Community Chat

[Its Me LuLuBelle2]

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@Nicknack wrote:

I had a friend who married a German.  His tradition was to use lit candles on the tree, so that's what they did.  I never saw it and told her I thought it was a fire hazard.  She didn't listen to me.  

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@NickNack, it sure is a fire hazard.  My fear was she would forget to snuff ALL of them out.  She would place them on the tree as if they were regular ornaments - meaning she had them in the back of the tree which was against the wall, etc. Every year we hear on the news about people burning their homes down with lights on the tree.  I can't imagine how many houses went ablaze when candles on Christmas trees were the norm.

[raven-blackbird]

old German tradition.............but back then, the xmas tree was put up on xmas eve.....decorated by the mother and no one allowed to see it till the doors to the room were open for the family.......so the risk of a fire wasn't as great since the tree had been cut down that morning or the night before and only lit up on xmas eve night.............then it was promptly removed after xmas.

now most of us leave a tree up for a good month before we take it down.........so the old candles would be a major no no.

My grandmother had the holders, they were her mothers and I think one of my aunts have them now...........but we never used them..........................................raven

[bri20]

I've never seen them.  That would make me very nervous 

[cherry]

When I was a kid, the tree was put up Christmas Eve and taken down after Epiphany. A freshly cut tree wouldn't  burn that quickly

[raven-blackbird]

@NickNack  yep.................it's a German custom............I have never seen one lit with candles even though my grandmother, who was German, had them, but I always wanted to............she did xmas the "German" way but not the candles, my aunts wouldn't let her LOL...................................raven

[ECBG]

In pictures I've seen, the candles were few in number and on extreme edges.  I still wouldn't feel safe.

[Katcat1]

@Its Me LuLuBelle2,  That was a beautiful story.  The candles were before my time on the tree; however, we had the larger colored bulbs and we used tinsel on the tree which most people do not use today.  We also had a small manger beneath the three and went to church on Christmas and every Sunday. 

[chrystaltree]

Please.  I think the days of real lit candles on Christmas trees passed about 200 years ago. 

[Its Me LuLuBelle2]

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@chrystaltree wrote:

Please.  I think the days of real lit candles on Christmas trees passed about 200 years ago. 

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. . . . Then you never met my mother in law . . .