2025 - Freecycle and similar Free stuff

Yesterday gave away a very much loved, old but still serviceable 4ft artificial Xmas tree. At the age of about 15 in Thailand my mum suggested I was too old for a Xmas tree, they weren't that easy to source there in those days . I was inwardly devastated but proud at being considered grown up. I sadly resigned myself to a treeless Christmas. Then, I believe it was Christmas Eve, my mum's American friend turns up with a huge number of boxes. These turn out to be a 4ft artificial tree with all the tinsel and glass baubles needed for decoration. It was beautiful and the most wonderful surprise. The American friend had PX privileges (the Yank supermarket abroad, like our NAAFI) and she had bought these as my Christmas present. Mum must have known but she never let on.

So this 4ft tree has survived nearly 60 years of use and is now destined next year to be (among several others) part of an outside display attached by brackets to the outside of a house. Part of a p*ssing contest of Xmas decorations in a village nearby. I not too sure my tree will cope with the weather, but that's not my problem. In the meantime I'm using a YS 6 footer I bought in Tesco for £7.50 a couple of years ago.