Christmas 1968 - Color Wheel

The following is from Wikipedia:

"An aluminum Christmas tree is a type of artificial Christmas tree that was popular in the United States from 1958 until about the mid-1960s. As its name suggests, the tree is made of aluminum, featuring foil needles and illumination from below via a rotating color wheel."

"Aluminum Christmas trees were first manufactured sometime around 1955, remained popular into the 1960s, and were manufactured into the 1970s."

"During the 1960s, the aluminum Christmas tree enjoyed its most popular period of usage. As the mid-1960s passed, the aluminum Christmas tree began to fall out of favor, with many thrown away or relegated to basements and attics. The airing of A Charlie Brown Christmas in 1965 has been credited with ending the era of the aluminum tree, and by 1967 their time had almost completely passed."

"The aluminum Christmas tree was used as a symbol of the over-commercialization of Christmas in the 1965 Peanuts holiday special, A Charlie Brown Christmas. The program is considered a classic amongst Christmas specials, and its mention of the aluminum tree solidified the tree's legendary status while satirizing it as well. Peanuts character 'Lucy' implored Charlie Brown to get a 'big, shiny aluminum tree...maybe painted pink.' Charlie lamented the commercialization of the true meaning of Christmas, ignored his friends' request, and purchased a small, scrawny natural tree instead."

In the bottom photo I'm standing in front and my cousins Debby, Diane and Danny are standing behind me. Behind all of us is an aluminum tree. The color wheel is at the bottom right.

Christmas 1986 - White Christmas

Although the movie White Christmas is from 1954, 1986 is when I first saw it. I remember it was on the local independent television station and, having heard about it before, I decided it was time to watch it. I fell in love with the movie and was introduced to one of my all time favorite recording artists, Rosemary Clooney. I think I've seen it just about every Christmas since.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas - Book

Some families read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas every year during the holidays. We read How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1957). I remember my youngest brother Pete absolutely loving it. He referred to roast beef as roast 'beast' for years. Mom actually still calls it this!

Many years later Pete and I, as adults, visited the Dayton's (now Macy's) department store Grinch holiday display in the eighth floor auditorium of the downtown Dayton's Minneapolis store. The story was just as enchanting as adults as it was when we were kids.

I love the message of the story that although the trimmings and trappings are nice, Christmas means a whole lot more.

Christmas Music - The Harry Simeone Chorale

The Wonderful Songs of Christmas by the Harry Simeone Chorale is one of my most favorite Christmas albums from my childhood. It was probably released in 1963.

This album exposed my brothers, Sam and Pete, and I to 20th century Christmas standards like Silver Bells, White Christmas, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and also much older and more obscure carols like Pat-A-Pan and Masters In This Hall.

I remember my brothers and I helping mom make cookies, decorating the house on Stevens in Minneapolis, or just staring at the colored lights on the tree as this album played in the background.

I remember one Christmas Eve eating dinner while this record was playing. Sam was about 3 years old and I must have been 7. In this album's version of Pat-A-Pan there is an interlude where all the singers whistle. At the point the whistling began, Sam jumped up from his seat, bolted to the living room, and started running around in circles. I'm not sure what that was all about but it sure was cute. The last time I mentioned this incident to him he swore he had no recollection of it ever happening.