Andy Mitchell from Radio Wave

I’m a bit of a big kid when it comes to traditional Christmas trees... I love them!

Now by traditional I don’t just mean the green ones. This love of ‘traditional’ extends to anything that resembles a tree, be it freshly cut from a mountain terrain and dragged to the grocers in Layton, or some garish tinsel clad effort of the kind we’ve had since the 1960s.

Around the Fylde there are some splendid examples on display to add to the festive fun.

You first fall in love with Christmas trees when they tower above you as a child. It’s now difficult to remember how much of a thrill it was to walk into an average semi detached front room of 8ft tall to see that magnificent tree occupying the corner with all the presents beneath.

Back in the 1970s I was thrilled to see trees all lit up in people’s gardens. There weren’t many to be seen because in those days, the lights had to be professional outdoor types which were quite expensive. Haslam’s at Bispham had a terrific one opposite Fiveways Garage.

Christmas in schools is almost over for another year....so what happens to the trees? Of course many will go for recycling to be made into those trendy wood chip gardens.

In Bispham , Miss Muschamp at Westcliff always allowed me to take the tree home at the end of term, so I could have a go at recreating “the Haslam effect” in the garden at Leys Road. I’m not sure my mother was impressed.

Neither am I sure about these new interpretations of trees dotted about the place. Do you remember the “traffic cone” in Talbot Square, which failed to inspire any feelings of Christmas in me. This artificial grass clad effort adorned the streets for a few years in it’s modernist way. I was never so grateful to see the roadworks uproot it.

The traditional tree in St John’s Square is a welcome return to convention, and it looks smashing, however, Blackpool has always been in the vanguard of something new, but who could now possibly forget marvelling at Mr Ryan’s illuminated balls outside the church?

Happy Christmas from the Wednesday corner!