A Serious Conversation. (Yes, it's Christmas)

We work hard to bring Cereal Creatures readers the latest news on Universal Monsters, Halloween, Star Trek, comics, and all the classic and vintage greatness that interests us. But sometimes we feel like a little detour, and that’s what we’re showcasing today.

Yes, we purchased Christmas decor at the heart of spooky season.

We get a little bit of reprieve because technically this is vintage Christmas. Kind of.

You see, we picked up the much‑sought‑after and viral Mr. Christmas Rotating Tinsel Tree from Walmart. This 24‑inch, $35 spinning spruce is a recreation of the 1960s monstrosities that were all the rage thanks to the Space Age. It appears to come with a star and ornaments and, unlike those classic versions, rotates with animated motion. The cherry on top of this nostalgic entry is a color wheel that glistens off the silver branches. The spinning wheel of color isn’t included in the package, so we’ll have to find that separately. Walmart doesn’t carry anything like that in‑store as of now.

The box art and design are perfectly crafted to recreate the style of the ’50s and ’60s. From the fonts to the layout (social media icons notwithstanding), if you stuck this in the attic one could easily be tricked into thinking it was from days long past.

Technically, we barely remember the silver trees. By the heyday of our childhood Christmases—was there any better time to be a kid in the late ’80s and early ’90s?—the silver metallic trees were long forgotten in favor of fake pine trees. But still, the majesty and ties to a simpler time are the perfect symbol for this holiday season.

Not satisfied with just our Mr. Christmas tree, we also picked up a blow mold shaped like a massive string‑light bulb. This wasn’t vintage by any means, but it was one of the coolest Christmas decorations in years and we were afraid they might sell out. It is a Mr. Christmas product, as well. We only got one, but they could really be used in a bunch to create some Clark Griswold–size exterior illumination. We chose green, but if we ever see the blue variety, we'd pick up on one of those, too. They are $13 each.

Now, back to October and Frankensteins and Draculas and Jack‑o'‑lanterns. To all, a good night!