Candles and Lavatory Brushes!

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I bet the blogs this morning are awash with pictures of back gardens knee-deep in snow.

Mine is, but I thought I would, as Monty Python used to say....

......" now for something completely different".

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Yes, a Lavatory Brush. Or four to be more precise. I was looking for a green one, but this is the best I could find.

Now, I'm back on trees again. This snippet on artificial trees was all new to me.

"Although the fir tree has been part of Christmas celebrations for centuries, in Victorian times many homes would have a feather tree. These were made of goose, swan, turkey or ostrich feathers dyed green to give the same effect as a real tree."

The first appearance of this ‘artificial’ tree was in 1845.

The tradition of having a fir tree in the house, fell out of favour following the death of Queen Victoria in 1901 and so the idea of an artificial and reusable tree caught on and became popular.

Now the first company to make artificial trees, was actually better known for manufacturing lavatory brushes! It was the American Addis Brush Company that first came up with the idea of a mass-produced tree.

They initially produced their trees using the same machines that produced their lavatory brushes.

In Victorian times the tree was often decorated with candles housed in glass holders which were wired onto the tree. When these were lit the lamp would look a bit like a fairy’s wings - hence the term “fairy lights”.

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Our tree that used to come in from the garden (around 1950) of course had electric lights but we still clipped wax candles at the ends of each branch. As someone who never throws anything old away, I still have a box of these, as seen above. They were from dear old Woolworths and still have the price on the back 1/6d. (7 ½ p in new money).

The tradition of hanging decorations on the tree can be traced back to Germany when fruit, nuts and small pieces of gingerbread were hung on threads.

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During Victorian times, people started using small toys, silver stars and small wooden carvings. Now I do not have any of our original tree decoration, apart from the candles, but I do still use three little figures that my sister made for me some thirty years ago. Thanks Jean xxx.

Overheard in the PO queue yesterday.....

“What do you and your family have planned over the erm… non-religious-specific days off in winter?”

MERRY CHRISTMAS

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