(December 21, 2012) AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — The Walter P. Chrysler Museum is closing to the public at the end of the year, but it's going out on a festive note: the 55,000-square-foot facility is decked out for the holidays, with period-appropriate trees and décor paired with classic and concept cars from its collection.

The annual “Cars, Trees and Traditions” exhibit features vehicles amid Christmas decorations from the early 1900s to the mid-1980s.

A relatively humble tabletop Christmas tree accompanies a 1902 Rambler Runabout. Tree height seemed to grow along with the size of Americans' automobiles; a 1924 Chrysler B-70 Phaeton is parked next to a seven-footer laden with glass ornaments.

On the museum's second level, a timeless 1953 Chrysler Ghia concept is paired with an equally timeless Christmas. Just feet away, a 1984 Plymouth Voyager is really set off by an ultra-modern tree in blinding white. Thanks to the twin miracles of woodgrain-look vinyl and synthetic conifers, no real trees were harmed in the making of the display.

Sources: AutoWeek, Walter Chrysler Museum