This is probably a guy thing but I don’t like to throw out old underwear. If it still fits and the elastic still holds, I should be able to get another time to wear it before I finally have to let go. One pair in particular I’ve had a long time. Now I keep it clean but it has more holes than a golf course but it’s just so darn comfortable. Now I think the reason I hate to get rid of it, besides the comfort factor, is that buying underwear is a real crapshoot…literally. And you can’t buy just one. You have to buy the whole package which is usually 3 or 6. Costco I think it’s 24. But they come all wrapped up in plastic so you can’t really get a good feel of how they’ll be. They don’t let you try them on. I’ve even offered to go to the dressing room instead of right there in the aisle but I was told, NO, you can’t try them on anywhere and you can’t open the package.
I’m trying to replace one, not six of them but it’s the marketing people who want to move volume. Shirts, yes you can buy just one and you can try it on. Not in the aisle though, I found out. You can buy one pair of blue jeans or a jacket or sweatshirt. But underwear, no deal. Socks come in large quantities. You have to buy two socks but they don’t package them in one pair. Why I need 12 or 24 pairs of new socks, I don’t know. And they wonder why men hate shopping.
Even beer, you can buy one but it’s probably 64 ounces. Smaller cans you have to buy at least 6 or 12 or 24. Costco, I think you have to buy a keg. But guys don’t mind shopping for beer. We’re kind of funny that way but unfortunately, wives never send us out to buy beer. We have to think about it all on our own. But most guys are good at remembering. Broccoli, soup, crackers, bread, butter, oh you mean I was supposed to pick them up too? So then it’s a second trip.
But I digress. I wanted to write a little about the picture of the aluminum Christmas tree. These were popular from about the mid 50’s to the mid 60’s. The Sears catalog sold a boatload of them back in the day. They kind of fell out of favor with American households in 1965, after the airing of ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’. People thought the aluminum trees looked too much like Charlie’s sad looking Christmas tree, so by 1967 or so, the aluminum tree along with the colored wheel like you see in the picture, were relegated to basements, garage or estate sales or sold for 25 cents.
But if you are one of the lucky ones who hung onto your vintage aluminum tree, they are now coming back into favor. A quick look at E-Bay shows a wide variety of prices. But the original vintage trees can be worth $400 to $1000. The original box helps boost the asking price. In fact, it was a number of years ago, a rare 7 foot pink aluminum Christmas tree sold online for $3600.
The West Concord Historical Society has two of these aluminum trees. One of them you see in the picture that was one display in the Heritage Room. There was a Wisconsin company, Aluminum Specialty Company, that made over a million of these trees. Back in the late 50’s and early 60’s, they retailed for about $25. So you probably had to think twice if you really wanted to invest in one. And if you did, you hate the Charlie Brown Christmas show.
I’m hoping my leisure suit will come back like the aluminum trees and I can recoup my cost. It’s coming up on 60 years old but I’m beginning to think that some things never do make a comeback. If you’re interested in a leisure suit, it’s only had one owner. It looks as good as the day I bought it, which come to think of it, that’s not a good selling point. You can’t destroy it. It’s made of the same material as the stealth bomber is made of. It’s very durable and long- lasting. I guess I should have invested in the aluminum Christmas tree.
