When did those mad foil Garland Christmas decorations disappear?

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I've been out of the UK for years and always missed being able to buy those unfoldy foil garland type decorations that we had when I was a kid. This is the first time in many years I'm here in autumn/winter, but I haven't seen any, not even in the pound shops. When did it all go so tasteful?

About 200 quid!

I think I must be the only one who severely detests those. And the foils garlands. There's no place in my home for those

Oh I'm getting some of the above this year. Proper Christmas decs they are, love this description "loads of sparkly things being reflected off shiny things" that's how it should be.

Aldi have the nostalgic Christmas lights in at the moment

I still have these on my tree 🙂 Parents were getting rid several years ago in favour of more modern baubles but these old decorations are all my childhood Christmases so rescued them before they made the bin!

There was a great thread on here once about retro Christmas decs. I have some original ones from my 80s childhood that my parents were getting rid of. I love them, they smell like Christmas to me and the nostalgia is overwhelming, like PP I used to sit there as a child looking at the light bouncing off them and it was magical.

I always have coloured lights like this Aldi ones, I have no time for tasteful white lights.

the other decs we have are ones the DC have made over the years so our tree looks a right mess but I love it!

I too remember looking at the lights thinking as they reflected off the garlands and watching the hanging decorations spin from the airflow in the room - these always signified Christmas to me, more than the tree!

I still have mine stored with Xmas decs, I haven't put them up for about 5 years as didn't want to be old fashioned however I think we need to bring them back, pre-pandemic, and in a COL crisis - we need a bit of colour and glitz!

Saw some in poundland today!!

I would love to find these again. Growing up my twin and I would put our fingers into the holes and pretend we could time travel, and our imagination would go wild! Sadly I have lost him now, but the memories remain

We put them up at work every year. They look really good because we have vicious cross draughts from 1950s metal windows, which makes them shimmy and sparkle.

Aldi have the nostalgic Christmas lights in at the moment

Ah but they are so disappointing though - the old ones were lovely close up, the Aldi ones are really ill made.

Ahhhh @Propertyporn I loved those, they immediately whisked me back about 35 years

I missed them and got them off eBay! Be tasteful the rest of the year, be happy at Christmas.

Do they? Oooooh goody.

The smell! Yes. As soon as the shiny garlands were mentioned I could smell them! Tinsel was slightly different. A little dustier maybe.

I can smell this picture!

Try Noma for traditional retro lights. I have two sets of the Victorian lantern lights.

You can still get the paper honeycomb balls and bells but the foil decs aren't as flamboyant.
we used to live in a pub and the foil ones were renewed every year from makro or the cash and carry because they fag smoke would make them too sticky.

Poundland had them last year.

Thanks so much for posting this, I’ve been looking for these for years 🎄

Fairy lights with proper filament is what you also need for an 80s Christmas. The new fangled LED lights are too sharp and not warm and twinkly like fairy lights.

i have some retro glass baubles which I get lost in staring at the reflections. I bloody love the old school colourful Christmas

Thank you, just looking at those lights has bought back a lovely feeling!

The hotel I give blood in has those foil chandeliers up all year round, makes me laugh every time I lie back on the chair and takes me back to my Gran taking us to Boxing Day parties at the working men’s club where all the kids got selection boxes.

www.noma.co.uk/catalogue/filament-lighting/40-multicolour-classic-canterbury-belles-filament-lights/

I can't do fancy short links, but these are filament bulbs so much more traditional than led bulbs.

I've just been given the go ahead by infection control to get out the Christmas decorations for the children's ward I work on (cancer) the box is 99% these! They're going up in the main corridor and each child is allowed to decorate their room specially too!

It's going to be a tacky festive joy to behold!

OMG thanks for the reminder, we had those too.