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.