A Charlie Brown Christmas debuted 50 years ago this year.
It seems like just yesterday Charlie Brown and his warm-hearted motley crew melted our hearts for the first time with the 1965 premiere of A Charlie Brown Christmas. The classic holiday special turned 50 this year, but the lessons it taught us are as fresh in our minds each year as the first time we saw them. Never, perhaps, has a holiday special illustrated so poignantly “what Christmas is all about.”
Commercial aluminum trees were all the rage in the sixties.
The most evident antagonist to the true spirit of Christmas in the episode, among others such as an awry Christmas production and an empty mailbox, is the presence of the aluminum Christmas tree – a popular staple in American homes during the time. The immense fabrication of the aluminum tree was a symbol of the over-commercialization of the Christmas season; a motif as hollow as the sound it produced whence knocked upon by Charlie Brown. By opting for a sparse little sapling over a “big, shiny aluminum tree” Charlie Brown reminds us that yuletide cheer is not found in the sparkle of commercialism, but the humble authenticity found in the love between friends and family, symbolized by the small but mighty sapling.
While aluminum extrusion, aluminum alloys, and aluminum as a whole is our business, we must admit that we’re happy to see the scratchy, shiny, fabricated fad of the aluminum tree phased out of the holiday season.
From our family here at Taber Extrusions to yours, we wish you warmth and joy this holiday season, and we encourage you to embrace the true spirit of Christmas this year by enjoying it with the best gift of all – your loved ones. Happy holidays!