Slide of the Week: December 18th, 2008
The Famous Christmas Tree, Denver, CO, 1956
Clearly somebody needs help! They didn’t measure the how high the ceiling was!
This slide was marked “4000 ornaments, 1000 lights, 350 birds; 16 trees to make this one and Mr. and Mrs. Gano Senter’s famous Christmas tree.” With all this info I thought perhaps I could Google the name and find out about this “famous Christmas tree.” But what I found out on Google was a bit more than I bargained for.
Mr. And Mrs Gano Senter, were residents of Denver Colorado. Mr. Senter wrote a book called Kawoo of Alaska and owned a restaurant called Kool Kozy Kafe, which according to the legend, served fish everyday but Friday. Hmmm, Mr. Gano doesn’t sound too friendly to me. Neither does his wife. According to Time Magazine, in 1951, Mrs. Gano called for total castration of all male sex offenders. I found out nothing about their famous tree….until I went to Denver.
While in the mile high city last December to do my retro holiday slide show I was a guest on the live local morning news. I showed this slide on the air. Before the segment was even over a lady called the TV station and said that her mother had the “famous Senter tree” and she would love for me to see it. Was I actually going to see thee tree more than fifty years after the slide was taken!? I was on my way.
A few minutes later half lost in a suburban Denver rat maze of streets lined with huge 80s mansions, I found the house. Before even ringing the fancy doorbell I was greeted by several plug-in Christmas Carolers. The door opened and there stood an older man and a lady smiling from ear to ear and inviting me in. Before I could even introduce myself I was in the door and standing in the living room in awe. Everywhere I looked there were Christmas trees and decorations.
As I was led from room to room getting the “grand tour,” I gasped at elaborate displays of collectable holiday miniatures, decorations, and figurines in every room from floor to ceiling no surface left uncovered. I was even treated to the “off limits this time of year” Easter room on the third floor. After about an hour long tour of the charming but never ending seasonal displays and decor I’d practically forgotten what I had come for.
As impressed as I was overwhelmed, I graciously asked “where’s the famous tree?” She said “It’s right here” as she handed me a vintage scrapbook explaining it came with the tree when she purchased it from the Senter family in 1974 to be on display in her local gift shop.” I thumbed through old newspaper clippings noting the celebrated tree and the thousands that toured the Senter Family home each year to see it during the 50s and 60s.
I didn’t recognize the tree at all. It didn’t have anywhere near 4000 ornaments. I said “what happened to all the ornaments?” She said, “They got broken over the years.”
Even with more like 400 than 4000 ornaments it was a thrill to catch up with the famous Christmas tree .
Here’s to the famous Christmas tree, all the broken ornaments and YOU!
Charles Phoenix
Los Angeles
December 2008
Sets this Slide belongs to:
Holidays
15 Comments on “The Famous Christmas Tree, Denver, CO, 1956”
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December 18th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Good Grief! Where are the branches?
December 18th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
That’s a looloo of a story. I would have passed out on that tour. I have an ornamental allergy.
December 18th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Clearly, when it comes to Christmas, too much is never enough!
December 18th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
Love the story even more than the tree pic!
December 18th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Charles-
Thanks again for another great picture and another wonderful story.
I was wondering…
You have such great pictures and I always want to see the detail—especially true with the famous Christmas tree. Is there anyway you can make the picture on your webpage link to a larger size file? I have been to sites where you click on the picture and it links to a larger size picture on another page.
Not being a tech guy, I don’t know how that complicates your site or affects your bandwidth. Still, it would be great so I thought I would throw it out there.
Or maybe I am missing out on some existing functionality on your site?
Thanks.
December 18th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
OMGosh. That’s simply outrageous.
December 18th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
Agree with Tim!! Please!
December 18th, 2008 at 11:01 pm
Wow!!! That is quite a tree. My grandfather used to get a REAL tree too tall for his 12 foot ceiling from his cabin in Willits, California. He would cut the top off the tree and decorate it beautifully in his living room — overly decorate it, and it was stunning. The best part is, he would tell us kids that the tree grew through the ceiling, and we would run upstairs to his bedroom above the living room to see that yes, indeed, it DID!!! (He placed the top there.) Also one Christmas the best gift us kids ever got were these really weird plastic wigs, a la early 1960’s beehives. The boys and the girls ran all around wearing those goofy wig helmets. That was such a great Christmas, I wish we had pictures!!!
December 19th, 2008 at 1:02 am
I read that Debbie Reynolds keeps XMAS trees - all year - in her Beverly Hills home.
December 20th, 2008 at 2:40 am
That is the Christmas tree to end all Christmas trees!
December 20th, 2008 at 4:23 am
Holy COW! I LIKE it.
December 20th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
The tree is holding up the house.
December 20th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
I saw this tree when I moved to Denver in the early 70s. It was in a gift shop in Englewood CO called Kathy’s Import Chalet. When I saw it the frame was made out of chicken wire and the ornaments hung or laid on it. It was all enclosed behind a glass box and smo of the ornaments were broken just because of the age.
December 21st, 2008 at 10:16 am
I love your site and all those incredible period pictures. How I wish I could have grown up in mid century California.
June 16th, 2009 at 6:35 am
So wait - did you see the actual tree? Or was the scrap book all she had?? I would’ve been a little miffed, myself….!