Reader Lori already wowed us with her cheery pink, blue and yellow retro kitchen. Looks like she’s done it again with her fabulous Christmas woddity — this stunning (and space saving) gold aluminum Evergleam “Peacock” tree — a two-dimensional aluminum Christmas tree meant to be set flat against a wall. Neither Pam nor I have ever seen a retro Christmas tree like this before, and we both think it is absolutely spectacular.
Lori has her Peacock tree set up in her rockin’ retro entry way. What a welcome sight this tree must be every time she walks through the door.
Lori writes:
I saw on your website that you were showcasing some of those fabulous mid century aluminum trees, and I just had to share with you two of my favorites.
The first is an EVERGLEAM 7 FT, 51 BRANCH GOLD PEACOCK TREE. I’ve never seen another one like this tree. It was made to be used against a flat wall or in a very small space. As you can see by the profile picture it doesn’t look like a tree until you see if from the front view.
It came with the original box that was in rough shape, I added pics of it, but unfortunately no instructions or sleeves for the branches. I have researched on the internet and could find nothing about this FANTASTIC so very MINIMALIST MID CENTURY TREE. We display it in our foyer and we get SO MANY comments on it, and most folks tell us we should just leave it up all year round. We won in on Ebay a couple of years ago from a seller out of Wisconsin. If anyone has any info on the tree we’d really appreciate it. Someone wrote on the box 1958 and someone’s name but I don’t know if that’s the original date of the tree or not.
And then I had to attach a picture of my old time favorite Aluminum Tree my 7 FT PINK EVERGLEAM tree. We’ve bought vintage ornaments at garage sales, flea markets and ebay so that all the ornaments we use are vintage as well. I’m always so excited when it comes time to decorate for Christmas so I can display these two beautiful trees.
My love for the Aluminum Trees came from my Grandmother. When I was a child she had a Silver Aluminum Tree with a color wheel and I would sit there for hours just watching the color wheel change to all the different colors on the aluminum branches. But unfortunately when she passed away my grandfather accidentally threw it away. So I was determined to get a tree and display it in honor of her every year.
Thanks again and I hope you enjoy the pictures of my two favorite HOLIDAY decorations. And to all I wish a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Wow — two stunning and unique vintage aluminum trees living under one roof — it must be a Christmas miracle.
After hunting around the internet for retro aluminum Peacock trees, all that came up was one lonely Ebay listing (that has since sold) for a four-foot, 29-branch silver Evergleam Peacock tree. Seller gsa was kind enough to give us permission to use the photos of this smaller scale rarity in our story.
Readers — have you ever owned or seen one of these aluminum peacock trees before?
UPDATE: After this story aired, I heard back from reader Lori — owner of the gold peacock tree. Turns out that she bought the small silver peacock tree from Ebay that we featured. She was kind enough to scan and send the original instructions that were included with her silver tree for the Retro Renovation archives. Lori also sent a photo of the two trees “posing” together.
Lori writes:
I saw that you featured the smaller 4 foot Peacock tree as well. I am the lucky person to have actually won that tree. After I sent the pics of my Gold Peacock tree I ran across this little tree on EBAY and I was the only one to bid on it. I was really surprised that no one else bid so I got it for $65.00. I just received it in the mail today and I was thrilled to find that the original instructions were inside along with the cardboard tripod and stand cover that came with these trees. Mine didn’t have one and I see that the Gold Peacock tree listed on EBAY currently doesn’t have the tripod or stand cover either. I’d imagaine that they were so fragile I doubt if they stood up over the years.
hb says
we always had real ones, but my aunt had a silver one along with one of those rotating lights to point at it. The rotating light had a disk with four colors to change the color of the tree. So very tacky, so very cool.
Reader Lori sure has fabulous digs!
Janice says
Lori, I love your trees and your very cheery home. I’ve never seen a peacock tree, but now that I have, I’m wondering where I can use one in my house. Let’s see….that makes looking for a very cool lamp and now a peacock tree. Retro Reno is a very expensive habit. 🙂
Heather says
This would make me smile every time I walked through the front door!
Tasha says
That is an amazing tree (as well as the setting it’s in)! How perfect for an apartment too. Really neat!
BungalowBILL says
Great tree. Also probably a nice idea to upcycle for someone who is a few branches short of a full tree. hehe
pam kueber says
hehe
Janet in CT says
I second that hehe!
Chris says
Very neat! Beautiful and really mid-century elegant!
Our fake tree when I was a kid (1970s) looked like toilet brushes! Awesome.
I LOOOOOOOOVE Christmas!
TappanTrailerTami says
Toilet brushes, ha! You’re right! Our childhood fake tree was a “Sears Best” except we had FLOCKED toilet brushes on ours! Had it for 30 years or more…….it held up so well, even the flocking.
Chris says
I love any flocked tree!!!!!!
I remember when we would get out the tree and prepare for set-up. We kids were always so excited, we were practically vibrating. My Dad would get really cranky, since we were bouncing off the walls. He had to look at the faded paint color on the end of each branch and sort them into piles. One year, the dog went over and sniffed a pile and started to lift his leg. My parents panicked and yelled and scared the pee right back in him!
Don’t even get me started on the event of the lights. Remember back in the day when you had to check each and every one? My Dad would string them out on the floor to test them. Inevitably, one of us kids would step on them and break one or two.
Ahhhhhhh, the memories! 🙂
Jay says
O yes, our first toilet bowl brush tree in 69 came from Sears – blue spruce, 4 ft. It didn’t look bad once the lights, ornaments and garland were on it.
Jay says
Oh yes, that was when we bought the first of the miniature light sets. The old c-7 bulbs burned hot and would have melted the plastic needles. It’s a wonder the live trees never went up in flames with all those hot bulbs on them.
Chris Shaffer says
A surprising number of them did catch on fire. We forget now that fires used to be much more common.
Kelly Wittenauer says
This made me smile, remembering Christmas times with my mom. She used to tell a story about my favorite aunt. Her name is Delores, but Mom often called her “your Aunt Delirious” because of the crazy things she’d try. One year she bought something that attached to a canister vacuum cleaner to flock your own tree. She flocked her tree – and the wall behind it!
Eartha Kitsch says
Okay, that is REALLY cool! I love her pink tree too and that house….fabulous.
Janet in CT says
I have never seen one like that, flat to the wall, in silver. I do know a couple of years ago there was a company offering the flat ones in green fir and also one that was corner shaped! My sister and I discussed them because she lives in NYC and space at her place is very limited and these were great options for her. My family never had a fake tree, always a real one but my dad grew them. It was so much fun to go out in the field and cut a bunch of them for friends and drag them home through the snow and line them all up on the side of the barn for pickin’! One year my dad cut a dozen of them and took them down to my sister and co-workers in NYC. He took them to her workplace, a bar right in the downtown area, and lined the up on the sidewalk. Everyone who passed by had to stop and admire them as they were so fresh and fragrant. Sorry I am getting off-topic here. My husband’s family always had a fake tree but never a silver one, nor do I recall ever seeing one at all in my childhood. I guess they weren’t that popular in rural New England? There are a couple silver ones on Ruby Lane right now and one is made by the United States Silver Tree Company! Great name! What fun to reminisce about Christmas trees!
pam kueber says
hmmm…. I found my vintage silver aluminum tree in Pittsfield at an estate sale…. I don’t know that they weren’t popular in New England…
Janet in CT says
But as a child in the fifties and sixties, I never ever saw one of them. Just wonder if people here went out and cut one or just didn’t care for them in their colonial houses?! I never saw a fake tree until I got married in 1972 and Phil’s parents had a green one. I had that one for years myself in my apartment where we couldn’t have a real one.
Jay says
Janet, same here! The aluminum trees were for sale everywhere but I never knew anyone who had one. We always had live trees until my brother left for college then it was artificial from then on. I use an artificial tree now myself because it affords the oportunity to have the tree up for the entire month of December.
Rick S says
I can’t help thinking of my grandma’s silver tree and rotating light when I see this article. The funny thing is they lived on a farm so you would think they would have just cut their own.
My wife and I put up 3-4 full size trees and 5 smaller ones and they are all artificial due to my wife’s alergies.
My mom and dad’s first artificial was a 6′ tb brush tree because dad kept forgetting/putting off getting a real one on way home. When he picked up the catalog order an Montgomery Wards they were selling the display model for $3.00. He bought it even though no one had mini lights left. We had unlit tree that year. My mom liked the one she made in ceramics class in the late 70’s , so I have a newer one in spare bedroom that reminds me of her.
This site brings back so many memories, thanks
rick
vj says
Evergleam 7 ft. aluminum Gold branches Christmas tree w/ stand Peacock Style
This is listed on ebay by seller j8778bachmann
pam kueber says
Thanks, vj! I added it to the story!
hannah says
Not only does that have tons of swank (I remembered to use the word ‘swank’!!!!), I absolutely love it! I don’t recall anything like this from the past and will have to keep an eye out.
Target is selling half trees (followed a tip from here looking for a smaller aluminum tree) but it didn’t look anything like this! (And, we could totally use something like this this year as the living room seems more cramped and I’m not putting up the big tree this year). 🙁
Just fabulous. *insert little floating hearts here* 😀