Thursday, December 10, 2009

The ultimate green holiday tree.

They weren’t kidding when they stated on the box (below) that this Christmas tree will provide “ years of use”.


From New Album 12/7/09 12:51 PM



At the very least it’s been going strong for over 40 years and quite possibly will hit its 50th year soon.

This is the ultimate of ‘green Christmas trees', though it is stainless foil silver.


My partner had this tree set up for christmas during his youth. And being the ever frugal Irish that they were, they lovingly repacked the tree at the end of each holiday season, in its original box, and stored it away until the following year.


They just don’t make christmas trees like this anymore.


From New Album 12/7/09 12:51 PM



To top it off my partner still has the original ‘tree motor base’ and 'rotating color wheel' - and they work !


The tree actually rotates ! After a glass or two of spiked eggnog it becomes quite entertaining because towards the end of it’s full rotation the tree kind of hits a mild shaky kink and all the ornaments jiggle.

If you are inebriated enough it looks like the nut cracker ornaments are coming to life to get you.


And the color wheel. Yup it still rotates too. The stainless steel foil tree reflects the 4 different colors and turns from silver to green to blue and red. More entertainment for the intoxicated !


From New Album 12/7/09 12:51 PM

10 comments:

Pam/Digging said...

How fun is that! It's a charming tree, made even more special by the decades of family memories associated with it. If you take such good care of an artificial tree, I'm imagining how well-tended your real ones must be. :-)

danger garden said...

Oh Michelle thank you! I've been missing my aluminum tree this year, we decided to go a different route and I didn't put it up (click on over to see what we did instead...).

There was some other family out there like your partners who lovingly put their tree away in the same box, with the same paper sleeves for each branch slipped on tight, every year! And now, it's mine (an antique dealer friend found it for me one Christmas). It even has the original price tag ($2.49) from the Two Swabbies (don't you just love that name) a store in the town I grew up in.

Oh and it sound's like there is a lot of boozen' going on at your house at Christmas time! Wish you were my neighbor...

Tom in Denver said...

I love those trees! My grandmother had one back in the 60's with the color wheel but the tree itself didn't rotate. It was so 'mod' back then and now it's retro! I wish I had ended up with it. I do not know if it is still in the family somewhere.

We are cutting our tree in the national forest on Saturday (by permit of course) to help the USFS control fire danger. That's sustainable, right?!

Happy holidays!

Bay Area Tendrils said...

Wow, a throwback to another era. Shades of my grandmother's house.
Looks to be in great condition. I am envious!

donna said...

Awesome 50s retro, for real!

Delphine said...

Strange american people !!!

creations landscape designs said...

You should check out the living Christmas company. http://earthfriendlylandscapes.blogspot.com/2009/11/living-christmas-tree.html

Linda@ Lime in the Coconut said...

Nothin' like a spiked eggnog tree to enliven the Christmas season!

I LOVE that he has had...and used... it all of these years...Too F***ing cool!

Kerry said...

We have the exact same setup Michelle; the foil tree, tree turner, color wheel. It was a two-fold decision for us a few years ago, an environmental choice and also a way to have a pretty tree with a cat in the house. Yours looks lovely. :)

Phrago said...

OH, I had a neighbor with a tree just like that when I ws a kid. She used to put different color ornaments on it, one year all blue, the next all pink, the next all gold. It was the hit of neigborhood. As modern as my parents were, they had to have a live tree. I was 15 before they fiquired out why I got so sick during Xmas every year, I'm allergic to live trees (especially Pines) in the house. Gee, if they had figuired that out sooner I might have grown up with a stainless Steel Xmas tree. VERY COOL... Patrick