Our Christmas 'Tree' In The 1940s.

@much2say When things weren't readily available it's amazing how inventive we get. We certainly didn't miss out on the Christmas spirit.

@jaboUK Yes - I think that's what makes us creative - when we have to make do with what we have. And as much as kids have it "better" these days, I think that makes them less creative.

@much2say The old adage is true - 'necessity is the mother of invention'.

@marlina Thanks, I'm happy that you like reading about my memories. I do have another all written up - it was part of this post but would have made it too long. It's about how Mum used to make all our dolls etc. and other aspects of Christmas in those days - I may post it in a couple of days, depending on whether enough people seem interested in this kind of thing.

@jaboUK I hope you do....

@jaboUK please write that post. I'd love to read about the dolls your mom made

@celticeagle Yes, it was much more special , and we felt so proud to see things we'd made ourselves on the tree.

@jaboUK ....My grandmother had us save wrapping paper and tinsel from year to year. And we always made chains and things at school that went on the tree.

@celticeagle We made chains too, to put across the ceiling.

@jaboUK I am in awe of all the things she was able to do. My mother was not creative in that way. She could however make a great meal with very little money.

@BelleStarr I haven't inherited my mother's abilities I'm afraid. Your mother was creative in her own way

@BelleStarr She certainly did. She made dolls and teddy bears out of odds and ends for us too.

In those days we did not look further afield than our close friends and neighbours and we all had much the same things in common. We did not make comparisons because there was little or no TV and everything was black and white, including the cinema.

@MALUSE You are quite right - you don't miss what you've never had.

@41CombedaleRoad You are so right - we weren't in competition in those days.

@EugenesDIYDen I tried that planting and digging up business soon after I was married, but it wasn't a success. Why do you hate that conifer ?- I hate my neighbour's though I'm not sure what variety it is. It grows so quickly and keeps the sun off my garden.

@ataboy Wow, that was annoying for you to lose all those trees.

I've never heard of or thought of that idea, of moving a Christmas tree like that back and forth. I'm sure it's probably just me living under a rock or whatever, but it's an interesting Idea - even with the tremendous hassle that you were sure to vividly provide! So it just became too much work to dig up and so you simply gave in! That doesn't sound like you, @EugenesDDen! My first thought was, why not plant it closer to the house originally and create an extendable room that can act as your indoor Christmas display area! Whaa!? how simple would a few retractable walls and a ceiling that is capable of sealing to the walls water/airtight! I actually started a Christmas tree farm one year located about a two-hours drive from my home, and on my buddies huge farm property where he could assist with a lot of the uptake. They grew almost as tall as the common store tree, what is that like 6' or so probably...well mine grew to about 5'5" or so. The I got a call early one morning (like 3-4am) my friend was frantic, lightning struck in two locations and almost entirely burned down the rather damp trees! I think I ended up going from like 2.5k trees to barely 500 short guys with their eyebrows a little bit singed! That was not fun, but I enjoyed the whole concept of tying to build something and get into business, as I was pretty young and It's held my excitement ever since - even though it was so crazy - and it happened probably a month before tree season actually started. But being an optimist, I knew it had to be all uphill from there...Turns out I'm more of a realist now!

@jstory07 That's interesting that you do that, I bet the children love it.

@jaboUK As you know I worked in an old age home when I was younger, and most of my residents were war survivors of 1 kind or another. I have a special admiration for those ladies, and for their children.

@Juliaacv Yes I remember you talking about one particular English lady. They had to be tough and resourceful in those days.

You are right about my mother - imagine coping with 3 small children while your husband is in dangerous situations in another country! And that war went on for 6 years, don't forget. I was born on the day my father embarked on a ship to France, and hardly saw him till I was 6 years old.

@jaboUK I loved to much to make them that I still do.

@LadyDuck You still make them? I'm afraid I don't.

@LadyDuck It was such fun in those days wasn't it? I'm glad that know what I'm talking about regarding the cardboard angels.

@DaddyEvil That's a nice memory Robb. I don't know what an Eastern Red Cedar tree looks like, but it sounds good.

@DaddyEvil Thank you. From what I can see it doesn't look much different from a normal tree. Btw Pretty lives up to her name

@jaboUK Hmmm... I don't have any pictures of one... wait a minute! I might have one. Let me look... I did have one, Janet. It was from 2001, and has Pretty in front of the tree, so I am not sure how well you will be able to see it, but I tried. I could grab one from Wikimedia Commons, if you like?

Flatterer!. I was born in 1939.

@jaboUK See! I TOLD you you didn't look your real age! Did you believe me? NOOOOO! You didn't!

@jaboUK No, I am not flattering!

@pgntwo That was quite a ritual for you every year, but probably more fun?

@pgntwo I never had a Christmas tree with lights till I got married, but as you say, they weren't cheap.

@jaboUK All part of the fun, yes - eventually, we had to buy a new set, they weren't cheap as I recall.

@ElizabethWallace You've hit the nail on the head - I have great nieces and nephews for whom I can't buy anything - they have it all already. So they get gift vouchers. Apart from the tree, we made paper chains to be strung across the ceiling. We loved seeing things we'd made ourselves adorning the house.

@Morleyhunt Did you make any yourself?

@jaboUK eventually we did. I remember making a bell out of the end from a roll of wall paper. Then painting it bright yellow.

@jaboUK A wonderful woman always brought up wonderful children, and I believe she will always live in your heart.

@kaka135 So true - till the day I die.

@kaka135 Thank you - my mum really was a wonderful woman - she's been gone for many years now but I still miss her.

@Rollo1 You are right - Christmas should be the time when families do things together. My mother did make it special, we were very lucky.

I've read about the devastation that the UK went through in WWII @jaboUK since I was born 10 years later I really have no clue about those times.

@rebelann Candles were too precious to be put on Christmas trees in those days. I was the youngest, born in 1939, but there were less than three years between all of us.

@rebelann I may put up some more posts from this era, we'll see.

@moondebi You are quite right, no comparison at all.

@Beatburn It's true that my mother made things special, and that is why I remember it so well.

@Tampa_girl7 Yes, it certainly is.