Christmas Trees: Real, artificial, none?
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Christmas Trees: Real, artificial, none?
What tree are you going to put up this year? For years we used an artificial tree, then for several years we purchased real tress, but now we are back to an artificial tree. Costs and cleanup are what drove us away from real trees.
How about you?
How about you?
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“Maybe the cheese in the mousetrap is an artificially created cheaper price?” -Sal
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Re: Christmas Trees: Real, artificial, none?
Real if I can get to a good one but the snow is lower than the last few years. Free range tree permits are only $5 from the Forest Service. Here's a pic from last year:
Re: Christmas Trees: Real, artificial, none?
We did real for the first 15 years of our Marriage. It became a fun event with the kids. A couple of years ago, we were lucky enough to pick a tree with about 1 million Aphids that blended in with the bark. It was only after it was setup did they begin their march to glory to take over our home. I don't like using a lot of killer chemical in the house, but in that fateful night, I donned my war dress and prepared for battle. No ornament or fancy velvet tree skirt was safe from the deadly stream of vengeful Raid juice. Many bodies lay gasping on the battle field. It felt like weeks of cleanup duty. Still today if you look hard enough you will see remnants of the great battle.
So needless to say, my wife and I invested in a fancy prelit tree. One of those with realistic limbs and needles. We love it, and I really like how the LED lights work. It almost looks like stars in the tree. They are very small so they do not stand out. We have always done white lights, but I like to switch it to color now. Reminds me of my childhood.
So needless to say, my wife and I invested in a fancy prelit tree. One of those with realistic limbs and needles. We love it, and I really like how the LED lights work. It almost looks like stars in the tree. They are very small so they do not stand out. We have always done white lights, but I like to switch it to color now. Reminds me of my childhood.
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Re: Christmas Trees: Real, artificial, none?
We hike into the forest as a family and cut one. You can get a permit to do that in our local national forest area, so you get a few hours outdoors with the kids, a nice memory, a solid tradition, and a Christmas tree, all for $12.
Re: Christmas Trees: Real, artificial, none?
We do an artificial tree as well. Easier setup and cleanup. We just got this new addition to the family 2 weeks ago...based on this photo of a little corner tree in our basement...our Christmas tree stands no chance this year
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-Rick
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Re: Christmas Trees: Real, artificial, none?
@Rick Ha, yes! Kittens love to climb up Christmas Trees and knock off ornaments. Unless you have a weird cat like we used to have. She would sit below the tree and groom it like it was another cat.
I'm a bit envious of you who can go a harvest your own trees. For sure I would do that if it were an option here.
@jsumm, I love that story. Horrifying while in the midst of it, but a fantastic story to relate for years to come. Your kids will tell that tale to their kids, for use.
I'm a bit envious of you who can go a harvest your own trees. For sure I would do that if it were an option here.
@jsumm, I love that story. Horrifying while in the midst of it, but a fantastic story to relate for years to come. Your kids will tell that tale to their kids, for use.
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“Maybe the cheese in the mousetrap is an artificially created cheaper price?” -Sal
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Re: Christmas Trees: Real, artificial, none?
Get what you like, Trees have become expensive. Remember as kid we had real made home smell good.
Pain to put up, and take down. We did not have much money so my mom tried to put hood side showing. As most of our ornament were old, broken, or?
One year it was March before we took treed down. It was so dry the mess it made carrying out. Only good this was we did not have Tree.
Pain to put up, and take down. We did not have much money so my mom tried to put hood side showing. As most of our ornament were old, broken, or?
One year it was March before we took treed down. It was so dry the mess it made carrying out. Only good this was we did not have Tree.
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Re: Christmas Trees: Real, artificial, none?
The older we've gotten the less we feel up to the hassle of putting up a big tree. We just use a small table top artificial tree. It is enough for us. We have a large porcelain nativity set, however, that we set up, as well. Nowadays we want life as simple and easy as possible.
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Else, wherefore born?" (Tennyson)
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Re: Christmas Trees: Real, artificial, none?
Real here, but the older we get the more attractive a table top tree looks.
Barry
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Bonne Journey!
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword
Do what you can, where you are, with what you have! Theodore Roosevelt
MNOSD member 0032
- SpyderNut
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Re: Christmas Trees: Real, artificial, none?
When I was a kid growing up, we always had real every year. Same in my wife's family. However, things changed after our local Christmas tree farm closed shop after decades of being in business. We purchased artificial trees and have been using them since. There are pros and cons with either, but it's hard to beat artificial for ease of set-up and tear-down. I also don't miss trying to pull pine sap out of my hair and clothes at the end of the day, haha. (I still miss that fresh smell of pine in our house, though).
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- kennethsime
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Re: Christmas Trees: Real, artificial, none?
We get a real tree, but our house is small so it’s small too. Can’t beat the smell, and we keep it alive as long as we can before burning it in the backyard fire pit.
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- The Mastiff
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Re: Christmas Trees: Real, artificial, none?
If any it's got to be artificial. I won't take part in something that kills trees even if farm raised for that purpose for a few weeks display in my house. Nowadays I don't have any reason to put up a tree but when I did it was artificial.
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Re: Christmas Trees: Real, artificial, none?
I don't do a tree at all. My girlfriend digs out her little Charlie Brown tree and sets it on the coffee table. When I was in the landscaping biz I had a few regular customers that would buy a 5 to 6 foot balled in burlap Austrian pine from us each year. They would have us dig the hole in their yard when we delivered the tree, then they would put the tree in the living room a few days before Christmas and decorate it (no lights, just ornaments). Christmas day, after the presents were opened they'd take the tree out and plant it. I thought it was a nice tradition.
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Re: Christmas Trees: Real, artificial, none?
After my father passed, my mom would only put out a little pre-lit ceramic tree. The few years I lived alone I never had a tree or decorations. Nowadays, my wife is the decorator and while I still have veto power, I just go with the flow. She does a very nice job.
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Re: Christmas Trees: Real, artificial, none?
My grandfathers second wife Pat had Christmas Cactus, she would stick Christmas cards to it, no tree.
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Re: Christmas Trees: Real, artificial, none?
The Mastiff wrote: ↑Sat Nov 26, 2022 1:22 amIf any it's got to be artificial. I won't take part in something that kills trees even if farm raised for that purpose for a few weeks display in my house. Nowadays I don't have any reason to put up a tree but when I did it was artificial.
Same here.
Growing up, we always had a tree every year, but I can't recall the last time my dad got one, maybe sometime in the early '80s(?).
I have no reason now to have one, not even an artificial one. I don't put Christmas lights up, either (which saves energy).
Bah humbug!
Jim
Re: Christmas Trees: Real, artificial, none?
Real. I'm old though and grew up when fake tress looked fake, but, we always had a real tree and I have kept that tradition with my family too. We go to the same tree lot every year, usually at night (they string lots of lights over head) and hopefully after the temperature has dropped a little. Kind of fun thing is that they are a produce stan too so they always give the kids an orange when we get the tree.
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Re: Christmas Trees: Real, artificial, none?
When growing up we had a real tree bought from a lot most of the time(25+ years). We had a guy cut down a tree once.
This and most recent years, no tree, but I miss the entire adventure of getting the tree and decorating it.
The largest tree I ever brought home was when I lived in an older home with 10 foot high ceilings and I brought home a 10+ foot tall tree. It was awesome.
I love the trees, they are beautiful and the scent and scenery is one you never forget.
This and most recent years, no tree, but I miss the entire adventure of getting the tree and decorating it.
The largest tree I ever brought home was when I lived in an older home with 10 foot high ceilings and I brought home a 10+ foot tall tree. It was awesome.
I love the trees, they are beautiful and the scent and scenery is one you never forget.
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Re: Christmas Trees: Real, artificial, none?
Once the kids are out of the house, I think the desire to have Christmas trees drops a lot. You're not really doing it for yourself--you're creating childhood memories for you children. That's why I like hiking into the hills and cutting one. It enlarges the experience and creates more good memories for the family.
Re: Christmas Trees: Real, artificial, none?
We haven't decorated in probably 25 years.
It's work.
It disrupts my sense of order within the house.
All that stuff takes up storage space better utilized for important things.
Gifts get piled up in front of the living room fireplace.
It's work.
It disrupts my sense of order within the house.
All that stuff takes up storage space better utilized for important things.
Gifts get piled up in front of the living room fireplace.