I have a similar memory of an awful Christmas corsage that I made for my mother. She still had it up until the house flooded from that storm “Harvey”. Funny how you hang onto things that your kids make for you. My wife has some.
As kids we collected bottles for the deposit. Two cents, three cents and a nickle sizes. If you ever got a gallon milk bottle it was good for a quarter.
I know a couple of people that have multiple trees and leave them up all year.