Advent Crown

[trilobite]

Does anyone remember the Blue Peter* Advent Crown from the 70's?

Made from two wire coathangers, a bit of tinsel (flame retardant, of course !) and a few candles. They made it every year in order to mark, (with the lighting of a candle), the 'four Blue Peter's before Christmas'.

I'm sure they stopped showing us how to make them years ago, as they're not exactly 'Health-and-Safety-in-the-home-friendly'.

My question , (and hence being in this category, rather than TV) is;

-"Are there any documented cases of an Advent Crown ever causing a serious house fire in the run-up to Christmas?"

-Not trying to be flippant, merely curious.

( * - For those elsewhere in the world, Blue Peter is a long-running children's television programme in the UK,  a magazine-type programme that often showed you how to make things at home - usually out of empty toilet rolls and sticky-back plastic )

[Robinia]

Oh how could we ever forget!  Every year there are candle fires but I don't remember anyone actually blaming an advent crown. My sons are grown up & have left home but I still can't get out of the habit of hoarding plastic bottles & tubs etc and I even have to stop myself from saving the middles of loo rolls - we call it the Blue Peter syndrome!

Just in case you're harbouring a secret desire to make a crown trilobite ........

http://www.guidinguk.freeservers.com/Advent.html

 

[trilobite]

Love the link, noddy !

My son's only just one, but I already have the urge to start collecting loo rolls and 'squeezy' bottles (all with the brand names carefully blacked out, of course)

[Lindy Loo]

That was a trip down memory lane!!

I can just remember when the team made the 1st one.....but nothing can beat the phrase "and here's one I made earlier!!!"

[auro]

Being one of the minions who would have to make the Blue Peter Christmas Advent Crown - I think the public are lucky not to have had any serious misfortune from such a liable decoration. Tinsel, and candles, dry resin in pine needles and no access to flame retardant - surely a disaster waiting to happen....?

[woofgang]

I am a sad person. When I read the post I thought hang on, its not two hangers, its four....and I was right, how sad is that???

[trilobite]

I'm just as sad, woofgang. When I looked at noddy's link, I was shouting  "damn, damn, it's four coathangers, FOUR !!"

[Robinia]

Not as sad as my delight at finding that link - now own up, you've made one today haven't you......?

[trilobite]

Well.....  *blush*

[gazzawazza]

Every year at Christmas time I think about that blinking advent crown!!! 

I also made a sort of pixie for the top of the tree out of pipe cleaners, a ping pong ball and some felt!!!  

Amazingly enough (not!), four days ago I put in a bid on ebay for an old Blue Peter Annual No. 5 from 1968 (my sister got it for Crimbo and I read it many times).  I just found out today that I won the auction at a price of 99p!!!  Can't wait to take a trip down memory lane reading it, and I'll probably make the snowy mountain lakeside scene all over again! 

[smeg_head]

I've just finished making mine, although the Blue Peter website now recommends that instead of using candles you simply add one balbaul per week to celebrate advent.  Health & Safety gone mad I tell thee!