Your Choice of Christmas Tree?

[smoke-eater]

Just curious. Cut? Live? Artificial?
We brought home a live (balled) tree yesterday, Douglas fir. First one I've had since I was a kid. Hard to believe that ball of dirt can be so heavy!!! :shock:
We have bounced back and forth between cut trees and artificial over the years, and my wife has had a hankering for a live one this year, so we'll see how it goes.

We had live trees when I was a youngster (I still remember my dad cussing and struggling to get it into the house.) Now I understand. :roll: Dad only got one to live after re-planting, but when the cellar was dug for our new house, guess where the dirt pile was dumped? Yep, that tree was buried under a 10' hill of dirt! That was 52 years ago.

Jeff

 

[Jeepnik]

Douglas Fir. Forty years ago when we bought our house we started buying small live trees then planted them. Did it for six years then decided we had enough trees. We had various types of pines. In addition to a couple of Douglas Firs, we had a Monterey Pine, Italian Stone Pine, Noble Fir and Scotch Pine.

Over the years we've had to take out a few, and one died. We're down to one. So, we're starting with the live trees again.

 

[Tom W]

Artificial from home depot. Been concerned about fires since I had a friend whose tree caught fire some years ago. Plus all I have to do after Christmas is take off the ornaments and bag it up.

 

[Fox Mike]

Since it is only Linda and I here now, we put up a ceramic tree that was originally my Mom's. It sits in front of the living room window so it is visible to all from the street.

 

[coach]

Artificial. We got one one year when we were going to be away for a week in early December and didn't want to wait to put one up.
Why do I like it? Let me count the ways.
No needles falling off, no cutting (it was fun when the kids were little), no buying and hauling, no watering constantly, no little spiders that always seem to hatch no mater how much you hose it off, no worries about water stains on the carpet. That's about it. I probably forgot a few. The only plus might be the smell of a real tree.

 

[Pat-inCO]

I am at the perfect time when grand kids are in their twenties, but have
not started their own brood. That is a precious few years when you can
safely say BAH HUMBUG, and concentrate on family and celebration of
the meaning of Christmas, and not the decorations/presents.

SO THERE, I'VE SAID IT! :roll:

:D . :wink: . :D

 

[WAYNO]

Growing up, we always had a real tree. The only artificial trees were the aluminum ones, and they were lame.

When the kids were home, we always took a snow day and went to the mountains to cut a tree. Sometimes the snow was too deep to get into the forest, so then we'd go to a local Christmas tree farm and cut a tree.

Now the kids are grown. No grandkids in the future, so now I go to the shed each year and bring in the artificial tree. It's pre-lit. And 3 of the five sections of lights still work. That's lame too.

WAYNO.

 

[375supermag]

Hi...
We get a cut tree every year from the tree farm just up the road about a 1/2 mile.
Wife insists...I would be just as happy with an artificial tree but she won't hear of it.
This is our last year with any children in the house...my son just bought a house a few weeks ago.
Still have 5 grandkids with our first great grandchild due after the first of the year, so we will still be decorating for some years to come, I suspect.

 

[Tom W]

When I did get a tree from the woods my sons and I would take the 20 GA. Buzz saw and take the top from a decent looking cedar tree. Never could bring myself to kill a tree for Christmas.

 

[contender]

I own my own land,,, and growing up,, we always had a cut tree. I have natural, native cedars on my property. I've transplanted a few,,, for our fenceline. And I do cut one each year as a family tradition.
It may not be the perfect, farm raised & trimmed picturesque one,,, but it's real. We had some years,, w/o the "kids" around, when a certain cat would cause a few problems with a real tree, so we'd use some small, table top crafted trees, as well as an ornament hanger in a spiral shape. But,,, we have returned to using a home grown, hand cut, real tree to thumb our noses a little at the commercialization of Christmas.
After Christmas, it will be sunk in the lake, near my BSA house, as a natural fish structure.

 

[powder smoke]

Balsam Fir off my property get em nice and fresh next weekend I'll cut one. ps

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

Artificial. We got one one year when we were going to be away for a week in early December and didn't want to wait to put one up.
Why do I like it? Let me count the ways.
No needles falling off, no cutting (it was fun when the kids were little), no buying and hauling, no watering constantly, no little spiders that always seem to hatch no mater how much you hose it off, no worries about water stains on the carpet. That's about it. I probably forgot a few. The only plus might be the smell of a real tree.

THIS^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ It's just the wife and I. Hoping our son will fly down this year. Hoping he and his girl friend will get serious at some point. He may be as old as I was before he has a kid. Nothing wrong with that I guess. It'll be good to see him. It just doesn't feel like Christmas without family around. But we go through the motions.

 

[gasbag]

No tree here artificial or otherwise.
Christmas is a nice quiet, relaxed, and treeless time in our home.
Besides, we're old. Our kids have trees we can go visit and share custody with.

 

[wunbe]

My Dad had a knack for choosing the gnarliest, bent-truncked, unbalanced-limbed tree on the lot after dickering for the best possible price...

I'd give a lot to see one like it in our living room this year rather than the el perfectos that are the standard of the trade now.

wunbe

 

[Big Old Boy]

Artificial here the wife insisted we have a tree so I go hike all the way to the garage and bring it in then she does the rest. I love Christmas.

 

[toysoldier]

I still have the artificial tree I bought in 1978. In the divorce, I got the tree, the ex got the ornaments. I haven't put it up for over 10 years, but it's still out in the shed. I'm satisfied with the "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree I bought last year.

 

[vortecMax]

When we were young it was always fresh cut. I remember dad sometimes brought one home from deer camp. when my kids were young it was off to thee tree farm hay ride cut your own tree. Now if we put one up it is small and fire proof.

 

[Mus408]

We have several artificial trees we pick from and one of the best is the original 1965 aluminum tree my folks had back then...still in the box with Montgomery Ward stamped on the side.
The rotating color wheel still uses the original spot light bulb too!

 

[Poco Oso]

We get a cut tree, usually from the 4H or the local high school rodeo club. We just picked out a nice blue spruce yesterday. It's just not Christmas, without the Christmas tree smell.

 

[SamV]

Growing up they were always real trees. When I got married, we had real trees for about ten years until one of my kids couldn't tolerate them for health reasons. So artificial for us for many years. Last year we did a real one again. We really enjoyed having a real tree again. I didn't mind about the sap, the watering, or the needles. We will probably do it again this year.

 

[exavid]

We used to have real trees in Alaska, they were plentiful and easy to get. But the last fourteen years it's been an artificial. Pre-wired for lights too. Same old family ornaments so it still looks like the ones we've had for many years. Less of a fire hazard as mentioned and no more needles all over the place.

 

[gtxmonte]

Maybe I will build a sand tree this year..........as we are going to the Bahamas for Christmas.......LOL!!!

Otherwise its a pre-lit artificial here, if I even bother to put it up

 

[Bull Barrel]

Lit artificial trees....bah, humbug!
There is a Christmas tree farm behind my son's house. We will get one from them.

 

[dougader]

Maybe it's heresy, but even here in Oregon I like my little artificial tree. Otherwise, a Noble fir. Beautiful tree.

 

[Ale-8(1)]

We had always bought a real tree off the lot at some big box store. and were quite happy with them. Then one year twenty-some years ago we decided to go out to a local tree farm and cut our own. Got a nice one. Set it up and decorated it. It smelled great, and looked photo-worthy.

A few days after Christmas, we began to hear little things dropping off the tree, and figured they were needles or some other plant pieces. Couple days later, the occurrences became more noticeable, and close examination revealed that LITTLE WORM-LIKE THINGS were dropping out of the foliage. We immediately removed the tree from the house and cleaned up under it, removing all the little critters (we thought).

Couple of weeks later there was a furniture-rearranging taking place that involved another serious vacuuming of the whole carpet. When running the vacuum over the spot where the tree had been, I noticed a few funny little whitish things popping up out of the carpet. Close examination revealed these to be COCOONS. I got down on my hands and knees and "raked" thru the carpet with my fingers, and dozens of those little things popped up. It was rather gross. The boss was not pleased, at all. At. All.

The next year we bought a really nice artificial tree that is easily assembled/disassembled, and we've used it ever since.

:shock: :shock: :shock:

 

[gtxmonte]

Yep.......Live trees have live critters.............LOL!!!

 

[mohavesam]

As a firefighter I saw too many homes destroyed at Christmas due to real trees drying out and igniting. Indoor trees need to be fire-resistant so we've always had the tree-in-a-box type. But we have always had wreaths or arrangements of real pine branches (non-lighted) for ambiance and scent.

But real living trees (and cacti) adorn the front yard and they get lighted for all to enjoy.

 

[doublebarrel]

Fake tree. Wife has allergies.

 

[smoke-eater]

Thanks for all the responses. Honestly, if it were entirely up to me, I could dispense with the tree altogether. Not to sound like a humbug, but the kids are grown and living on their own, grandkids live in Florida, and we do most of the holiday visiting. Often no one sees our tree but us :( .
But my wife's wishes need to be considered. She loves having a tree, mostly because her previous husband never wanted one. So, yeah, it makes Christmastime more special for her. :)

Jeff

 

[gramps]

I live alone. My farm has literally hundreds of cedars of all sizes. I live 800 feet off the road. No tree in the house. Lost all the ornaments in the divorce.
gramps, who goes to son's house for Christmas