Tinsel Time … the Magical Shimmer of German Lametta
Jan 4th, 2010 by Connie
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I confess. I have a thing for tinsel. Not just any tinsel, mind you. I want that wonderful, heavy metal stuff from my childhood, those silvery strands that my father patiently hung on the tree one by one. What incredible dedication. And, what a magical sight to behold! Mom certainly did not have time for that! Taking down the tree was just as time consuming. Off they came one by one to be carefully flattened and saved for another year. |
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How did this tradition begin in our little family? I never knew. Since decorating the tree was Dad’s domain, I think that tinsel must have been a Mitchell family tradition remembered from his own childhood Christmases in Dayton, Ohio. Wow! Have you ever seen so many icicles? |
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Tinsel I know that tinsel or lametta originated in Germany in the early 1600s. German glassblowers from the Lauscha region crafted crystal ornaments, some looked just like icicles. When the candles were lit on the tree, oh how those icicles glistened! As the years passed, craftsmen created icicles from tin and even silver. By the 1920s, the time when my grandfather Edgar Mitchell was celebrating Christmas in Dayton, Ohio with his wife and children, German craftsmen had invented lametta, tinsel icicles made from lead. My grandmother’s family was German-speaking. Perhaps that’s how my father’s love for a Christmas tree dripping in tinsel began. |
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Later generations have not experienced the magic of tinsel on Christmas morning. Lead based lametta has been banned from the American market since the 1960s. The past two Decembers, I’ve walked the aisles of German Christmas markets in search of the real thing. Sadly, this magical tradition seems to be out of vogue in German households nowadays. Although we visited markets, stores and flea markets in city after city, sightings of that old-fashioned lametta were few and far between. |
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But, I am persistent. During the past two years, little by little, I’ve gathered quite a collection of tinsel lametta, both vintage and newly manufactured. I’ve come to appreciate the graphics on those early packets. They represent an era – a time gone by. I hope that you will appreciate them as much as I do. Who knows? Perhaps you’ll find something new and affordable to collect! Click here or on the angel to view the tinsel collection. |
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Oh Connie! This brings back so many memories. We would spend up to 5 days sometimes hanging each strand of tinsel. I loved it when I would rub the tinsel between my fingers and find several stuck together. I had more to hang! I am part German too, but don’t think that had anything to do with our tradition. I think it had more to do with Mom’s artistic flare and wanting things to look “just so”. After I got married we gave up tinsel when it changed to the plastic. Not the same at all. I did see some real tinsel at an antique store in Salt Lake City the other day. Thought about buying it, but the packaging was so trashed and the tinsel looked pretty mashed for the price they were asking. I think about 18 or 19 dollars. Anyway, thanks for the memories!
What a great post Connie and the pictures are awesome! I love tinsel too! Thank you for bringing back such magical memories for me!
~Joyce~
Oh yes, I do remember waiting for the lights and the ornaments to be hung on the tree and then the magical tinsel was placed one by one and that made the tree shimmer and shine. For a long time after tinsel was no longer available, I thought our tree looked so bare…since then I have learned to find as much sparkle and glitter as I can with handmade ornaments touched with german glass glitter.
Bonnie
Oh so pretty! I have that exact package of Tinsel Lametta. I don’t always put it on the tree but I LOVE it when I do.