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Season’s Gleaming
ALUMINUM CHRISTMAS TREES MAKE THE HOLIDAYS BRIGHT FOR HILTON HEAD RESIDENT
STORY BY EDDY HOYE PHOTOS BY MIKE RITTERBECK
“Whether you decorate with blue or red balls or use the tree without ornaments, this exquisite tree is sure to be the talk of your neighborhood. High-luster aluminum gives a dazzling brilliance. Shimmering silvery branches are swirled and tapered to a handsome realistic fullness. It's really durable. Needles are glued and mechanically locked on. Fireproof , you can use it year after year.”
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- SEARS, 1963 CHRISTMAS BOOK
By many accounts, Charlie Brown ended the era of the aluminum Christmas tree. In the classic 1965 holiday special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, Lucy begged Charlie to get a big, shiny, pink aluminum tree for their Nativity play, but on a whim he decided to buy the iconic, tiny, scrawny, natural tree instead. He lamented the commercialization of Christmas for which the aluminum Christmas tree had become a symbol. By the 1980s most aluminum trees were found only at yard sales or in dumpsters. Today there is a resurgence in interest. Call them “retro” or “vintage,” but Kelly Brennan-McClure of Hilton Head says these trees are “historic objects that just got thrown away.” Her mission is one of discovery and rescue. She started
SHIMMERING NOSTALGIA Hilton Head Island's Kelly Brennan-McClure has an impressive collection of aluminum Christmas trees and other holiday decorations. 114
LocalLifeSC.com + DECEMBER 2018