Well, I’m just having a party analyzing all the retro Christmas decorations that readers have uploaded. How about this one: A special slide show of all 62 73 aluminum Christmas trees. Mini, small, medium, large… Found at the Goodwill, in Aunt Bertha’s attic, or on ebay… Decorated with vintage ornaments, elves, Barbies — even pickles. Above: Steve Conley says his aluminum tree is in the kitchen. Of course, that fireplace, yum, too. Nice photo, Steve, got ya on the homepage. 🙂
Pom Pom seems to have been the big-name manufacturer of aluminum Christmas trees back in the day. Above: Steve got his Pom Pom from his aunt. I own a Pom Pom, too — a Pom Pom for Pam, tee hee — found at an estate sale in Pittsfield a few years back. I remember the Bingo! moment well. Other names in aluminum trees, which I spotted in your uploads seem to have been Peco, Revlis, Evergleam, Spiral Lit, Raco (Australia). And don’t forget the color wheels — although working vintage models seem to be more elusive finds. Click on through to see all 62 73 –>
Aluminum Christmas tree slide show:
Pammy gets crafty: A vintage felted wool dog sweater for Astro 
How to make a Christmas wreath out of vintage ornaments — Georgia Peachez’ secrets 
DIY Putz house #2 — A-frame house — downloadable pattern 
Video: Kate makes a retro modern holiday yule log centerpiece 
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Wow, do I remember this…. My mom got an aluminum Christmas tree one year and that was it. She had it from around 1962 to at least 1975, and I put it together every year after I got old enough. It came with a color wheel light projector to make it look different colors. Each year carefully removing each ‘limb’ from its own protective sleeve, being careful how you hung each ornament so as not to ruin the aluminum, and then carefully re-packing it all after Christmas. Memories.
Thanks for all the great pictures. I have my parents’ 7 foot Pecos aluminum tree bought new at J.C. Penneys in 1964, complete with Holly Time color wheel and rotating stand. I also have my uncles 7 foot Pom Pom tree and colortone roto wheel. I alternate between using these 2 trees every year. Just wouldn’t be Christmas without it!
We never had a metallic tree…and wish I had fond memories of Christmas as a child but my step dad wasn’t a good father.
Anyway really like the metallic tree’s and found a site selling them, kinda
Pricey but they seam really nice and well made.
🙁 sooooo sad I had a table top pom pom for years given to me from my Aunt and sadly i had a really bad landlord who would come into our home we rented from him and he would steal stuff from us even though he had lot’s of money ! To this day it makes no sense to me as to why he did it but one of the items he stole was the pom pom in it’s orig. box and i think of it every year at Christmas time and wish i had it back it saddens me that I’ll never have another one 🙁
I JUST LOVE THESE RETRO TREES AND I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO FIND ONE. I WAS JUST TALKING TO MY HUSBAND THAT THOSE TREES WERE REALLY CHRISTMAS FOR ME AS A CHILD. WATCHING THE COLORS ON THE COLOR WHEEL CHANGE AS THAT WENT ROUND AND ROUND.
I remember coming home from school to a fountain aluminum tree with a color wheel in a rotating musical stand in the ealry 60’s. Our mother worked at the Aluminum Specialty Co. She was so proud of that tree. Us kids hated it! We would lie on the floor and stare at the patterns the reflecting light would create on the ceiling. Now it seems I can’t keep them in the house! It seems our kids really enjoy the Retro trees.
I have two tinsel trees, the one featured in this video of some of my vintage Christmas stuffed belonged to my dear Aunt Mary. She was the height of cool, back in the day, and the envy of all for always having the trendiest stuff. Her Pom Pom tree was definitely that in 1962: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3_cEVnG42c&list=UUJDCkPZw8xj3S2gb171rkPw&index=4&feature=plcp
Just want to add that if you love these wonderful trees you should expect to pay the most not for the tree, nor for the color wheel, but for a working rotating tree stand in good condition. If you wish to collect on the premium level, look for a musical stand or an unusual color wheel, and Pam is (as always) correct: the Pom Pom was and remains the premo tree . Haunt eBay for all. The rarest to find are the really tall trees–over 7′. They will set you back a tad but if you have a ceiling high enough they are *spectacular*! And a very aluminum Christmas to all …..
I have to disagree about the value of revolving stands, anyway, for smaller trees. I sold one and only got about $10 out of it.
How can I post a photo of my tree?
Pat, we’ll have a 2012 holiday uploader in a few weeks…
Thanks!
We lived with my aunt and uncle until I was 9 and my brother 14 – that was 1965. They had an aluminum tree, silver, with a color wheel that played “Silent Night” very rapidly. We all thought that tree was the cat’s meow, and when we moved they gave it to us to take along. We couldn’t wait to dig it out of the attic and assemble it at Christmas. Naturally, the ornaments were vintage. 🙂 Eventually the color wheel deteriorated, but we used the tree every year right up until it became more manageable for my parents to have a small tabletop tree. Sadly the ornaments were destroyed by racoons who got in the attic, and THEN I FOUND OUT MY FATHER HAD TAKEN THE TREE TO THE DUMP. It was still in pretty good shape, too. I could cry. But we have lots of photos and lots of wonderful memories of Christmas with our aluminum tree…and that’s what matters!!
I love that aluminum shiny look we had one growing up and I was fascinated how reflective the lights were off the tree. I found a clor wheel a few years back at a flea market in the high Sierra Nevada desert. It was 2 dollars. I couldn’t get my wallet out fast enough. No rust like new the desert is a great place to find metal treasures.
I was hoping to see troysf’s beautiful vintage tree.
Hey! I have a tree this year! Re-open the Uploader, please! Pretty please?
it’s scheduled for next week…
Any way to add my tree to your gallery? It’s a 1960s Pom Pom Sparkler with a vintage color wheel.
Marie, our uploader for 2012 is currently “on”. We’d love to see your tree and you can upload your photo(s) here: https://retrorenovation.com/2012/12/14/upload-photos-of-your-holiday-decorations-add-to-our-425-reader-photos-from-2011-and-2012/
Love these trees. You can find colorful alternatives made today from Treetopia. I’ve had my eye on an orange one for the porch of my pink & purple house. And a fluffy pink one for inside. Sigh, but I have to decide what to get rid of to make space in the basement for off-season storage. Another dream bubble burst by my problem with retro hoarding (and crafts, and tools, and other useful things)
http://www.treetopia.com/Colorful-Christmas-Trees-s/23.htm
Wow! the orange one is cool & you could use it for Halloween/Thanksgiving too! I like the ‘candy corn’ tree, never seen anything like it 😉 Thanks for the Share <3
Oh my !! My Grandparents had an 8 foot aluminium tree well into the 1970’s……they had the color wheel, and a ton of the large primary colored plastic ornaments (stars, bells and reindeer) I still have some of the plastic ornaments packed away.
The tree sat packed away in the attic for years, when I asked my grandmother if I could have it she told me that my grandfather had taken it out to the curb the previous year, and darned if it was not gone within 5 minutes……she could not understand why someone would have taken it as she never really cared for it…….
Ack!
wow! I will be on the hunt all summer for one of these trees! I hope next christmas I will be sending you one of my pictures! Thanks for the inspiration.
Used to lay on the floor for hours gazing at our aluminum tree as the color wheel turned…..I just went way back in time!