Silver Tree, Pink Lights

When I was but a wee lad, my Grandmother Tuck had a silver metallic tree with pink lights on it. As I recall at the time, I thought it was all a bit strange and not Christmas-y enough for my taste. However, my guess now is that she thought it very up-to-date, or else maybe she just liked it. I think the latter is probably the case, as she was not a fashion follower.

  Now suffice it to say that I loved my Grandmother dearly, and she loved me "a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck." How could there be more? But the metal tree was always bit of a mystery, and after a time she went back to a more traditional Christmas tree, a pine of some type.

  In the last few years I have found myself thinking about this tree, wondering about her choice, remembering the color and the sparkle of the needles. As I have become more interested in things mid-century, I have been wanting to bring this tree back to life - well, you know what I mean. So I was on a quest.

My Grandmother Ivey Tuck, sitting on Santa's lap 

while visiting my studio during a shoot for Hardee's around 1985. 

Santa was played by Dean Shelton.

  With only Lynn and myself at home this Christmas, we had planned to tone down a bit, we didn't plan on putting up a tree at all, until I hatched the idea of the silver tree with pink lights. After an intense search I realized that the silver metal trees were not so easy to find anymore, and I wanted a vintage one in reasonable shape. Nothing was turning up. A few places had them, but only for their in-store  props. So after some thought I decided we would do an homage to the tree. At Target I found a modern silver tree and pinkish LED's. For now it will have to do, but the search goes on...

Do you have any memories of quirky holiday decorations? Maybe family traditions gone awry? Share your stories with us!

Wishing you & yours a happy holiday season!