I don't know who is more excited (or sentimental) about Maryellen's silver Christmas tree - Momma or Maryellen.Momma has fond memories of her paternal grandparents' silver aluminum Christmas tree - complete with color wheel.
Aluminum Christmas trees were first made around 1955 and continued into the 1970s. The aluminum Christmas tree was even used as symbol of the commercialization of Christmas in 1965s, A Charlie Brown Christmas:
Charlie Brown: Well, this is one play that’s not going to be commercial. What our play needs is the proper Christmas mood. We need a Christmas tree.
Lucy: Hey, perhaps a tree. A great big shiny aluminum Christmas tree! That’s it! Get the biggest aluminum tree you can find. Maybe paint it pink!
Admittedly, the tree of Momma's youth is long-gone, but this is the next best thing.
Well, this certainly brings back memories of my childhood. When we were transferred to Virginia in the late '50s my parents bought an aluminum Christmas tree. They told us kids that it was because Virginia, unlike California, did not have real trees that were any good. Now I wonder if that was the real reason or if they only told us that. :-)
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