Here’s to a very retro Christmas
A CHRISTMAS tree bought at Woolworths in the 1930s has been a part of Steve Rose’s life for decades.
But the 74-year-old has now decided it is time to part company with the artificial tree, giving someone else the chance to recreate a simple Christmas of yesteryear.
The sparse spruce is to be sold at auction along with more of Steve’s collectables – 1950s Woolworths Christmas tree lights still in their original box, baubles and glow-in-the-dark icicles.
The retired biology teacher from Syston, Leics, spotted a story about a similar tree which was bought by the American Christmas Tree Association for £420 last year.
Steve said: “I saw how much that tree went for and thought someone might like this one. It was our main family tree for years and I remember my mum putting it up every Christmas.
“I’ve had it all my life. Christmas was not an extravagant affair when I was a child growing up in South Wales. In the late 1940s you’d get a Christmas sock and inside it was a tangerine, nuts, some loose change and small presents. It was very simple but enjoyable. On Christmas Day we had a chicken from the lady at the back of our house who bred them.
“I think we enjoyed Christmas more back then. Because we didn’t have much, we valued what we had. I was given a train set when I was 11 and I only parted with that eight years ago. It was still in mint condition with its original box.”
Now Steve is looking forward to Christmas – but without his family tree.
He said: “Let’s hope it finds an exciting new home and puts a sparkle into Christmas for generations to come.”
His festive lot is expected to fetch up to £300 when it goes under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers, Bishton Hall, Staffs, on December 18. TV antiques expert Charles Hanson said: “This is a wonderful opportunity to buy your very own vintage Christmas and own a tree of historical importance. Nearly a century after it was made, it’s time for this tree to be an evergreen star in our saleroom.”
Woolworths started selling some of the first mass-produced artificial trees in the 1920s.
The very first fake trees were made in Germany during the 19th century using goose feathers dyed green.