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.

That's a lovely tree and well worth restoring.

Don't add extra branches - it is a certain style and extra modern branches will look wrong and off. Its spartan style is part of the charm.

You need to concentrate on adding to the existing missing pine tinsel arms. At least it appears to still have all its original arms?

I would get something like (can't do links but if you search for this on Amazon):

"ANECO 6.56 Yard Christmas Garland Decorations Artificial Green Pine Garlands Holiday Christmas Greenery Wreaths Decoration for Christmas Home Garden Wedding Party"

Carefully wrap it around each arm, securing with dark green thread every inch or so. This will give you the closest look to the original. This should be simple to do and won't disturb the original structure. I would not try to untwirl the metal arms or anything similar - they won't go back like they should.

I love it, it's a really special piece.

Could you use someone like these? Secure them on to the current branches

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Artificial-Flower-Fake-Pine-Tree-Branches-Green-Plant-Christmas-Tree-Decor-/313763566991?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

I'm not going to touch the original structure or add branches. I've been looking through some of the options and have a loose plan. I'm going to add to the existing branches with some fake wired foliage and maybe a couple of mini fake poinsettias (she adored poinsettias like nothing else). I've found some wool baubles in exactly the style and colour she had when I was little so I'm going to add those to the existing decorations and vintage lights.

I really like the idea of a wired ribbon down the centre to cover the tape. I'm going to have a bit of a browse to see if I can find something I like.

It's my turn to host this year and my Dad and brother are coming. I hope to do it as a surprise for them.

I will of course post pictures when I'm done.
Any other suggestions gratefully received.

There was something on one of the ‘Back in time for Christmas’ TV shows that showed them making a Christmas decoration where they wound a trim made of goose feathers (from the the goose that was Christmas dinner) around the wire to give a fir tree needle effect.

I’m not explaining it very well at all sorry, but it sounds like it might have been how your Grandma’s was made.

We watched it this last Christmas but I’m not sure if it’s available now.

Wikipedia has this en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feather_Christmas_tree and maybe there are you tube videos about it?

It has a lovely shaker minimalist charm. I'm so glad you are going yo love it

Would love to see pictures op
What a lovely story ❤

Could you wrap something like this round the branches?

Fgs Showy I have got something in my eye, grrrrr, I shall knuckle your head to make up for it.

Now I like the idea of the wired ribbon and the fake foliage and poinsettias sound perfect.

Tell us about the vintage lights next (are they Pifco, olive shape bulbs, theme etc)

This thread has made me cry ... but in a good way.

The original spines look to me like they've been taken from an old fashioned stiff floor brush or scrubber. They're called bassine bristles and come from a type of palm tree. Brushes made of this are still readily available and cheap. You'd have to paint them green and then attach to branches.

I've been reading up about those goose feather trees and they are so like my Grandma's tree and were clearly very popular. Back In Time For Christmas is lovely but I must have missed that episode. They tend to repeat them every year so I shall look out for it.

There are two sets of lights. One is a Pifco lanterns set and the other is a smaller Bakelite. I've stolen a couple of Google images which are very similar.

I get a little thrill of Christmas magic every time I look at them. I used to get to their house in Derbyshire (we are in Norfolk) and see those twinkling lights in the side window and Christmas had begun. I try and tell my children what it was like but I'm not sure they have the same experience. My grandparents were truly a different generation and it was like stepping back in time. They had candlewick bedspreads and scratchy blankets and an old organ upon which my Grandma would play hymns and sing in her paper thin voice. I'm not religious in the slightest but those hymns make me sob now. My parents are still working, busy and tech savvy. It's not the same.

We use a bassine brush to clean the front step and the floor of the garage. They're flipping awesome. The bristles would make great branches. I'm not sure my fingers are up to it though!

This thread probably explains why I spend a lot of time on here trying to convince people that Christmas with older relatives isn't necessarily the terrible thing people paint it. There's a real trend towards "our own little family" and it being unfair to "drag the children away from their new things", or "they've had their chance". Of course I don't mean spending time with toxic people or bending over to accommodate other people whilst sacrificing yourself, but I have such precious memories and reading her diaries, I know what it meant to my Grandma too. Even in the last two years when she was too frail to leave the home, we took Christmas to her. She died in November 2019, mercifully before the pandemic as she had dementia and would not have understood why we suddenly couldn't see her. I was with her when she died. It was 4am on a freezing cold night. She was unconscious and I talked to her about my memories and Christmas and how it was just around the corner.

Sorry. I'm not sure I meant to reminisce really.

I will share the tree with you when it is finished.

Beautiful lights, Showy, thank you . We had the little lanterns, too, so nice to see them again (not actually them but ykwim).
Your account of Christmases past and the passing of your Grandma are very moving, evocative and curiously uplifting. You take care, now.

I think it's worth applying to The Repair Shop...a lovely item for the Christmas episode 2022!

Sorry @ShowOfHands, just seen you don't want to go on the telly x

It's fine. In all honesty, dh has already applied with his own much more worthy story and item.

Happy Christmas Flibberty me old mucker.

I love the tree and have loved reading this thread. I did have one more idea, could you somehow engrave on the wooden stem your grandparents, parents, yours and dc initials? Not in way that you would notice it easily but just so you are all on there together?

ahhhh, poor tree.

what are the original foliage made of?

Haven't RTFT but it looks like a goose feather tree (Victorian and Edwardian era). Have a Google and see if you find some inspiration. They are beautifully sparse and I would love to find one one day!

There is a pack of matt green tinsel on amazon -52ft christmas garland, could you use something like that to attach to the wire .
Ithink it would end up giving the look it had in your childhood photo.
I absolutley would want to restore this too , it will look so lovely next christmas with your lovely vintage decorations on - in honour of you nan.

tsmainsqueeze - you're the 4th (I think, myself included) who has recommended that type of thin matt green garland to attach to the existing branches, but OP hasn't commented on it.

So many helpful suggestions, it always amazes me how generous people are with their time and linking products etc.

What a lovely thread. 🌲

I hope you manage it somehow OP.
How about wrapping some tinsel around the branches?

We had one a bit like that - living in Oman in the 70s with virtually no western style shops or anything Christmassy to buy - until an exciting new shop,opened.

Oh joy, they actually had a Christmas tree, only about 3 feet tall, that came in a box with a few baubles and a set of lights.

The branches were just straight thin stick things with green and white tinsel ‘needles’ but I really loved that tree!

I still regret chucking it some years ago when we were clearing the loft for dh to re insulate it.

I would apply a festive decoupage! It would look lovely.