Christmas Trees!

[Weedmage Princess]

It's that time of year again...and one of the biggest events of preparing for the Holiday Season (for those of us who celebrate Christmas) is putting up the tree! So are you a real tree person? Like to go and pick out your tree each year? Or are you an artificial tree lover? Sparing yourself the mess of pine needles all over the place? What are your reasons? And for those of you who don't celebrate Christmas...I don't know of anyone..regardless of what Holiday they celebrate, that can't appreciate a nice looking tree...which ones do you find yourself admiring more? Or if you were to do the Christmas tree thing..which type would you get?

Me, I'm all about the real trees. Yes, I'll be the first to say they are a pain in the ass, with putting them in the stand, caring for them and all the needles...but there's nothing like a real tree. I love the smell, the feel..it just seems sacrilige (sp?) to use a fake one...what about you?

[Moist Happenings]

I used to sell real trees...it used to take me a month to get the sap off my hands. It sucked

I don't put a tree up anymore, all my family is in Florida or Maine so I don't really celebrate.

Edited to sound less like the grinch.

[Edited on 12-11-2003 by Neff]

[Xcalibur]

real tree inside. Artificial tree outside.

family of the wife use a silver birch as a christmas tree (very ugly)

[GSLeloo]

We do fake trees. I'm scared a real tree will bring bugs and spiders into the house! And I would have a mental break down if there were spiders on my winnie the Pooh ornaments...

[JustMe]

Real tree, ornaments only on the top half. Yes, I have toddlers. :lol:

[Weedmage Princess]

Really Leloo? Well if it's any consolation (I'm sure it isn't though) I've had a real tree every year of my life and I can't recall once a tree briging bugs or anytyhing like that into the house. I don't think I've ever seen a bug on the tree. I can't say I was looking for them either, though. I'll be on the lookout this year now though...THANKS A LOT! :angry: :P

Daina, when my peanut gets older, where going to make a habit out of going to a tree farm. Apparently, you go pick out a tree and they cut it there fresh for you. They usually have petting zoos, wood burning stoves and all of that..they're supposed to be really nice. (I've never been to one...I actually just heard about them yesterday)

Just Me, I have glass ornaments on the top, and I bought a bunch of really nice looking shatterproof ornaments for the bottom half. Same reason..heh.

[Edited on 12-11-2003 by Weedmage Princess]

[Miss X]

We have a massive real tree in the entrance hall, which has to have just red and gold decorations, then a fake smaller one in the dining room which is usually blue and white decorations. We put our presents under that one cos its near the fireplace, seems more christmasy, and when we were little thats where we thought Father Christmas came in.
Vx

[JustMe]

Originally posted by Weedmage Princess
Daina, when my peanut gets older, where going to make a habit out of going to a tree farm. Apparently, you go pick out a tree and they cut it there fresh for you. They usually have petting zoos, wood burning stoves and all of that..they're supposed to be really nice. (I've never been to one...I actually just heard about them yesterday)

Just Me, I have glass ornaments on the top, and I bought a bunch of really nice looking shatterproof ornaments for the bottom half. Same reason..heh.

[Edited on 12-11-2003 by Weedmage Princess]

Hehe, I went to a tree farm last year, we had to cut the tree, we had to carry the tree, and it cost like 150$. Next time I'll just go to Krogers or Wal-Mart.

[Snapp]

I just put up a small fiber optic tree. It's more than enough for me and my doggie. I've actually never had a real tree before, even growing up at home. I wouldn't have any idea what I was doing.

[Weedmage Princess]

Whoa..$40 bucks vs. $150 bucks...uhm...damn...heh.

Miss X..my mom used to do her trees in a theme like that..either all white and red, all gold, etc. once I got older. I like the themed trees..but when I was little, she did the normal bright and colorful whimsical thing.

[Moist Happenings]

Originally posted by JustMe

Originally posted by Weedmage Princess
Daina, when my peanut gets older, where going to make a habit out of going to a tree farm. Apparently, you go pick out a tree and they cut it there fresh for you. They usually have petting zoos, wood burning stoves and all of that..they're supposed to be really nice. (I've never been to one...I actually just heard about them yesterday)

Just Me, I have glass ornaments on the top, and I bought a bunch of really nice looking shatterproof ornaments for the bottom half. Same reason..heh.

[Edited on 12-11-2003 by Weedmage Princess]

Hehe, I went to a tree farm last year, we had to cut the tree, we had to carry the tree, and it cost like 150$. Next time I'll just go to Krogers or Wal-Mart.

150 dollars?! that's insane. Where are you?

In New Jersey, we got our trees delivered from Canada for 12 dollars a pop. Sold 'em at 35-80.

Drilled the bottoms for the no-hassle stands we sold, delivered 'em to your house if you didn't want to get your car messy for no extra charge. 150 dollars is INSANE.

[JustMe]

Did I mention we had something like a 50 foot ceiling? :lol: It was a huge Tree.

[Moist Happenings]

You should just get a picture of a big tree. It's cleaner. and you don't have to water it.

[JustMe]

You're supposed to water trees? I have no green thumb. ;)

I've only ever had one plant grow and live but my step mother killed it because it was illegal. ::whistles to herself innocently::

[Moist Happenings]

Haha. My grandmother used to water my father's weed and say "this plant is so pretty". She was oblivious.

And he was a cop, and sold it, which makes him what folks? An asshole. But that's another story.

And yeah, you're supposed to put water for the trees so they keep longer and don't lose all their needles before you deposit them on the curb to be thrown in a dump with the rest of the millions of trees wasted every year. It also helps if you put a little bit of bleach in the water too. For some reason it keeps it fresher longer.

Same works with flowers. When you get 'em, cut the stem(diagonally) and put them in water with a tiny bit of bleach.

[GSLeloo]

Plastic trees are better.. buy one for say $80 after Christmas when they're all on sale and keep them for like 10 years. That's how long we've had ours. Otherwise you pay like say $40 every year and you're killing trees.. I've never had a real tree.

[CrystalTears]

I prefer real trees. Right now, living in a little apartment, it's not feasible to have any tree. Probably once we have a house I'll encourage him to purchase real trees.

At my parent's house they use prelit fake trees, and I really can't blame them. My grandmother's house had cathedral ceilings so my mother likes to get 7.5 to 8 foot trees. Why dear lord why?! Having to get out the ladder to decorate and put the angel on the top of the tree sucks! And only recently have they purchased a prelit tree. Before, of course, we put them on ourselves and that was a major pain in the ass. Rigging up the lights is the bane of my Christmas existance.

[Drew2]

We have a real tree. I have had one every year of my life. I'd much prefer a fake one. Less hassle. However I don't live at home now so it's all set up and ready to go when I get here. :D

My mother started doing this thing at her work where they use this company that pre-sells trees earlier in the year, then only cuts how many they sell. Then you take your ticket there and pick it up whenever they get them in. Makes for a lot less wasted trees.

So yah. Merry Christmas.

[LazyBard]

get a picture of a tree its easier to decorate and clean up after. You can have 10 different trees a week if you want just find the nearest magazine and bam! christmas tree done.

[HarmNone]

I have an eight foot silk tree that I put up every year for the grandkids. I could not bear to think that a living tree died for that purpose, but that is just me and my tree fetish talking. ;)

HarmNone

[Hips]

We get a real tree, every year. My dad goes tromping around in the snow upstate at some tree farm to find the perfect one, then he cuts it down, carries/drags it to his van, tosses it in the back, and drives home.

He picks the meanest nastiest trees, too... blue spruce or something like that. The needles are really stiff and pointy and hurt like a sonofabitch when you get poked with one.

[Jenisi]

I'm ALL for fake tree's. Especially the fiber-optic ones.. I'm all about hassle-free!! And they just look so good. You can fake the smell of real tree's with sprays anyway ;p

[Latrinsorm]

I like my women, my baseball, my music, and my trees REAL.

Harm, sorry about murdering trees. I'll try to distract ours this year so it doesn't have to think about the slow decapitation too much. I tried giving it some nice painkillers one year, but boy did THAT ever open up a can of worms.

[HarmNone]

Originally posted by Latrinsorm
I like my women, my baseball, my music, and my trees REAL.

Harm, sorry about murdering trees. I'll try to distract ours this year so it doesn't have to think about the slow decapitation too much. I tried giving it some nice painkillers one year, but boy did THAT ever open up a can of worms.

::HarmNone glances at the Whomping Stick of Ultimate Doom, but is laughing too hard to pick the damned thing up!::

[Skirmisher]

We use a real tree every year.

Prices used to get insane when I was younger. I remember prices for trees going into the 70-80 dollar range but have since calmed down and you can buy a nice tree for between 25-40 dollars.

Decorations are what makes a tree though, after all the years of getting one or two specialty ornaments as part of the christmas bonanza or ones we have made at school, we do not use any that are not custom or specialty items. We also have learned about not using tinsel(the horror) and cutting back on lights. The end result is a tree that everyone who comes during the holidays says is one of the nicest trees they have seen.

We also burn the whole tree afterwards a little bit at a time with the regular wood because as Harmnone said we hate to just throw it out and feel better that we complete the cycle as it were by getting the benefit of the heat and scent it gives while burning.

The fake trees give me the willies.