Cars, Trees & Traditions

Step back in time at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum for a nostalgic glimpse of eight decades of holiday style. Enjoy trees authentically decorated from the early 1900s – ‘80s, paired with vehicles of those eras. Celebrate seasons past with period advertisements, imagery and trimmings.

For more than six centuries, the evergreen tree has served as a symbol of accomplishment, anticipation and hope. In many nations, “solstice trees” have long acknowledged the passing of the harvest season. “Topping-out trees” attached to the final beam of new steelwork have promised success and security for freshly-constructed structures around the world.

Unquestionably, however, the most familiar – and most popular – of such ceremonial evergreens are those displayed during the year-end holiday season.

From its 16th Century origins in Germany, the holiday tree soon spread to other lands. By the 1890s, enthusiastic American shoppers were selecting holiday evergreens that would reach from floor to ceiling, twice the height of the trees favored by Europeans. The arrival of the automobile helped advance the celebratory spirit and sense of goodwill associated with this time of year, broadening distribution of holiday evergreens and the traditions they represent.

“Cars, Trees & Traditions” provides a nostalgic glimpse back through eight decades of holidays honored by the evergreen, and increasingly, celebrated with the assistance of the automobile.