What's More Retro Than...The Christmas Tree Color Wheel

As part of a new series I'm starting today (and likely won't continue due to neglect on my part) I'd like to offer an occasional focus on some of the cultural icons many of us associate with the mid-century.

Today's topic:  the Christmas tree color wheel.

Yes, I know.  If I wanted to cover this, I should have started with the aluminum Christmas tree first.  But I've already given this topic great thought (about 4 minutes) and I'm on a roll.

It was during the 50's when America first harvested the aluminum Christmas tree.  This renewable resource (heavy on the Al...light on the C) meant most families could easily, quickly and needle-less-ly put up their Christmas tree in minutes.  By the end of dad's first Manhattan, the tree would be up and ready to decorate.

Oh...but wait.  What do you decorate an aluminum tree with?  Traditional Christmas lights are, well, electric.  Perhaps it's not a good idea to string a tall metal structure with electrified wire.

"Electric lights?  On this?  Maybe I should stand in a bucket of water, too."

So, American ingenuity comes around to save the day with:  the color wheel.  Lots of colored lights?  Just 4...so...I guess...check!  Will it make our tree all pretty and colorful?  Check.  But NOT dangerously close to contacting large metal objects?  Check check.

And from that day forward, the color wheel became almost de rigueur (fancy talk for "you better have one") for the aluminum tree family.

As a result, plenty of companies made these wonderful color wheels: Renown, Penetray, Holly Time, Imperial, Peerless, Spartus...well, you get the idea.  Lots of companies, making roughly the same color wheel design: small motor, axle, wheel, colored plastic.  But that wasn't a problem, since just about everyone wanted one.  As long as it rotated and had different colors, it was all good.

"I don't care who made it, as long as it doesn't burn the house down."

But there was one color wheel that stood out from the crowd.  And by stood out, I mean it was completely different, it broke the mold, it was...revolutionary (in more ways than one).

The Holy Grail of Christmas color wheels

Why, you ask, was this one so dang special?  Well, not only was it a color wheel for your tree, it also:

• was the tree stand
• played music!

Yes, the rotating, musical Christmas tree color wheel by Evergleam.

Perfect!  It not only saved valuable near-the-tree real estate for even more precious Xmas booty, it also did double-duty by playing Christmas songs when you turned it on!

Today,  these very hard-to-find color wheels can command rather high prices.  They used to go into the 7- to 8-bill range pretty easily, but one can be had (if you can find one) for about $150-$300, depending on condition and condition of the box (if there still is one), but truly "mint"-y ones can still command high prices.  So, thankfully, you don't need to run a meth lab to afford a decent one.

Typical shopping list of anyone finding a mint wheel with box on eBay

Today, you can find the more traditional color wheels on eBay and other sites, usually for under a hundred bucks, plus the traditional design is still being made, and more-or-less to the original design.

Then again, you could take the route of getting a newer color wheel: the LED color wheel.

Perfect for sucking out all the Christmas spirit from your aluminum tree

But personally, if you're going to go through all the trouble of putting up an aluminum Christmas tree, you might as well go all the way and get the real thing.  These new, high-tech lights really can't do your tree justice as well as a great 50's-designed color wheel.