Tinsel Town

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The youngest returned today. Before she came, I made sure that I had erected and decorated our Christmas tree. The debate over artificial versus real tree continues to wage. I have come to the conclusion, however, that the only way to save the planet is to avoid both, but whilst I still have my artifical trees, I shall persist in bringing them out each year.

The more difficult decision relates to tinsel. We have massses of it, stored away in a box with baubles and other ornaments. Traditionally the youngest and I have dressed the tree on Christmas Eve with a playlist of Christmas songs chiming merrily in accompaniment.

The problem is that what should be a happy prelude to the season of goodwill, invariably dissolves into a debate over tinsel. I insist that it goes onto the tree second to the lights and that it is threaded through the branches aplenty. The youngest disagrees, declaring it to be ugly and draping it in unattractive loops to emphasise her point.

So this year, I thought I would avoid the argument and get a clear run ahead of time. Mister E, however, became involved instead, putting his head around the door and advising me that tinsel is out of fashion and I should avoid it. Whatever happened to peace on Earth and why can't I be left to my own counsel on matters of aesthetic importance?




Nevertheless, in conciliatory manner, I decided to take heed of the advice offered and decked out the tree making a statement in silver and gold, with ribbons and trinkets but no tinsel. Well of course it looks attractive but without tinsel it just lacks that jolly Christmassy feel. Perhaps it's a generation thing but I've always had tinsel on the tree and now that we are in retirement and just because somebody somewhere has decreed that trends have altered, must I really allow myself to be deprived?


No, emphatically not. I solved the dilemma by erecting our second smaller tree and smothering it in flamboyant streams of the sparkling, glittering stuff. Nor did I go in for any of the subtleties of silver and gold. This tree is a bold statement of coloured lights, tinsel and red baubles! This tree yells Christmas!


Comments

Treaders said…
We bought our first Christmas tree as a married couple in 1985 in Washington. Artificial and I don't regret it at all because 34 years later I'm still using it. (Got more use out of that tree than I did out of the husband to be honest). I don't like real trees actually because of all the needles they shed so maybe we aren't destroying the planet as much as some would have us believe!
22 December 2019 at 11:18
Caree Risover said…
Fully agree, although our last one didn’t make it to 34 as it had begun to resemble a toilet brush after 25 years, although I maintain that the tinsel helped hide the bald parts!
22 December 2019 at 18:55
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