How could I restore this Christmas tree to some kind of glory?

[ShowOfHands]

My Grandma had the same Christmas tree for 80 years and for my entire childhood, arriving at her house on the last day of term and seeing it in the window was the beginning of Christmas. She never took the decorations off it, simply added more and more tinsel as it became threadbare and then covered it in a pillowcase for 11 months of the year. We always joked we would gladly chuck it out when the time came as it ended up so sorry for itself, covered in garish tinsel and a sorry sight. Then when she moved into a home permanently, I found it in its hiding place in the garage, carefully covered in a pillowcase and I just couldn't throw it in the skip.

Last night I read through some of her diaries (she left them to me) and she talks every year about the pleasure the tree gave her. It was her mother's and she was given it when she got married. I have decided to be brave and take off all the tinsel and see what's left of the original tree. It really is a mess but you can see that it once used to have foliage on its wire branches.

So, any ideas? I don't know whether to find a way to add more branches or just try and restore the ones that are there. I need to somehow add foliage to them but am not sure where to start. I have my Grandma's angel, vintage lights and some decorations and they will go back on but I need a tree-like canvas for them.

I know it's a mess. I do. Grandma died two years ago and my love of Christmas comes from her. So many of my happy memories are bound up with her presence and this sad little tree was such a part of it.

I couldn’t throw that away either - I completely understand the sentiment. Could you have a look on freecycle or similar for artificial trees (people always seem to be chucking them out).

This was it 36 years ago. The years have been kinder to me than the tree and that's saying something!

Oh wow.
What lovely memories your DGM has given you. I totally understand why you want to restore it. Not quite sure how you could go about it but you can get ‘filler’ Christmas tree branches. It may be you would have to get some and attach them to the existing branches.

www.amazon.co.uk/christmas-tree-filler-branches/s?k=christmas+tree+filler+branches&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

@deeplyrooted

I couldn’t throw that away either - I completely understand the sentiment. Could you have a look on freecycle or similar for artificial trees (people always seem to be chucking them out).

That's a good idea. I could steal bits from another tree.

Ideally, I want to keep what's left of the original and add to it.

This seems a bit out there but what about the program the repair shop?

I would take foliage from another fake tree and use floristry wire to twist it onto the branches.

Obvs it's in a sad state I may have laughed when I clicked on the picture but I would have to keep it too!

Could you get something like a Christmas wreath and unwind the pieces from the wreath and wrap them around the tree branches?

@PostThenGhost

Oh wow. What lovely memories your DGM has given you. I totally understand why you want to restore it. Not quite sure how you could go about it but you can get ‘filler’ Christmas tree branches. It may be you would have to get some and attach them to the existing branches.

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There are some lovely fake branches. I think I'll have to avoid the temptation to make it look how I would have it iyswim. It was a basic tree with sparse branches and summed up my grandparents. They never threw things away if they could help it. Everything was fixed and patched in Grandad's workshop and they used their china from their wedding until the very end, darned and repurposed and generally never, ever spent money if they didn't have to. Part of me wished they had because they were happy to spoil me and my brother as their only grandchildren and made us feel so particularly loved and cherished but their Methodist principles meant they were careful not to indulge. Except at Christmas!

Oh I adored them.

Hobbycraft have plain wreaths reduced to £1 now. You could buy a couple of those and take them apart.

I love the repair shop but surely they wouldn't be interested.

And I think I'd like to do it myself. Just like they would have done.

It's okay to laugh. I laughed too. And cried a little bit.

Aww this has made me feel really emotional I hope you can get it restored to how it once was.

What lovely memories, your grandparents sound lovely

Oh bless it's bare branches! I think The Repair Shop are worth a try and their application process is now open www.bbc.co.uk/contact/questions/shows-tours-and-take-part/take-part-the-repair-shop

I would definitely bring this to the Repair Shop, the sentimental value alone is enough to catch their eye.

Aw….I would tie something like rosemary stems (find someone with a….big bush) over all the bare wires with thread, then wind fairy lights all over it. Maybe add a few vintage baubles that remind you of the past. It’s beautiful really as it is, just for the memories it represents.

I don’t think I’d touch it… just incase it went wrong somehow. It’s got such a special meaning to you. Go big on green tinsel, so it’s removable? I couldn’t have thrown it away either.

I think the Repair Shop absolutely would be interested! But if I were in your position and wanting to do something myself, I would strip off the remaining ‘foliage’ (maybe put it inside a home-made bauble to keep), re-paint the central post (is it wood?) in red and straighten the branches and paint them green. Then use it just as it is. You then have a pared-back, minimalist tree, the like of which you’d have to pay
££s for new.

That is so cute. I would just decorate it as it is

That's beautiful op. What lovely memories. I hipe the repair shop show takes it!
Otherwise, there are a few people doing beautiful artificial wreaths on our local selling page, I would ask them for help. Or steal branches off my own tree and use green florist wire to attach them.

I have an (enormous) rosemary bush.

The Repair Shop is on the telly. I don't want to go on the telly.

I do want to restore it. It's making me sad looking at it as is and I really want to make it look how it once looked. Which probably is just a matter of adding foliage.

The central bit is wood but it has brown tape round it.

It's clearly been made at home by somebody once upon a time.

I think it is adorable, and like you would never want to throw it out. But I also agree it does need some TLC before you can use it again

Could you add something like these (link below) to each bare branch until you get the look you want? Each one would need the wire stem to be wrapped around the currently bare wire branch, but I don't think they would damage the existing structure at all.

www.amazon.co.uk/Purple-Star-Pine-Needles-Branches/dp/B09JS4SQXD/ref=mp_s_a_1_7_sspa?psc=1&keywords=Tree+Garland&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzNUgwUEFTT0hRMFUmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA5MTY5MzQxVTI0VllYVFgzNUNLJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA5NDc5NTYzRVdFR0tCWFRCNVNSJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfcGhvbmVfc2VhcmNoX210ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1644150412&sr=8-7-spons

I would wind ribbon round the middle bit if you don’t want to paint it?

I also think, given that you say the original has been handmade (by someone in your family?), that adding something along these lines yourself will be very much within the spirit of the original maker, rather than sending it for someone else to do it ... but just my thought, I'm sure your heart ❤️ will tell you the right thing to do

This made me tear up. Bless your DGPs. I’m not creative but I hope you can restore it. When clearing out my DGMs house I found Christmas decorations in the form of decorated cotton reels. I knew she grew up without much money but it was very emotional.

I think I'd get some white or silver wired ribbon and wrap the whole tree in that. Then some tiny fairy lights over the top. I completely understand why you'd want to keep it, and your granny sounds lovely.