Fake snow glop

[dhermann1]

I was just looking at some of the pics on good old Shorpy.com , showing Christmas trees from the 1920's. They mentioned some fake snow stuff used in one shot that reminded me of how my old neighbors back in the 50's did their tree.
They used the old fashioned skinny bulbs, the kind where if one went out they all went out. They uised all blue bulbs. They had all dark red balls, which contrasted beautifully with the blue lights. But the finishing touch was the fake snow glop. They took paraffin and melted it down, possibly adding some secret ingredient, and then whipped it to a froth. Then the one son took the stuff and carefully daubed on the branches to simulate a heavy dose of newly fallen snow. It always looked terrific, but looking back I'm amazed they never burned the house down.
Anyone ever heard of such a thing? As I recall it was not an uncommon thing back in the day. Another one of those common things (like lead paint and gas space heaters) that give you the willies to look back on, but seemed normal at the time.

 

[J.S.Udontknowme]

I don't remember that, but I do remember fake snow in a spray can.

 

[Forgotten Man]

That's an interesting memory! I haven't heard of that being done before but, that souns like something some would have done.

I know most tree lots here do something they call flocking... where they have a booth and a power sprayer and "flock" them up! lol

If you ask me, it's a "flocked" up thing to do to a good tree... lol

 

[Brian Sheridan]

We are stuck inside during a blizzard! Last night it was 5 degrees! Anyone wanting fake snow glop should be shot in my opinion.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

There USED to be a pretty common "recipe" on paraffin for making decorative "snow" - I remember seeing it on the GulfWax and Parowax as a kid that we used for sealing jams & jellies and in one relative's candy recipe (a little bit into melted chocolate for dipping makes it glossier and extends the range where it stays dipable). There was something pretty common that you beat into the melted paraffin - old-fashioned soap flakes perhaps?

 

[MEDIUMMYND]

I don't remember that, but I do remember fake snow in a spray can.

The 1970"s in an aerosol.

 

[Dexter'sDame]

Remember the wax snow but not what was in it

In the 70's my mother used to make candles, so we usually had an ample supply of Gulf Wax in the kitchen cupboards...I remember the package telling how to make faux snow, but not what was added to the whipped mixture.

About the spray-can snow...When we moved to California from the Midwest, I decided the windows needed a bit of White Christmas, bought a spray can of the stuff and decided to surprise my parents. Boy was I surprised after New Year's when we discovered it left a filmy white haze that etched the glass! Dad was not pleased.

 

[MPicciotto]

I have used the "spray snow" several times with no ill effects on windows. A neat thing to do for those "Christmas Village" displays is to take a flat mirror and tape down a "lake" shaped piece of paper, spray the snow around the paper and remove it leaving a nice frozen lake for your village residents to ice skate on.

Matt