A Fife family has revealed they are still using a Christmas tree bought at the outbreak of the second world war.
The artificial tree was bought from Woolworths by the late James Aird for his baby daughter, Doreen, in September 1938.
Doreen Scott, who is now 81, has looked after the tree over the years and it now takes pride of place in the home of her daughter Emma in Crail.
It follows the auction of an 82-year-old tree from Woolworths which was rediscovered by a Dundee family who were clearing out a loft. The synthetic tree bought in Dundee in 1937 went under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers on Thursday and sold for £150.
A private international buyer snapped up the antique decoration when it was auctioned in Derbyshire.
The sellers hailed the tree for sparking nostalgia of wartime rationing and the days of make do and mend.
Doreen said she could never have sold her family tree because of its sentimental value.
Her sister Marion Lawrence, was given a similar tree when she was born in 1939 and she too kept hold of the treasure.
Despite the trees being bought just a year apart, there was a significant difference in price.
While James paid thruppence for Doreen’s tree, Marion’s cost sixpence.
He later went to serve in the war, having trained at Glasgow University as an architect.
“She’s [Marion] got one that had a stand,” said Doreen, who also lives in Crail.
“Mine didn’t have a stand. It was in a jam jar, which had coloured paper in it.
“When my sister was born the next year, he went back and bought her a Christmas tree.
“I kept mine all these years and gave it to my daughter two years ago. It has never been out of Crail.
“I was shocked to see somebody was going to sell theirs. I would never sell it.
“Every time I took it out and put it up, I remembered my dad and what he must have gone through when he went away.”
After the war, James went to work at the family plumbing business, James Aird and Sons, which was established in 1872 and is still going strong.
Doreen’s younger brother, named James after his father, now runs the business with his sons and his grandson.
James, 76, missed out on being bought a Christmas tree.
“By that time, the war was on the go and you just couldn’t get Christmas trees and things like that,” he said.
“But when you’re growing up you don’t know the difference, because you had what you had.”
