Making Memories with a Christmas Tree Stand from the 1950s
Author: Neal Bellamy
Some of my fondest Christmas-time childhood memories are of our tree, the stand and the entire process of getting everything ready for the season. We had a tree stand that was so unique, that none of my friends or family had one like it. Ours was gold, it was built in the 1950s and weighed 20 pounds, but the coolest thing is it rotated the real tree and you controlled the lights by flicking little switches. It changed our entire process around setting up our Christmas tree.
Every year when we headed out to go find a tree, it had to be perfect all the way around, because there was no hiding the bad spot in the corner. Ornaments; we had to have a lot, and they needed to cover the entire tree… not just what you could see when it wasn’t turning. The lights were actually made easier, you just plug them in at the bottom, turn them on, then rotate the tree and guide the lights up as they installed themselves. The electric music box in the tree was simple, and I still remember exactly how it sounded.
When I had children, I wanted to re-create the entire experience.
It took me a couple of years, but I was able to track down a stand just like our old one. Mine is white, with gold glitter, very 1950s. I’m still amazed at the inventiveness of the stand.
It’s funny how sometimes the new and old technologies don’t always work well together. Apparently, the 1950s trees were lighter, narrower and more balanced than the trees of the 2000s. I had to rebuild the gearbox because our trees were too heavy and eventually stripped the gears. The trees don’t always fit into the base because the trunks are too big. Twice now, because of a crooked trunk, the tree has tipped over, causing a huge mess and many broken ornaments.
Thankfully none of that has dampened my children’s spirits. We still go field to field looking for the perfect tree. They enjoy turning on the tree and making it spin. Only now, I make them look up the trunk to make sure it’s straight. It’s amazing to me that sometimes the simplest things can make such a lasting impression.
