Grandad, 73, has displayed the same set of lights on his Christmas tree for 50 years
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A GRANDAD has proudly displayed the same set of fairy lights on his Christmas tree for 50 years in a row. Michael Gardner, 73, bought the set of 24 bulbs for £1.50 in 1974. They were the first decorations he and his late wife Margaret purchased as a married couple, and he has hung them on his tree every year since.
![[Michael Gardner, 73, has used the same set of Christmas tree lights for 50 years]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2024-nintchdbjobs000001101743-michael-gardner-959452957.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
The hardy lights, made by British electrical goods brand Pifco, have survived a house move, the birth of three children, and the arrival of two grandchildren. And Michael has had to replace only one bulb in half a century. The former catering lecturer, from Norwich, told The Sun: “We bought them for our first house, the first year we were married, back in 1974.
![[Michael bought the set of 24 bulbs, made by British electrical goods brand Pifco, for £1.50 in 1974]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2024-nintchdbjobs000001101743-michael-gardner-959453031.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
"I kept the original box and I carefully package them away each year. “In those 50 years, only one bulb has gone — but they came with six spares, so I haven’t had to fork out for a new one. "Things were made to last in the past.”. Michael, who lost wife Margaret on her 65th birthday in 2020, says the lights have huge “sentimental value”.
![[Michael has had to replace only one bulb in half a century]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/2024-nintchdbjobs000001101743-michael-gardner-959452963.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
