Retro Christmas Decorations

[Blindleadingtheblind]

This year I've decided I want retro looking chrostmas decorations, the kind I grew up with in the 80s and 90s (my parents never rely updated their decs).

I want hanging tat going across the ceiling and glass coloured baubles. I'd love some of those plastic baubles that have a cotton weave over them too. Not explaining myself well.

The cherry on top would be the tree lights. I want the coloured ones that have sort of like a flower lamp shade over them.

Going to have a look on Ebay for stuff but if anyone can point me in the right direction I'd be grateful.

I got some proper tacky tat for our office a couple of years ago from Poundland. They had tonnes of the concertina foil stuff to hang across the ceiling and some of the chandelier things as well.

The key with fairy lights is old-style incandescent bulbs with PINK. Not all sets come with pink for some reason. We have 2 or occasionally 3 sets of the 200 bulb coloured strings on a 7-8 foot real tree. You don’t need as many as LEDs because the light is much more diffuse.

Tips for incandescent fairy lights if you haven’t used them in a while:

1. Don’t bring them straight down from the loft or in from the garage and turn them on. The quick shift from cold to hot is likely to cause the filaments to blow. Wait for them to come up to room temperature first.

1. Replace all failed bulbs immediately. Fairy light strings split power equally between all bulbs, so every bulb that fails causes more power to be passed through the remaining bulbs which causes more bulbs to fail and a downward spiral is established.

1. It’s generally cheaper to buy a extra set of lights for spares than to fork out for the silly little packs of 5 replacement bulbs.

I will try and attach a photo of a tree from my childhood. 1992 I think. My main memories are spraying the tree with fake snow, papier mache type baubles with Victorian Christmas scenes and lametta!

I have to share this photo of mine.
These fairy lights were bought to wrap around DH’s cot his first Christmas, when he was 6 months old. That was in 1951 so they are now 70 years old. They are used on the fireplace Garland and are on a timer for an hour every evening. I do have spare bulbs but they are getting increasingly hard to find.
They have a lovely glow.

Showing the original box.

I went retro last year - found everything i needed in b&m!

We went retro for Christmas a few years ago and love it! We found a 1960s angel in with our Xmas decs - have no idea where it came from (!!) complete with blue eyeshadow and that started me off. Gone are the classy colour themed decs and in came bright clashing traditional colours.

I bought a set of the vintage Pifco Cinderella carriage fairy lights from Ebay which I absolutely adore though they were rather pricey, I paid about £120 (didn't tell DH!) Charity shops are normally good for vintage decs too.

B&M or Home Bargains normally have the foil ceiling garlands and lanterns. I love the 1970-80s decorations, remind me of my childhood and happy times.

Last Christmas my son and I left our home with very little . I managed to take some decorations but our tree was a mish mash of what we had (some very retro) Never realised I was on trend!

I can never get my head around buying new decs every year. My decs are retro because I have had some of them for 30 years. Getting them out each Christmas is like meeting an old friend.

Omg those apple decorations @TheGriffle! Just set off a little memory bomb

I’ve just fallen in love with the TV Christmas Market Scene Magical water spinner on that Christmas World link.

@Mybalconyiscracking

I can never get my head around buying new decs every year. My decs are retro because I have had some of them for 30 years. Getting them out each Christmas is like meeting an old friend.

I agree with that, each one has a memory of where it came from and makes me smile.

@Trumpton

They are beautiful, what a lovely story.

Wow!!! So many suggestions, thank you all so much.

Shout out to those mentioning B&M and lametta, I didn't realise there was a demand for retro christmas decs.

@EvilPea - those garlands on the website (red and gold ones) are exactly what I want. I'll scour B&M though and see if they have some. Also for the fairy lights, those Canterbury ones are what my mum had and they are the type I really want so thanks for finding them :)

@TheGriffle - those decorations are absolutely gorgeous!! Also they ones you like the best are what I meant by cotton weave in my original OP. I want cotton/silk decorations so will hunt around to see if I can find some.

@bigburdd - is that your angel? I'm sorry I had to laugh, it reminded out of something from Child's Play . If it's any consolation, mine angel looks like Barbara Windsor when she used to do the Jackpot Joy adverts and I've affectionately named her 'Babs' for years.

@TheSockMonster thanks for the tips re lighting. I love your 90s tree.

@Trumpton - what lovely memories and those lights have done well to last all these years. Absolutely beautiful.

I saw foil ceiling garlands in Poundland this morning. They’re not on the website so I can’t link and we’re only in red and green. My gran used to have them strung across the living room and I thought of her, and this thread as soon as I saw them.

If they’re in Poundland then there will be posher versions in other shops too.

@thelegohooverer

I saw foil ceiling garlands in Poundland this morning. They’re not on the website so I can’t link and we’re only in red and green. My gran used to have them strung across the living room and I thought of her, and this thread as soon as I saw them.

If they’re in Poundland then there will be posher versions in other shops too.

Fantastic! Think a trip into town is needed at the weekend.

West Elm has retro baubles.

My Christmas tree decorations are mostly 80's/90's ones There are even a few that go back further than that.

It was only a couple of years ago that we had to finally replace our lovely old coloured fairy lights with modern ones. The new ones are nowhere near as nice.

My mum still has all of her old baubles and I have fond memories of ceiling decs I was born in 1992.

I love the old baubles. They tell such a tale. The old piece of cotton hanging it on the tree because the original string came loose many years ago.

The creepy old Santa in a boot. Ahh I love them!

The found faced children playing in the snow with the red cheeks! When my mum gets her decs out I'm definitely taking pictures of them!

ROUND* not found

I’ve still got some baubles and my original fairy from my childhood tree, then we’ve added new baubles that the kids have made and chosen.
It’s all part of Christmas, the memories when decorating the tree.

My parents have never really updated their decs so theirs are the ones I grew up with. Now I have my own house and family, I want to bring some of that magic into this house. My decorations are nice but very modern and I've had them about 5 years. I want retro ones this year for a change.

My nan had Pat Butcher earrings style decorations in the 90s.

@Invasionofthegutsnatchers

My nan had Pat Butcher earrings style decorations in the 90s.

OMG we had those top ones !!!

I would love a red and gold foil sign

@TheSockMonster your 90s tree has just made my heart sing! Taken me right back to my childhood! Glorious!