Aluminum Trees
The Space Age was launched on October 4, 1957, with the Soviet Union's Sputnik, the world's first artificial satellite.
The influence of the Space Age was demonstrated in December of the following year by the development of the first Aluminum Christmas Tree.
At Aluminum Specialty Company, Toy Sales Manager Tom Gannon noticed a small, homemade all-metal tree used as a display at Ben Frankin Five and Dime Store in Chicago, Illinois. The design department sprang into action by Christmas of 1959, and they offered the first all-aluminum Christmas Tree to a somewhat confused public.
The idea really took off by 1960. The company never advertised their tree as artificial but instead insisted they were simply a "Permanent Tree." As quickly as their popularity soared, public interest in the trees faded. They would soon be declared a symbol of the crass commercialization of Christmas. When the first airing of A Charlie Brown Chrimsat appeared on CBS in December of 1965, the buying public seemed to take to hear Charlie Browns' refusal of an "artificial tree." By 1968, most companies no longer listed them in their catalogs.
But it seems the silver beauties have made something of a comeback. People are pulling vintage trees from attics, scouring yard sales, and watching eBay to find the tree that brings to mind the warmth and magic of Christmases past. Facebook groups dedicated to sharing photos, stories, and memories of Alimunum trees have thousands of members. They are no longer considered tacky; now, the trees capture Christmas's exuberance, delight, and magical feeling to thousands and thousands of collectors.
The influence of the Space Age was demonstrated in December of the following year by the development of the first Aluminum Christmas Tree.
At Aluminum Specialty Company, Toy Sales Manager Tom Gannon noticed a small, homemade all-metal tree used as a display at Ben Frankin Five and Dime Store in Chicago, Illinois. The design department sprang into action by Christmas of 1959, and they offered the first all-aluminum Christmas Tree to a somewhat confused public.
The idea really took off by 1960. The company never advertised their tree as artificial but instead insisted they were simply a "Permanent Tree." As quickly as their popularity soared, public interest in the trees faded. They would soon be declared a symbol of the crass commercialization of Christmas. When the first airing of A Charlie Brown Chrimsat appeared on CBS in December of 1965, the buying public seemed to take to hear Charlie Browns' refusal of an "artificial tree." By 1968, most companies no longer listed them in their catalogs.
But it seems the silver beauties have made something of a comeback. People are pulling vintage trees from attics, scouring yard sales, and watching eBay to find the tree that brings to mind the warmth and magic of Christmases past. Facebook groups dedicated to sharing photos, stories, and memories of Alimunum trees have thousands of members. They are no longer considered tacky; now, the trees capture Christmas's exuberance, delight, and magical feeling to thousands and thousands of collectors.
