by Mel (Fri Dec 18, 2009)
The danger with articles comparing the past with the present
is that the past always wins. ‘It was simpler in the olden days, not as
frantic, much calmer.' Never is it more tempting to believe this than at
Christmas time. Now, there is online shopping, relatives texting me about
presents and digital photos that I have to make into a calendar for Granny. None
of that existed in the 1970's. Then, you did your shopping the old fashioned
way, wrote lists with a pen and Granny waited weeks for the photos to be
developed, or you bought her a Polaroid camera. However, lest we become maudlin
and long for days of yore, there is one area of Christmas that we have improved on immeasurably. It is the tree.
Then, ‘getting the tree' simply meant climbing into the
attic to hunt for the Woolworths box. A gaudy wire and tinsel affair (white, or
maybe purple) would emerge, covered in dust, complete with a metal stand. Having
a tacky tree year after year was an early form of recycling and perhaps we
should applaud it. But those trees looked terrible; some traditions really are
better left in the past.
Progress came to our house circa 1975 when my parents bought
our first real tree. To my childish eyes the decorated tree was a joy to
behold, but the photos tell a different story. Informal research has confirmed
that it wasn't just my parents who had peculiarly bad tree-decorating taste; all
my friends endured the annual eyesore in the corner. Tinsel was mandatory, draped
in a zigzag pattern. Lights were not white; rainbow colours were required. Baubles
were reflective glass; smashing at least one was an annual event. Crackers were
essential, not just on the dinner table, but balanced precariously on tree
branches. Until well into my twenties I thought this was how a Christmas tree
should be decorated. You see how one generation can pass on its poison to the
next?
Now, we have more choice about the kind of tree we buy and how
we decorate it. If you wish, you can keep it simple; get down to the nearest
garage forecourt and buy a rootless Nordmann. You'll probably get a stand
thrown in for free. Or you can go down the virtuous route and select a non-drop
Blue Spruce with a well-nourished root ball. In January you can plant it in the
garden and feel good that you are slowing the rate of global warming.
After the tree purchase come the decorations. Prepare to be
dazzled by the many ‘themes' available. A trip to my local garden centre shows
me that I can go all Victorian if I wish; classic bows in red and gold (but
without the real candles). Or I can do a child-pleasing North Pole theme; glittery
penguins, polar bears and cotton wool snow. I can do simple wooden figures and
white lights, or if I really want to be ironic and retro, fake white tinsel
trees are still available, although sadly not at Woolies.
When it comes to dressing the tree, learn some lessons from
the past. Do not do as my parents did and throw everything on the tree. And whatever
you do, don't let the children help. This is a real error because children have
absolutely no decorative taste. If it glitters, and clashes, and is dreadful,
they want it on the tree. If it looks like Santa decorated it himself (on acid)
then they will be happy. If they must be involved with a tree, buy them one of
their own and locate it in an outhouse. As for those school-made decorations,
more than one is too many. Ooo, there's
nothing like a Christmas tree to wake your inner control freak is there?
However tempting it is to hark back to the past and think it
was better, it would be wrong to diss the present completely. Parts of
Christmas in the Noughties might be bewildering, stressful and depressing, but
the tree at least represents progress. This year, hang your tasteful
decorations with pride and be thankful that the 1970's (glam rock) Ghost of
Christmas Past has been well and truly laid to rest.
