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    Home » Holidays

    Tinsel Hanging 101

    Published by Pam Kessler | 272 words. · About 2 minutes to read this article. -

    For those of you born after 1970, I thought I'd share my technique for hanging tinsel, also known as icicles, on the Christmas tree.

    First, look all over creation for a store that actually sells tinsel. Not as easy to find as one would think. It's almost like tinsel isn't a popular Christmas tree adornment nowadays, but we all know that isn't true!

    A humorous look at tinsel hanging, a staple of Christmas trees in the 60's!  If you ever wondered why it went out of fashion, look no further.

    Through much scientific research, I have found that it is most eye pleasing to place three pieces of tinsel on each branch. No more. No less.

    Gingerly select your three tinsel strands by grabbing them in the exact middle of the strands (a tape measure may be helpful) and placing them onto the branch 1.29 inches from the tip.

    A humorous look at tinsel hanging, a staple of Christmas trees in the 60's!  If you ever wondered why it went out of fashion, look no further.

    You may want to hold your breath when doing this, so you have a steady hand. If not, you may twist the tinsel and crease it and no one wants to look at mangled tinsel. Select three more strands and repeat.

    Throwing of tinsel onto the tree in big gobs is strictly prohibited. We will have none of that! Applying tinsel is an art form and should be treated with reverence.

    After spending a entire, mind-numbing delightful evening painstakingly applying tinsel to the tree, stand back and admire your shiny, sparkly creation.

    A humorous look at tinsel hanging, a staple of Christmas trees in the 60's!  If you ever wondered why it went out of fashion, look no further.

    Seriously, this was the first time in probably 40 years that I have put tinsel on a tree. Did it a lot as a kid and then kicked the habit around the time they invented fake trees and twinkle lights.

    It was sort of fun to decorate with tinsel this year. At least for the first half hour.

    A humorous look at tinsel hanging, a staple of Christmas trees in the 60's!  If you ever wondered why it went out of fashion, look no further.



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    Comments

    1. Barbara

      November 26, 2023 at 1:47 pm

      I have my first artificial tree. I want to put tinsel on it because I always used it on the real trees, but since this one is not being "thrown out", how do I get the tinsel off before packing it up.

      • Pam Kessler

        December 19, 2023 at 2:48 pm

        I'm sorry, I thought I had responded to your comment but it doesn't look like it went through!!! I am very careful when I put the tinsel on my artificial trees. I don't toss it at all because I don't wand it to get tangled around the branches. And then when I take it down I do it one strand at a time. Honestly, you can be much more carefree about it when it's a live tree!

        I haven't tried it yet, but I have a friend who uses her brush attachment with her vaccum to take off any left over pieces and she swears it works wonderfully. She does take the vast majority of the strands off before resorting to the vaccum attachment though.

    2. Sherry@Back2Vintage

      December 12, 2012 at 9:50 pm

      Such a funny post!!! We always used tinsel when I was a kid. I started out placing it precisely (maybe not exactly 1.29) but ended up throwing the rest...especially at the top of the tree where I couldn't reach!!! Thanks for the memories!!!

    3. Sweet Posy Dreams

      December 11, 2012 at 12:21 pm

      Gotta tell you, we always put tinsel on our tree. I've tried to leave it off, but the tree always looks naked. Plus, there's nothing like tinsel clinging to the dog's tail to say "Christmastime!"

    4. Custom Comforts

      December 11, 2012 at 6:00 am

      I remember tinsel hanging as a kid. It was fun and frustrating at the same time, especially when it was full of static and sticking to your clothes. Honestly - never missed it when it went out of style. But - it does bring back many warm memories of years gone by.
      Cindy

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