1980s throwback tree

[1980stat]

Every year since DH and I have lived together, I have bought and put up the Christmas decorations. I enjoy it, he isn't really bothered. I like the tree to be tasteful, with soft white lights and matching decorations in a colour theme, usually gold red or green or a combination of those.

Dh hankers for the Christmas decorations of his childhood. Coloured lights with foil flowers, tinsel, wooden rocking horses and Santas, baubles, those satin thread covered balls, and those paper fold out garlands and bells/balls on the ceiling. And Christmas cards on a string.

So, I have the tree, and the old multicoloured lights. I know where to get the wooden horse/snowman/Santa type decoration. Beyond that I'm stuck. Would you have multicoloured baubles in the same colour as the lights? What colour tinsel? And has anyone seen for sale the satin thread baubles and paper bells/garlands (other than eBay, because they seem to be selling for a fortune on there, presumably to other nostalgic 30/40 somethings).

I'd like it to look 80's-tastic without looking a complete mess but desperately need help!

We just threw everything we had at the tree.

I had a Saturday job in Woolworth's and could buy the little fuses and lights at a staff discount.

Using a pair of tweezers, I fixed a set of lights that had been given up as broken and we had two sets of lights on our tree.

One set could 'wink' and the other set (from the 70s) only remained static.

We had bald, stringy tinsel filling up the bare patches, where the tinsel 'leaves' had worn thin, thicker tinsel on the outside and a variety of mismatched glass ornaments from different sets that had been broken over the years.

You need paper honeycomb decorations

You also need a crepe paper skirt for the bottom of the tree. God all the links bring it back. We had all of those decs.

Oh this is making me feel about eight again the satin baubles! The tiny drums! No beautifully tasteful coordinated modern Christmas tree can compete with the positively Proustian level of festive nostalgia these decorations evoke [santa]

I have been browsing on EBay Vintage Christmas decorations for some old Pifco lights as I'm the same but I've decided to go back to the 70's. Loads of authentic decs on there.

That sounds like my dream Christmas tree!

I've been campaigning to get foil garlands to tack to the ceiling for the past two years but DH is having none of it I used to LOVE a gigantic fold out foil star.

I really hope everyone will post pics of the 80’s trees 🌲 such nostalgia!

Can’t explain how much I love this thread!

Great post, 😁knitfast!

And the PP who said the smell of the foil decorations takes them back... me too. To my parents loft where the decorations were stored.

Does anyone remember the multicoloured lights shaped like Cinderella’s carriages? My granny had them.

Wilkinson's had the fold out lanterns last year. I bought some for our tacky work decorations

Lametta is an absolute must! By birthday is mid November, and my DP bought me real, original, vintage baubles last year. They are amazing - I, too, love a chintzy Christmas tree!

This is last year's triumph! (it's a bit dark, sorry!) I also have the clip on candle lights..!

We used to have tiny foil wrapped crackers on the tree, they only contained a plastic charm. I saw some in Paperchase a few years ago and bought them, but they are a bit pointless.

We also had clip on metal holders back in the 50s which took small real candles. It was very hard to get them to stay upright and they were never lit - far too much of a fire hazard.

We stayed in a small Austrian hotel for our first family Christmas ski holiday. Their tree had exactly the same holders and candles and on Christmas Eve the owners, in national dress, actually lit them and carols were sung. The tree looked magical - and the hotel did not burn down.

Poundland and b&m have foil and paper decorations. DH is the same so I've caved and bought a few foil bits.
His parents always had balloons too apparently.

There is absolutely nothing like the smell of old tinsel as you unpack it from the storage box. Takes me right back. The new stuff isn't the same at all.

Love this thread! OP please please post a pic of your finished tree.

Did anyone else used to put their tree in a pot and then put (really quite rubbish) wrapping paper around the pot? Or was that just us?!!

PS - Second checking out your local charity shops. Ours are full of retro decs!

How about the silver and gold bells that were on string with balls in between?
We have a pair of miniature football boats that come out every year - the story goes that my late granddad got them when my nan was pregnant with my mum.

My Christmas tree is never sophisticated it is a real mixture and includes many old ornaments and stuff the kids created. My favourite bit is going to happen next week. I go to the shed and pull it all out and sort. It’s real memory lane stuff. I always do it when the kids are at school. Rather sad but hey.

What a lovely idea! I'd love to do this. The childhood memories! 😍

I remember my dad pinning those foil garlands to the ceiling- he did it so carefully, they had to be exactly right! My grandparents still have the multicoloured lights with plastic flowers round each bulb, I love them!

Please add a picture when you're done!

There is absolutely nothing like the smell of old tinsel as you unpack it from the storage box. Takes me right back. The new stuff isn't the same at all.

I love that smell, I always sniff tinsel in shops and it's just not the same as the old stuff 😭

Oh and wrapping paper has definitely changed! It used to be actual paper and the smell was just amazing!

I'm sure I've seen foil hanging decorations at home bargains/ ASDA/ Tesco's or somewhere like that! I just can't remember which one! I've also seen them at local garden centres (I think the retro 80's look is coming back), so get trawling the garden centres.
Is lametta the thin tinsel? I loved that when I was younger. My nana always let me cover her tree in it. It would be so uneven with bald patches in places but I loved that she let me do it. She also used to always have chocolates hanging on the tree that I would nick without her looking.
I have wooden decorations on my tree of angels, trains and bells etc as it reminds my husband of his childhood tree. We also have foil hanging decorations that we bought a few years ago.

Oh, and we also have lights on the tree that look like little lanterns.

The honeycomb paper bells etc are usually at Hema, Tiger and Wilkos. I have similar tatse to your DH so buy lots of that sort of thing.

My mum saved some vintage plastic decorations for me and they are pride of place on my tree. There's a 70s poster with the words to away in a manger she still puts up every year that I have my eye on.

I actually got the satiny thread baubles from Poundland a couple of years ago

Ooh paperchase have these for £7