Ok Fine and Merry Christmas to all!

[W4EWH]

Our family has a tradition of doing whatever feels best for that particular year: we've had store-bought trees, self-cut, and woodlot, depending on our mood. This year, we're starting our winter vacation by spending Christmas at a hotel after dinner at my sister's house.

Since my family had eight children, the decorations are long gone, but my sister still has the creche that we grew up with. We've run the gamut of lights, from decorations that could be seen by the space shuttle to candles in white paper bags.

I think the most important tradition is to remember there is hope for our world and for our childrens' futures. Oh, and a happy holiday to all on the list!

73, Bill W1AC

[W1RKW]

When I was a kid my parents had a string or two of the bubble lights, the ones that boil a fluid heated by the bulb.  I saw some in a store one day a bought a string.  I didn't think much of the heat produced by these until I took them down at the end of the holiday. One of the suckers deformed and nearly melted.  Never put them on again and in the trash they went.