The Chronicles Of Grant County
An owl and a snowman are among the various ornaments of different shapes and sizes that decorate this Aluminum Christmas Tree in 2014. (This photograph was provided courtesy of Ms. Rita Lane through Flickr.)For centuries, the term “Christmas Tree” always referred to a live evergreen tree that was typically cut and brought into one’s home. (A few people brought the whole tree – roots and all – into their homes; most people, though, used freshly cut evergreen trees.)
The major differences in Christmas Trees were whether the trees were pines, spruces, or other types of evergreen trees.
A tradition continues today where people can cut their own Christmas Tree in the Gila National Forest. According to the Forest Service, “A permit is required for each tree cut and removed from National Forest System land. The piñon tree permit is free; any other species are $5.00 per tree.” Area fourth-graders are each eligible for one free permit.
Additional information can be reviewed in an earlier news article of The Grant County Beat.
https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-releases/54219-it-s-almost-time-to-purchase-your-christmas-tree-cutting-permit-3
In the 1950s, though, an alternative to live Christmas Trees came into mass production – the Aluminum Christmas Tree.
Typically silver in color, these trees had certain benefits.
Aluminum Christmas Trees never needed to be watered, did not shed needles on the floor, and could be re-used year-after-year. All of these benefits led to an overall lower cost compared to buying freshly-cut Christmas Trees each year.
One of the first mentions of an Aluminum Christmas Tree in the news media was a news article dated December 15, 1956, in the Fort Lauderdale Daily News. The focus of this news article was a 40-foot high Aluminum Christmas Tree being installed by Palm Beach Towers in Palm Beach, Florida. The news article indicated that this tree would include 5,000 Christmas lights in the colors of white, pink, and green. The tree reportedly cost $10,000.00.
(Please note: Few people actually put electrical lights on Aluminum Christmas Trees. It was – and it is – a fire hazard to hang electrical lights on Aluminum Christmas Trees.)
The first advertisements selling Aluminum Christmas Trees to the general public started to appear in newspapers in about the fourth quarter of 1958. Through the 1950s and 1960s, ads highlighted low-cost trees or free trees with certain purchases.
Ikards offered free delivery of free Aluminum Christmas Trees to Silver City as part of its “January Closeout Prices In December.” According to an advertisement for the Las Cruces business on December 12, 1965, in the Las Cruces Sun-News, the tree was free if one purchased a living room or a bedroom group of furniture.
An advertisement in the Silver City Daily Press on December 5, 1966, Paul R. Gantz Jewelers offered a free six and one-half foot high Aluminum Christmas Tree with a purchase of a specific “man’s or ladies watch” valued at $50.00 or more.
A number of people in Grant County have fond memories of aluminum Christmas trees. Some in the area still likely proudly display their aluminum Christmas trees.
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Contact Richard McDonough at chroniclesofgrantcounty@gmail.com.
© 2019 Richard McDonough