Why don't people use coloured lights anymore?!

[80sColourfulChristmas]

I was born in the early eighties and I have fond memories of colour, colour & more colour at Christmas! We even had those god-awful foil decorations criss-crossing the ceiling of the living room. Foil honeycomb balls dangling and giant unfolded foil stars.

The foil I don't miss particularly, but what has happened to colourful lights?!

I realise that with the (much needed) switch to LED, the new multi coloured lights aren't quite as pretty as they used to be (why is that?!) but why has this meant that seemingly the majority of people have defaulted to a simple set of boring white lights with just a handful of plain, boring ornaments on their tree?! (Still looks pretty of course it just isn't Christmas as I know it!)

I remember looking admirably at our beautiful tree as a child, stuffed full of all kinds of colourful glass ornaments which had been passed down through my Mum's family from the 1800s. The prettiest tinsel you've ever seen, lametta, beads, bells on beads, the lights had lovely cone shaped 'petals' round them so they glowed beautifully, reflecting off the glass, lametta and tinsel. It was stunning. Fond memories.

Can't have just been us, surely? Anyone else still go for the overloaded, 80s style multicolored Christmas look?!

This year I've ordered LED multi coloured cluster lights for the first time, but still have some traditional style lights for the tree and have used them every year until now. Not sure how pretty our tree is going to look....

[flipflopping]

I really like coloured lights.

I think the fashion for white was perhaps linked to shops promoting a particular look in order to sell more stuff- stores and websites showing really tasteful, carefully curated decorations which made more people aspire to that sort of look at home. (Obviously not saying everyone who likes white lights was influenced! But these things do become trends.)

I really like a mishmash of decorations and using things which we've collected over the years. It does look a bit messy compared to a store display though!

[earthyfire]

I have two trees, one has warm lights the other in another room used mainly by the children has multicoloured which they asked for. I love the multi coloured ones actually as they remind me of my childhood.

[PawPrintsInMyPansies]

I’ve had multi coloured lights for the past few years. They are def Quality Street type colours, which I love, but don’t have the ‘skirts’ I remember as a kid. I’m the only person I know who doesn’t have white lights though.

[nameswap48]

I bought some coloured lights last year, I missed them. Wish you could get the 80s ones still! Mine are "Berry" style. And the colours are very bland.

[Sideorderofchips]

I have multi coloured lights tinsel, baubles and basically my tree looks like Christmas threw up on it

[ToastandJamandTea]

I have big old fashioned coloured lights that I hang in my bay window. Looks a bit like stranger things

[milkytwilightt]

We use multi coloured lightsz I love it

[sueelleker]

@Rosalisa

I loved the coloured lights my parents had in the seventies. They were shaped like lanterns and bluebells. The jewel colours always seemed synonymous with Quality Street chocolates to me.

Not a fan of electric blue flashing lights. My former neighbours opposite had them and it'd take me weeks to stop thinking the emergency services were outside.

We tried blue lights one year, and had to turn them off. They were giving us headaches! We have foil garlands, and a pre-lit tree with warm white lights; to which I add a long string of multicoloured. I agree that the colours aren't as rich as they used to be.
Does anyone remember the very old-fashioned pear-shaped bulbs? Like these.www. class="break-all" href="//amazon.co.uk/String-Vintage-Colour-Battery-Powered/dp/B00LO72V78/ref=sr_1_14?dchild=1&keywords=old%20fashioned%20christmas%20tree%20lights&qid=1633256102&sr=8-14&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21" rel="nofollow noindex" target="_blank">https://amazon.co.uk/String-Vintage-Colour-Battery-Powered/dp/B00LO72V78/ref=sr_1_14?dchild=1&keywords=old%20fashioned%20christmas%20tree%20lights&qid=1633256102&sr=8-14&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[HomeSliceKnowsBest]

We do full on 80s Christmas decorations and tree. Christmas, like weddings, only gets naffer the more tasteful you try to be!

[lollipoprainbow]

We sometimes have coloured lights as I love the vintage feel. However my real tree looks so gorgeous with white lights. The decs are incredibly kitsch and garish so the colour comes from them !!

[Autumngoldleaf]

Getting like my mother

I'm flabbergasted by their buyers. Christmas cosy lights with a warm glow.

[ufucoffee]

I do. I love them.

[Autumngoldleaf]

I used to absolutely love the foil ceiling decks and still use them but the more silver ones to go for a more snow falling theme

[Autumngoldleaf]

I'm going to treat myself to noma lights this year

[SquareWindow]

Coloured lights these days just come in 4 primary harsh colours but i remember the lights from my childhood being more subtle and varied?

[GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER]

I can’t think why John Lewis don’t stock old fashioned coloured lights, when so many people like and want them. They always have masses of LED. Presumably they’re worried about scandalising the style police - JL usually tending so much to the painfully ‘tasteful’.

I still remember with amusement some years ago reading in some Homes and Gardens type mag (probably at the dentist since I never buy them) some article by a decor ‘expert’ telling us how to decorate our trees.
She actually wrote, ‘….the (always) white lights.’ Just in case any peasants were thinking of going for anything else. 😂

[foxgoosefinch]

Multicoloured lights are definitely fashionable again! I bought some last year after decades of warm white. Agree that the blue is wrong in the LED ones - they should be a softer, pink and purple vibe.

[Angel2702]

We have had coloured lights the last few years, switch between coloured and white every few years. Only got them originally when ours broke and needed replacement last minute and colored was all we could get, but I like them.

[sqirrelfriends]

I mix it up with warm white AND coloured lights on the same tree. It actually looks really pretty.

I also mix up loads of my mums decorations from the 70's and 80's and some newer ones glass and wood ones, it looks great.

I don't like this trend for a few plastic baubles in matching colours with bright white lights. It's not Christmassy.

[BakewellGin1]

I accidently got over excited and bought a 7ft tree a couple of years back... I love it...
We have the warm white lights but most baubles are a mismatch of kiddy ones we have collected over the years e.g rocking horses, Santa's, bears, a few Disney ones...

I refuse to move to a plainer tree... Our youngest is 2 so can get away with it a few years more ha ha

[Autumngoldleaf]

Led lights are far too bright and garish. They blind everywhere I had to take a jl Xmas garland back once they asked why "because it can be seen from space had no charm or cosy" glow "

[FireworkParrot]

I love warm white and coloured lights, we need some new lights this year as have moved house so we're going to decorate the outside (yay!)

I have to agree that I'm not a fan of bright white (too harsh) or blue lights (give me ambulance vibes). I don't mind blue in a mix of coloured lights but all blue is a bit strange to me.

[lachy]

www.ukchristmasworld.com/collections/fairy-lights

This website is the place for old fashioned lights!

[MrsFlinch]

@Blackmagicqueen

Realise this is old but i love lights! We do warm white and coloured (best of both worlds!) I'm with you op, hate icy white and dark blue, getting lights without blue is so difficult. I seem to remember more of a turquoise blue growing up or have i completely fabricated that?!

No you are right! The blue of yonder was more of a turquoise blue!

I too have both, warm white lights on tree in the living room and coloured lights on tree in the kitchen.

I managed to get some vintage style fairy lights a few years ago and the blue is definitely more turquoise on a couple of the sets. The old style lights also contained pink, and I searched everywhere to replicate them. As a lot of the “new” traditional fairy lights only have red, blue, green and yellow, no pink and the blue shade is often not quite right!

[Blackmagicqueen]

Realise this is old but i love lights! We do warm white and coloured (best of both worlds!) I'm with you op, hate icy white and dark blue, getting lights without blue is so difficult. I seem to remember more of a turquoise blue growing up or have i completely fabricated that?!