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tinsel
I've finished decorating the Christmas tree. It looks lovely. My brother and his wife are visiting, and they helped with the decorating, which was nice.
I used the tinsel again this year, after skipping it last year. The tree didn't really need it; it looked good even without the tinsel. But two years ago, I had folded up big sheets of paper accordion style, to make little slots in which to store separate strands of tinsel (about 3 together in each fold) to keep them from tangling up together into a difficult clump. I've been curious since then as to how much easier it would now be, to use the tinsel. It was rather easy, so that was a successful storage idea.
It's the old kind of tinsel, which was originally from Germany. I like it because it has weight to it, and hangs well compared to the light fluffy plastic stuff they sell nowadays.
After I was done putting the tinsel on the tree, it occurred to me to wonder whether it contains lead. Before, I'd always assumed it was just thick aluminum foil. But heavy silvery metal... could be lead? So I checked.
Wikipedia article on Tinsel:
I wonder if that means I oughtn't use the tinsel I have, anymore. But as long as children don't grab it off the tree and put it in their mouth (which I don't recall them ever doing), I guess it should be fine.
There are still plenty of old packages of lead tinsel for sale on eBay.
I wonder why they don't make tinsel out of thick aluminum. Searching on "aluminum tinsel" doesn't yield any results. Maybe pure aluminum is too stiff and wouldn't be slinky enough.
Don't Lick the Tinsel
Aluminum is flammable? Is it more flammable than PVC and mylar?
Dangerous Decorations People Used To Use
Putting them in between the pages of a magazine! That's a good idea, and would have been easier than folding all that paper which I did. Although with my tinsel strands being up to 2 feet long, the ends hanging out of the magazine would still likely get tangled together.
I used the tinsel again this year, after skipping it last year. The tree didn't really need it; it looked good even without the tinsel. But two years ago, I had folded up big sheets of paper accordion style, to make little slots in which to store separate strands of tinsel (about 3 together in each fold) to keep them from tangling up together into a difficult clump. I've been curious since then as to how much easier it would now be, to use the tinsel. It was rather easy, so that was a successful storage idea.
It's the old kind of tinsel, which was originally from Germany. I like it because it has weight to it, and hangs well compared to the light fluffy plastic stuff they sell nowadays.
After I was done putting the tinsel on the tree, it occurred to me to wonder whether it contains lead. Before, I'd always assumed it was just thick aluminum foil. But heavy silvery metal... could be lead? So I checked.
Wikipedia article on Tinsel:
By the early 20th century, manufacturing advances allowed cheap aluminium-based tinsel, and until World War I, France was the world leader in its manufacture.
Lead foil was a popular material for tinsel manufacture for several decades of the 20th century. Unlike silver, lead tinsel did not tarnish, so it retained its shine. ... In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concluded in August 1971 that lead tinsel caused an unnecessary risk to children, and convinced manufacturers and importers to voluntarily stop producing or importing lead tinsel after January 1, 1972.
Modern tinsel is typically made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC) film coated with a metallic finish.[5] Coated mylar film also has been used.
I wonder if that means I oughtn't use the tinsel I have, anymore. But as long as children don't grab it off the tree and put it in their mouth (which I don't recall them ever doing), I guess it should be fine.
There are still plenty of old packages of lead tinsel for sale on eBay.
I wonder why they don't make tinsel out of thick aluminum. Searching on "aluminum tinsel" doesn't yield any results. Maybe pure aluminum is too stiff and wouldn't be slinky enough.
Don't Lick the Tinsel
Copper enjoyed a brief run as tinsel before World War I upped the demand; aluminum tinsel, meanwhile, proved itself to be incredibly flammable—not really a trait you want in something designed to reflect candlelight.
Aluminum is flammable? Is it more flammable than PVC and mylar?
Dangerous Decorations People Used To Use
When I was growing up, things went onto the Christmas tree in a certain sequence: the lights, then the garland, then the ornaments, then the "icicles." When everyone was satisfied with the arrangement of the ornaments, it was time to for the "frosting" on the cake. We reached into the very bottom of the decoration box and pulled out the last item, an ancient Country Gentleman magazine that had a handful of lead foil icicles every so many pages with the ends hanging out like ribbons in a Bible (they were stored that way to keep them from tangling).
Putting them in between the pages of a magazine! That's a good idea, and would have been easier than folding all that paper which I did. Although with my tinsel strands being up to 2 feet long, the ends hanging out of the magazine would still likely get tangled together.