Bubble Lights and Stuart McLean

I have to add a little note to this post.  Sadly Stuart McLean passed away this year and I, like so many others, mourned his loss.  
A happier note is that younger daughter, after reading this post, bought me a set of these bubble lights!

The Christmas tree of my youth was always a real one.  When it would be put up in our living room, it immediately made the room seem so much smaller.  You could smell it too the moment you opened the back door. 
 In those days, we would visit each other's houses just to see the Christmas trees.  And each one would look a little different reflecting a family's treasured keepsakes and customs.


                       


The first time I saw Bubble lights on a Christmas tree at a friend's house, I was entranced.  What marvelous thing was this now?  I probably had a look just like the girl on the box below...an original vintage box of Bubble lights you can buy from Amazon.  It seems everything old is available on ebay or Amazon.



We never ever had bubble lights on our tree.  But we had those bulbs that we didn't know at the time would soon be old fashioned; you know the kind...big, substantive and just the primary colours.


                            

                             

I remember well having these on our Christmas tree too...bulb reflectors made out of tin.  They were made to last as we used the same ones year after year.

                              

And our trees were always covered in tinsel.  Mom would spend hours straightening each piece; she liked it to lie just so.  With three kids and a dog running around a small living room, she must have had her work cut out for her.

So, tinsel, bubble lights, reflectors, or a star on the top; what did the tree of your childhood wear?


 Stuart McLean, the son of Australian immigrants, has become a Canadian icon, a storyteller with a radio show called The Vinyl Cafe.  He also travels Canada and the U.S. holding concerts where he tells his stories and invites local talent to play music.  I've been to see him in concert twice and loved it.  Stuart has a lovely speaking voice and his stories are gentle, funny, touching and always highlight human kindness.
If you have the time, pour a coffee or tea and sit back and listen to Stuart telling one of his Christmas stories.  It gets better as it goes along, I promise. 

Christmas At The Turlingtons