Friday, December 12, 2014

Vintage Christmas Tree Old Hollywood Holiday Decoration Ideas

Decorating with Christmas trees

"There's no reason why your Christmas tree should cost a great deal of money
A special tree lighting
downtown Boston 1921 **
in order to be attractive looking. Why not this year for a change have a one-colored or two-colored Christmas tree


"I can think of nothing lovelier than a Christmas tree that is all silver. It will attract immediate attention and will be so fairy-like and new that the spirit of Christmas will seem to flame out of it. For your all-silver Christmas tree use plenty of crystal balls and silver ornaments. Use festoons of silver too." 
  • Harold Lloyd's spectacular tree
  • Celebrate wherever you are, the desert or at sea
  • Theme trees
  • Make some festive decorations 1925 video
  • Home movies, Christmas party footage from the 1930s 
  • Paint your own costume then paint yourself into a Christmas Card
  • Decorate at work, your business or office for the Christmas party

Decorating doesn't have to be expensive. Repurpose, recycle things you have. More tree decorating tips:

"Make chains from bright silver paper, paste on both sides of cardboard and then make innumerable stars and crescents and a few moons too for your silver tree fastening them on with silver cord. Start saving silver papers of all sorts a few weeks before Christmas and you will have a lot of it by the time you tree should be decorated. 

"Tin-foil, too is useful. Cover oddly shaped candies, little toys and nuts with these papers and put them on your tree. You will need silver paint of course. Paint some tiny objects such as tree cones, the tips of some of the branches. For a silver tree they suggest white lights are best."



1937 "Christmas Is Coming To Dr Barnardo's Home"

Declutter First
"Get rid of all of the superfluous ornaments in your home and let this include all of the things that have been lying around during the year that have added neither beauty nor comfort to your home. After you have got rid of all extras you may start to add the special Christmas decorations.
 
"I should use a lot of wreaths for Christmas.  If your home has only adults, consider having a tiny tree, a living plant decorated with familiar Christmas things will add a great deal to your holiday happiness.

"Pepper plants in bloom are among the most charming of the Christmas decorations. Fir boughs and festoons will add a great deal to your halls and dining room.  Add a tall vase of leaves with if possible some red berries." These Christmas ideas are timeless.
-- Stephen Goosson, Art Director aka Interior Decorator First National Studios (Merged with Warner Brothers 1928)

** "Over 50,000 people thronged the common in Boston on Christmas eve on the occasion of the third annual celebration of its kind in that city. Christmas carols were rendered by a choir of five thousand singers. A great tree was the centre of attraction and this was decorated with a dazzling and bewildering variety of electric lights. A red star surmounted the tree and a varied and beautiful display of fireworks made the scene one of enchantment."
-- Mid-Week Pictorial 1921/22 (Re: Image at top of page.)





Artist is painting design onto the costume of actress for photo shoot 1926

Model, painted costume, designed to blend into painted Christmas card background 1926

Christmas 1926 "'Somewhere on this Christmas tree Alberta Vaughn is hidden can you find her?'  John Oshanna a Persian artist paints on costumes and in so doing carries out his idea of backgrounds on the subjects here he is doing some decorating on Alberta Vaughn." Try this for a truly unique card.


The Family Xmas Tree: Rooted in the fertile soil of Hollywood, 1922: Press Agent is at the top. Other ornaments are marked: Producer, Cameraman, Director, Assistant Director, Property Man, Wardrobe Mistress, Scenario Writer and one, interestingly seems to say, Spy.
Radko Charlie Chaplin
Glass Ornament
Silent Movie Golden New

Bloom where you're planted, Make it Christmas where you are. The desert or at sea:
Christmas 1923: Word from Claire Windsor who was out on the Sahara in North Africa at work A Son of the Sahara for First National, under the direction of Edward Carewe. 

Windsor "tells of the thrill she gave sheiks when she set up a Christmas tree in the middle of the desert." The film also starred Walter McGrail, Rosemary Theby and Bert Lytel.

Christmas 1929 Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks spent Christmas aboard a steamer somewhere between here and China but at least Mary says they were en route home. 

In the very early 1930s, Richard Arlen and his wife, Jobyna Ralston spent Thanksgiving on their yacht as it skimmed down toward lower California.

Conrad Nagel is going to have the tree lighted with electric bulbs the presents a Santa Claus who comes through a porthole and all in 1930. The Nagels will be on a cruise off the coast of southern California. 

The Darryl Zanucks will have three trees filled with lovely trees one for each of their children. Christmas 1935

Harold Lloyd's 30-Foot Christmas Tree 


"Walter Dymond stands in front of the Harold Lloyd Christmas Tree. As Groundskeeper of the Harold Lloyd Estate, he was responsible for the construction of the Christmas tree from two trees (wiring the branches of one into the other) and placed the ornaments where Mr. Lloyd directed." (1972 made available by Mr. Dymond's grandson)

Each year the order for the first and largest Christmas tree comes from Harold Lloyd, one that will touch the 30-foot ceiling in the mammoth Lloyd drawing room.
-- The Milwaukee Journal, December 1935



Christmas home movie 1936, Cheers

"At Harold Lloyd's there is a special Christmas custom. The tree which little Gloria has each year is a live one in a box. After Christmas each year the decorations are removed and the tree replanted until today she has living trees as memories of each Christmas. -- 1930

Lloyd's daughter, Gloria Lloyd Roberts was an actress. She appeared in the Merle Oberon film, Temptation in 1946. She can also be seen (as herself) in American Masters Harold Lloyd: The Third Genius.





The Thin Man, Myrna Loy and William Powell  

"Among the screen players who have lighted trees ranging from 40 to 100 feet in height in their yards each season are Fay Wray, Richard Arlen, Clive Brook, Ruth Chatterton, Clara Bow, June Collyer, Conrad Nagel and Gary Cooper.  

Christmas tree decorated with photos, dolls, ornaments
featuring movie stars
Tom Mix, Mary Pickford, more
What an idea :-)
Picturegoer Magazine 1915 illustration

1939 Bette Davis telegraphed a request for a tree to be cut from her 110-acre estate on Sugar Hill which she purchased as a summer home. The 10-foot New Hampshire fir tree, wrapped in burlap started its long rail journey across the country December 8, 1939 bound for Miss Davis' Los Angeles Home.  

1933 Greta Garbo will celebrate with a little bit of Sweden having had her Christmas tree from the old country shipped from there. 

Christopher Radko Bubble-Lite Bubble Light, Light Strand, Set of 7
The same Christopher Radko who brings you those beautiful glass ornaments

Theme Trees: 
Do you have a collection that you use to decorate a tree, or ornaments that represent your collection? They suggest that Anne Francis may have Hollywood's most unusual Christmas tree.


She has a collection of wishbones which she places on a Christmas tree. On the top branch of Anne's wishbone tree there is an empty space just large enough for the wishbone from a Christmas turkey. 

"I'm saving that space for Marlon Brando. I was supposed to go to his house for Christmas dinner . At the last minute something happened and I couldn't make it. Marlon solemnly promised to save the wishbone for me. Since Marlon never breaks a promise, someday I'm going to collect." Christmas 1957

Do you have some wishbones? Cover them in glue then glitter and place them on your tree. 

What's your vocation, what do you do for a living? Do you know someone who drives a taxi? Get some amazing yellow glass taxicab ornaments. I have a cool old wooden German dentist ornament. There are dinosaurs, ornaments made to look like movie stars. Funny because some of them are up for debate. Is that this person or that one?!

In The Thin Man with William Powell and Myrna Loy they had some balloons on their Christmas tree.   

Make these Festive Decorations from 1925

Use fireproof paper they suggest

"Merry Christmas, Marilyn," said a note from Joe DiMaggio on a Christmas tree that Marilyn Monroe found in her hotel room. She also found Joe himself sitting in a chair in the corner. "It's the first time in my life anyone ever gave me a Christmas tree,' she told me days later. 'I was so happy I cried.' This is from the blonde who sings Diamonds are a girl's best friend." -- Christmas 1952

Do you trim, decorate or dress the tree??

Christmas 1942 was Tyrone Power's first liberty after weeks in boot camp. He was hoping get his furlough to be home around Christmas Eve in time for tree trimming with his mother and sister, his wife, Annabella and her little daughter joining in.

Decorate at work  

Whether it's an entire building, office, your desk, vehicle or your particular workspace. Maybe you're on the Office Party committee. 



London Hospital Office Christmas Party 1937


Willesden General Hospital (London) staff Christmas Party 1937...
Decorating for your office Christmas party?

   
In 1916 some movie theaters were decorating for the holiday
Snow scene on stage for Christmas Christmas Buffalo, New York
The Strand Moving Picture Theater Buffalo New York is using a snow scene on the stage for the Christmas holidays.  

"There are two Christmas trees ablaze with vari-colored lights. The lobby has laurel decorations. 'I am also working special film titles pertaining to Christmas,' said the manager."  

New York movie theater celebrates the season 1916
Greens and Decorations on Yonge Street, Toronto Ontario. 
"Managers of downtown picture theaters of Toronto without exception arranged for special lobby and front displays of holiday nature for Christmas week. Through a cooperative arrangement the front of every theater on lower Yonge Street was gaily festooned with evergreen and strings of electric lights. 

"More than $150 was spent by the manager of the Rialto Theater to advertise Mary Pickford's feature, Less than Dust. The decorations included panel oil paintings, Oriental lamps and festoons of holiday evergreens."
-- Moving Picture World, December 1916



Related Pages of Interest:


Charles Boyer Receives a Christmas Gift: Parents and Grown Children, Expectations and Acceptance

Gift Certificates : Gift Cards : Employee Recognition : Kindle Gift Cards Print Out and slip into a card, email to friends, family, last minute


Giants Decorations Celebrate the SF Giants and NY Giants, Your team this Holiday; Bring your team home for the holidays


Theme Decorations, Christmas Window Displays

Grinch steals holiday decorations off neighbors' lawns 

Christopher Radko is known for his beautiful quality blown glass Christmas ornaments, including those dedicated to beloved film stars. They sell out very quickly. Radko Petite Lucy Ole PINK Ornament Love New 



Christopher Radko Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 1997 Limited Edition Ornament Set (Set of 8)  Honors the 60th anniversary of the Disney film.



Modern Screen October 1953, December 1957 
Spokane Daily Chronicle - December 23, 1933
The Lewiston Daily Sun - December 8, 1939  
Screenland September 1922
The Pittsburgh Press - December 13, 1930
Photoplay 1926 

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