North Carolina: Home of the Aluminum Christmas Tree Museum

Tons of places have Christmas tree displays, but there's only one dedicated to the fake aluminum substitutes, the Aluminum Tree & Aesthetically Challenged Seasonal Ornament Museum and Research Center, or ATOM.

As evidenced from the museum's cheeky name, this isn't some highbrow collection. The roving retro museum puts shining holiday gaudiness on display in North Carolina's Transylvania Heritage Museum. These fir alternatives have aluminum trunks and foil needles and many use an electric rotating color wheel that projects colored light up through the tree from the floor.

Aluminum trees had their heyday from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s and were produced by more than 40 companies in the the U.S., Canada and Australia. Since this year marks the 50th anniversary of when the first aluminum trees were sold to the public, ATOM's aptly named "Fifty" exhibit celebrates the people, fads and events of the last half century.

ATOM showcases 50 of the relics, which include a Wizard of Oz-themed tree, decked out with ornaments of tornadoes, flying cows, witches' hats and, of course, ruby slippers; an aluminum palm tree; and a tree that pays homage to the King with records and pics of Elvis dangling from the silver branches. The museum also recognizes other faiths, like the display of the giggling Buddha releasing the golden pigeon of happiness into the Aluminum Forest of Tranquility.

If the sparkling trees really catch your eye, the 12-year-old ATOM is selling a few of the silver saplings.

ATOM is open Wednesdays to Saturdays through Christmas Eve. Admission is free.

Related Stories:
· The Top Five Real Christmas Trees Around The Country [Jaunted]
· Live From Rockefeller Center, It's The Giant Christmas Tree [Jaunted]

[Photo: Aluminum Tree and Ornament Museum]

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