Ever have an aluminum christmas tree?

[indimom]

All the Christmas tree threads have gotten me thinking about the tree from my childhood (the 80s give or take). It was aluminum. The branches were stored into cardboard tubes, like gift wrap rolls. To assemble the tree, the branches just slid into holes in the "trunk" and were spaced about an inch apart all around. You could see clean through the tree from any angle.
AND, instead of light strands on the tree, we had a colorwheel that you put on the floor and shone on the tree to make the colors change from red to blue to green to yellow. Good Times.
I wish I had one now just for fun.

 

[moon]

No, we never did. Back when I was a kid I didn't like them. Now I'm wanting to have a litttle silver one.

The color wheel was because you weren't supposed to string any lights on a metallic tree, right?

Well, everyone I knew who had one of those trees used regular Christmas lights. I guess they didn't know better. Thank God nothing bad ever happened!

 

[BunsenH]

I see your aluminum tree and color light and add a rotating base!


What was once tacky is now retro.

 

[indimom]

No, we never did. Back when I was a kid I didn't like them. Now I'm wanting to have a litttle silver one.
They do have some cute ones now.The color wheel was because you weren't supposed to string any lights on a metallic tree, right?
Well, everyone I knew who had one of those trees used regular Christmas lights. I guess they didn't know better. Thank God nothing bad ever happened!

Eek! I don't know that, I'd have to ask my mom if she knew it? Ours was a hand-me-down from my dad's parents and we were the only family I knew who had one. Guess it's a good thing we used the wheel.

I see your aluminum tree and color light and add a rotating base!
AHHH! Outclassed by a rotating base.

What was once tacky is now retro.

I guess that means I should hang on to the singing fish plaque hidden deep in the garage for another 10 years when it will achieve retro status.

 

[marthachick]

Our friends had one of these (early 70's) and I wanted one so bad! Never did get one. We always had to settle for a yucky "real" tree. LOL Now all I'll have is a real tree. Funny how our perspective changes.

 

[Handbag Lady]

We had them in the 1960's. I'm guessing the ones people remember are older ones left over from the 1960's and early 70's.

I think they skip generations. My grandparents had theirs and my mother detested it. I, on the other hand, LOVED the color wheel and kept it until it failed.

Now, I have a 1950's/1960's styled home (interiors, too!) and I'm just waiting for the day our fake tree gives up the ghost so that I can buy a new aluminum one.

 

[DMass]

Never had the tree but I did have the color wheel in my bedroom when I was a teenager.

 

[missypie]

How do you post a photograph? Ours is a "deluxe", rescued from my husband's parent's basement. We put it up every other year. This year it had pink and red balls and yes, we have the color wheel. Love it!!!

 

[BunsenH]

The first year after the Aluminum Era that I was able to buy my own tree, I not only got a real one, but LIVE one that sat in the house (undecorated)until spring when I could plant it outside!

That Al tree scarred me as much as my grammar school cafeteria (still can't eat whipped butter or canned peaches)!

 

[Pakey]

Oh yes, my mother put up one of these beauties in the 60's. She thought it was the cat's meow. My brothers and I were not nearly as impressed. My dad was smart enough to never make a comment.

After 2 years it disappeared.

 

[missypie]

tried to post a photograph - didn't work

 

[indimom]

How do you post a photograph? Ours is a "deluxe", rescued from my husband's parent's basement. We put it up every other year. This year it had pink and red balls and yes, we have the color wheel. Love it!!!

I'm technologically challenged and may not explain this well, but here goes. I load the photos to photobucket. When you scroll over the pix in your album on photobucket, a number of options pop up. You can copy the IMG code (I believe it's called) and paste it into your post. Hope this helps. If I'm wrong, hopefully someone else will correct me or clarify. Good Luck, I would love to see your photos.
I'd have to scan some old pix from my parents albums. Maybe I'll steal a couple this weekend and see if I can get a good scan. Now I have the urge to dig through the albums.

 

[missypie]

I'm technologically challenged and may not explain this well, but here goes. I load the photos to photobucket. When you scroll over the pix in your album on photobucket, a number of options pop up. You can copy the IMG code (I believe it's called) and paste it into your post. Hope this helps. If I'm wrong, hopefully someone else will correct me or clarify. Good Luck, I would love to see your photos.
I'd have to scan some old pix from my parents albums. Maybe I'll steal a couple this weekend and see if I can get a good scan. Now I have the urge to dig through the albums.

I guess I am more challenged than you are because I don't know what photobucket is or how to explain it. I looked at the instructions on the DIS and the Manage Attachments button that they say to click on doesn't exist. There is a similar button and it put a link in my post, but nothing showed up.

 

[indimom]

Our friends had one of these (early 70's) and I wanted one so bad! Never did get one. We always had to settle for a yucky "real" tree. LOL Now all I'll have is a real tree. Funny how our perspective changes.

Isn't that the truth. I'm pretty sure if I had one I wouldn't love it, but I'm feeling nostalgic right now.

We had them in the 1960's. I'm guessing the ones people remember are older ones left over from the 1960's and early 70's.
That's definitely the case for me. I think I was between 3rd grade and 7th grade when I remember having the tree and that would have been from about 1980 to 1985.
I think they skip generations. My grandparents had theirs and my mother detested it. I, on the other hand, LOVED the color wheel and kept it until it failed.
Ours was a hand-me-down from my dad's parents. They were "done" with trees so we got it. We still had a live tree in the basement family room. The aluminum tree was in the front window of the living room upstairs.
Now, I have a 1950's/1960's styled home (interiors, too!) and I'm just waiting for the day our fake tree gives up the ghost so that I can buy a new aluminum one.

I just looked on amazon, they have one very similar to what I remember for about $180. The color wheel was almost $60.

Never had the tree but I did have the color wheel in my bedroom when I was a teenager.

My daughter would probably love that.

The first year after the Aluminum Era that I was able to buy my own tree, I not only got a real one, but LIVE one that sat in the house (undecorated)until spring when I could plant it outside!
My sis and her hubby did that their first year of marriage. Planted the tree in the spring. It's huge now.
That Al tree scarred me as much as my grammar school cafeteria (still can't eat whipped butter or canned peaches)!

I am forbidden on pain of death to ever criticize school lunches (my mother was a cafeteria lady for 20 years). So I cannot publicly comment on your statement.

 

[missypie]

found photobucket - didnt' work

 

[missypie]

Yay, I did it. Thanks!!!

 

[indimom]

Yay, I did it. Thanks!!!

Woo Hoo!
Ooh, yours is gorgeous. This makes our old one look even MORE like a Charlie Brown tree!
How tall is it?? Looks huge! I think ours "might" have been a six footer?

 

[missypie]

I think it's 8 foot. Most of the silver trees (like the one I remember from my elem school) had branches that were all the same length. This one has branches of graduated lengths (that have been kept in order for maybe 45 years?) Ugly secret though - the branches cut your fingers if you aren't careful. We have pictures of our kids helping to put the tree together in gloves!

 

[LindaR]

Too funny! A few weeks ago I got a catalog from Vermont Country Store (I think) that had all these "old time" things from my childhood (1960's) and I told my daughter how I used to lay on the floor staring up at the ceiling and just watch the color wheel for LONG periods of time and how I missed that tree!

She said it sounded like my own personal LSD trip without the drugs!

 

[indimom]

I think it's 8 foot. Most of the silver trees (like the one I remember from my elem school) had branches that were all the same length. This one has branches of graduated lengths (that have been kept in order for maybe 45 years?) Ugly secret though - the branches cut your fingers if you aren't careful. We have pictures of our kids helping to put the tree together in gloves!

Wow, it really has stayed fantastic after all those years. I thought it might actually be a "remake" from a later generation. We obviously had the runt version that's for sure.

Too funny! A few weeks ago I got a catalog from Vermont Country Store (I think) that had all these "old time" things from my childhood (1960's) and I told my daughter how I used to lay on the floor staring up at the ceiling and just watch the color wheel for LONG periods of time and how I missed that tree!
We did that too. I haven't thought about that in a long, long time...

She said it sounded like my own personal LSD trip without the drugs!

Did you ask her how she would know that???...