Happily, they do still make the large, fat C7-size lights and strings! I've got several strings of the solid/opaque ones (the ones that look like they've been dipped in paint so you can't see their filaments.) I use them on a tree at my house that displays ornaments from the 1940s and '50s. You could probably find reflectors at websites that sell vintage/reproduction Christmas decorations, or make your own with metallic sheets from a craft store (or hey, heavy duty aluminum foil!) The transparent C7 bulbs in my photos are LEDs, which don't get hot to the touch like the incandescent ones do.
Here's one of the websites that sells brand-new "old school" lights:
I've also got a 1960s silver aluminum Christmas tree with original color wheel, and it just kicks all kinds of ass. And for my '40-'50s tree...a box of lead foil icicles! I love those things; they're heavier than modern mylar icicles, and don't static-cling to you when you brush against them. They were banned years ago when people began to worry that pets and kids were eating them and getting lead poisoning, so I hang mine very carefully -- 'cause if they get torn and broken, it's not easy to get more!
Here's one of the websites that sells brand-new "old school" lights:
http://www.christmaslightsetc.com/C7-C9-Bulbs.asp
I've also got a 1960s silver aluminum Christmas tree with original color wheel, and it just kicks all kinds of ass. And for my '40-'50s tree...a box of lead foil icicles! I love those things; they're heavier than modern mylar icicles, and don't static-cling to you when you brush against them. They were banned years ago when people began to worry that pets and kids were eating them and getting lead poisoning, so I hang mine very carefully -- 'cause if they get torn and broken, it's not easy to get more!
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