Aluminum Christmas Tree Color Wheel

We Love Christmas Trees

My grandparents, along with their "space age tree," had  an aluminum Christmas tree color wheel that alternately shined red,  blue, green, and yellow onto the tree. The tree needed no decorations or lights, in fact lights may have been hazardous, and it alternately turned red, blue, green and then yellow (actually an amber-ish color).

Lights on the tree were potentially hazardous for two reasons, the biggest being the possibility of electrical shock as aluminum conducts, and also fire related safety issues.

That's the original reason for the Aluminum Christmas tree color wheel which has a motorized disk of plastic/glass that rotates slowly while a light shines though it onto the tree created a neat effect. I can't remember the details, although my grandparents was a floor model (there also where wall mount models), the disk was plastic although some are also made of glass, and it had a plastic case. Some Aluminum Christmas Trees also had rotating bases so the tree spun slowly, maybe once or twice a minute, when the color  wheel shone different color lights on it.

This was in the early 1960s (the first Aluminum Christmas Tree being sold by the Aluminum Specialty Company of Manitowoc, Wisconsin in 1959) and they were extremely popular in the sixties but then faded away until recently, when they and color wheels became very popular again!

The Aluminum Christmas Tree Color Wheel to the right is a modern model, and available for purchase. It's shown partially disassembled so you can see the parts better - the color wheel itself along with the light and rotating fixture.

You tree will certainly shimmer and shine with this 60s Style Retro Color Wheel with classic colors of red, blue, yellow, and green.

Pair this with an Aluminum Christmas Tree, often also called a Silver Christmas Tree, and you are ready to go in 60s retro style!

I'm partial to the Aluminum/Silver Christmas Trees at Christmas Depot and there are also some fine Aluminum Christmas Trees at Amazon as well. Or maybe you want an Authentic Antique Vintage Tree instead of a vintage style? Then Click Here for some tips (and scroll down)!