Throwing Tinsel at the Tree Was Half the Fun!

My friend invited me to help decorate her Christmas tree.  Buying all her decorations new this year, she asked the store employee where she could find tinsel.  He looked confused and admitted he had never heard of tinsel so he had to look it up on the store's computer.  My friend wound up buying a nice silver garland instead and her tree looks lovely.

But I'm still thinking about tinsel.  It used to be my favorite thing to put on the tree.  I remember my sister and I joyfully throwing handfuls of the shiny silver stuff onto the branches.  And I seem to recall being reprimanded for such carelessness.  I know some parents required tinsel to be done strand by strand, but that doesn't sound like any fun at all!  It sure does LOOK better that way though.

In one friend's home, tinsel and candy canes on the tree was a sign that Santa had been there.  That's nice.

What was it like when you were a kid? Did you have tinsel on your tree?  Were you a thrower or a gentle placer of the strands?  Do you still have tinsel on your tree?