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It’s never the Christmas season without hauling out the holiday decor and decorating. Vintage silver trees seem to be all the rage. Again! Metal trees were indeed quite popular back in the day and unlike traditional trees, a vintage aluminum Christmas tree has a long lifespan. Fortunately you don’t have even have to go the vintage trees route to recreate the look!
Get The Vintage Aluminum Christmas Tree Look Without Inheriting One
This year we have tinsel tree in the house! Don’t worry. We still have the regular old green beautiful tree in our living room that’s covered in white Christmas lights and ornaments. The new to us tree set up in our dining room is in fact not new at all, but it is stylish, unique and festive. I inherited a vintage aluminum Christmas tree!
I’ve always loved unique ways to decorated my home so I was too excited when I found out that I had inherited a nostalgic Christmas tree. It belonged to my great-uncle and great-aunt. They had given it to my parents who then passed it on to me. While it’s not the biggest aluminum tree and might happen to pay homage to a Charlie Brown Christmas tree (given it’s old age), the vintage aluminum artificial Christmas tree I inherited is one that I’m happy to put up for the holidays.
My new to me tree actually has a base that plugs in and spins. I’ve been afraid to try that part out for fear that it will set the house on fire. That is something that you have to be careful about when it comes to truly vintage Christmas trees.
But I finally got up the nerve just to see if it still works. I plugged it in and it works! Then I unplugged it because there was a weird burning smell…
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I won’t be plugging it in again!
The rotating tree component works with the color wheel lights that people often bought with the silver trees. (See more below on what the color wheel is and what it does in place of strings of electric lights.)
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History of Vintage Aluminum Christmas Trees
Aluminum Christmas trees made their debut in the late 1950s and made huge success as an alternative to real trees. The look was even popular enough for a time to replace store window scenes from the green artificial ones. In all honesty the first artificial trees looked nothing like the real thing anyway. While a live tree will only last one holiday season, a metal tree will last for years and years. (As is evident from my inherited pretty!)
The look of these silver trees was ultra modern and quickly became a trend that everyone wanted. People even fawned over the colorful metal branches of a blue or pink aluminum tree instead of the silver pine variety. It was quite the statement decoration to have at the holidays. I’m sure you’ve seen the pictures of all the women dressed up and standing in front of their aluminum tree. Were they showing off the modern space age Christmas tree? Their new dress? Both? I’ll have to ask some family members who might remember. At any rate these trees were top sellers all the way up until the mid to late 1960s and even in some places the early 1970s.
TThe trees came in a variety of different shapes and sizes. Straight individual branches were the easiest to put together, but they were often quite sparse looking. A very popular look was the silver-bright pom pom trees. So many people seemed to have that type. Whatever the style, these unique Christmas trees almost always had a color wheel that would change the sparkling look of the tinsel. There were color wheel spotlights behind the colorful shade to then illuminate onto the tree. Such a pretty glow of colors of the season in red, green, blue and yellow!
Ornaments For My Aluminum Christmas Tree
I picked up some vintage looking ornaments at Hobby Lobby.
Perfect for the look of this retro Christmas tree and they are shatterproof!
Where To Buy Aluminum Trees Today
Not getting a vintage Christmas tree as part of your inheritance? You can still get in on the design trend and buy the look that’s all brand new. There are even some really unique styles that actually surpass the looks of the past and have that nostalgic feel. And honestly? In far better condition than the one that I inherited. Don’t get me wrong. I love my tree. But it looks old. Because it is.
The perfect size to add an extra tree anywhere in your house! Get this small tinsel tree HERE.
This tall and full tinsel tree is gorgeous! It’s available HERE.
Add even more sparkle to a silver tree with white lights! This pre-lit silver tree is available HERE.
5ft Pop Up Tinsel Christmas Tree With Flocked Snow
A unique spin on the old retro style! You can get this tinsel snow flocked tree HERE.
These days you can even get a brand new Christmas tree color wheel!
Get the Kurt Adler reproduction of the nostalgic Christmas tree color wheel HERE.
Vintage or new… Such a fun way to decorate for the holidays!
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This post could contain affiliate links or be sponsored which means I earn from advertising. Also as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. More details here.