Beth n Rod 1,279 Report post Posted November 30, 2004 After the Thanksgiving turkey has come and gone, so begins the annual ritual for many of resurecting the Christmas Tree and decorating it. So, in the spirit of the season which do you use? Beth Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Henry B. 4 Report post Posted November 30, 2004 A pine one...LOL Just kidding, I had to say it! I prefer the fake ones since I'm allergic to pine trees. Unfortuanetly, my wife is a live tree fanatic and that's what we get. We all trudge out to butlers each year in the freezing cold while daddy lays on the ground.. cuts his hands on the bryers and chops the sucker down. Then we load it on the roof and tie it down with the dental floss rope they give you and drive home watching all the dead pine needles flying off the back of the van. LOL, man that doesn't sound like much fun does it? Well at least the caramel candy you can buy at the Butlers store makes up for the sneezing..<G> Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Celeste 341 Report post Posted November 30, 2004 Artificial trees are looking more and more like the real thing these days. We bought ours three years ago - I know I prefer spending the $75+ on stuff for the kids to go UNDER the tree rather than having dried up pine needles under there. (Mind you, growing up I SWORE I would never have a "fake" tree!) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Aplus 525 Report post Posted November 30, 2004 We did real trees for about ten years, then got tired of cleaning up the mess. We now have one of those prelit artificials. OK I guess, I prefer a real tree, but it's not really up to me anyway. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Beth n Rod 1,279 Report post Posted November 30, 2004 I have thought about upgrading our artificial to a prelit artificial...how do you like that prelit tree? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Brian Keating 14 Report post Posted November 30, 2004 We also have a prelit artificial tree. The best thing about it is that you don't have to spend hours each year putting the lights on the tree and taking them off. I can set the tree up in about 15 minutes and the taking it down only takes about 10 minutes. It is a huge time saver. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 RyanH 14 Report post Posted November 30, 2004 If I were going to use a real tree, I'd buy the lights the day after christmas for the next year, put them on and throw them away with the tree. They can be had for about $1 at dollar stores. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Bob Gates 14 Report post Posted November 30, 2004 Since I have access to mucho land..alot of it mine...I cut a fresh cedar tree each year...Lots of trouble in one respect...but it's tradition...and it smells sooooooo good!:cheers: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Scott Stone 604 Report post Posted November 30, 2004 I'm with Henry. I do artificial because I am allergic. When my wife and I just started dating, I lived by myself in a townhouse. She felt bad for me because I did not have a tree up, so she went out and bought me all of the ornaments, etc. eveything but the tree. I roundeed up the tree and made her decorate it with me. IT was wonderful, but I knew what I was in for... A couple of days later I called her and was talking and she started worrying that I was sick, she felt really bad when I told her how truly allergic I was to dead pine trees. I think it lasted a total of 4 days in the house before it hit the dumpster. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Mike 64 Report post Posted November 30, 2004 The smell of a real christmas tree is GREAT, but cleaning up the mess from falling needles isn't. I choose to put up a fake tree, and light up a pine candle for the smell! :D Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Don EMS 14 Report post Posted December 1, 2004 Having the smell and look of a real tree, and spending all night with family decorating it makes up for having the extra cleanup at the end. Pumpkin bread, spiced cider and a little bump now and then. Life is good Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 bill3752 14 Report post Posted December 2, 2004 Like Bob, I get a cedar tree, despite my allergies and tons of needles. Have been getting off of my grandfather's old farm property since a young boy (nearly 5 decades worth). Tradition is coming to an end, as the remaining property is being developed. This year's tromp through the woods may my last nostaligic deed! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Russ Johnson 141 Report post Posted December 3, 2004 Hey, Bill. If you need a cedar next year, come see me. I've got quite a few growing out behind my shop. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 One Tough Pressure 580 Report post Posted December 31, 2004 Fake prelit, saves time looking for the perfect balanced tree, keeps the house, car and my clothes from getting dirty, and saves about $100. Ours is the one that has the branches already installed and they just fold up. The only thing easier would be if it decorated itself. Also saves on my allergies as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 PLD 14 Report post Posted May 19, 2005 We also have a prelit artificial tree. The best thing about it is that you don't have to spend hours each year putting the lights on the tree and taking them off. I can set the tree up in about 15 minutes and the taking it down only takes about 10 minutes. It is a huge time saver. Maybe for you. After the pre-lit goes up my wife has a 4+ hour ritual of decorating the tree... Our last year of a real tree was about 5 years ago. We went to a cut your own place. You know, over the river, through the woods, and all that stuff. It wasn't long before my wife locked onto a MONSTER. I tried to explain that that tree was much bigger than it looked out there in the big open field. Oh no. Nothing but that tree would do. So, we (I) began sawing through the 6" trunk... About an hour later and with much help from the lot attendants it was in the back of my Ford Ranger. Then I noticed the first thing that I found funny. That being, from the rear the entire vehicle was not visible. I would be driving a shrubbery home. Now back at the house we (read I) took the front door off the hinges, made several futile attempts to wrap it with blankets, rope, even saran wrap to shrink it's girth. Oh well, brute force it is... That worked pretty well. That is, if you ignore the gouged door frame and lovely green scratches on both foyer walls (which are about 6ft apart). With the tree in the house "successfully" I grab my macho tool guy tree stand, the "big beefy". The "big beefy" is a huge tree stand made of 1/8" rolled steel that weighs about 20# and has a piece of rebar for a bottom peg. I knew that one day it would be called on to hold more than a little twig of a tree, and today was that day. I drilled the required 5/8" hole in the bottom of the tree and attempted to affix the stand. It was then that I realized that the "big beefy" had met it's match. My prized tree stand would not even fit over the trunk, nor would it likely hold up the tree if it did. Off in search of a bigger "big beefy". I finally found one made out of 1/4" steel with about a 3ft leg span holding up the tree/advertisment in front of a tree lot. A bunch of negotiation (begging) and $75 later it was mine. Add another 50# to this tree... Once the tree was upright, you begin to appreciate that 12ft is quite tall. Oh well... I beat the tree, and I have the largest tree I have ever seen in my house to boot. I'm happy again. Time to decorate. Out comes the 8ft A frame and the boxes of decorations. The bottom was decorated first, and it looked great. Granted the wall side is bare because we do not have anough decorations, but that's ok. No one ever sees that side anyway. Up the ladder I go where I learn another lesson. Lesson #3 - Christmas trees taper, and big trees taper alot. I couldn't even reach the tree because the top of the A frame ladder was about 5 feet from the tree tip. We eventually resorted to screwing a plant hook into a old pool cue tip and using it to hang decorations. FWIW, the tree was over 12 feet tall (excluding the thin spindly twig at the top), probably weighed close to 200#, and was approximately 9ft across at the base. When I crawled under to fill the water bowl, only my legs below my knees stuck out. And I'm 6'1" tall... Anyway, I could continue on and on about this tree from hell and the 8hr "put up the tree" party, but I've already rambled long enough already. I'll just end the story by saying that removing the tree from the house was much easier than putting it in. Too bad that I couldn't figure out how to use my sawz-all to get the tree in! :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 PressurePros 248 Report post Posted May 19, 2005 Was this stuff posted months ago and just showing up now? I just got back from buying shorts and a new pair of sunglasses. Who cares about X-mas trees this time of year? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 PressurePros 248 Report post Posted December 21, 2005 Jeez, now I loook like a total scrooge. :lghohoho: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Greg R 82 Report post Posted November 25, 2007 We just cut ours down yesterday :) It's been a family thing for years to go out and pick a tree then fire up the bow saw Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 A and J POWERWASHING 64 Report post Posted November 25, 2007 real tree here Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 bigchaz 157 Report post Posted November 26, 2007 Think I might go for a real tree in my apartment this year. Hopefully itll help with the dang smell from roomates cooking salmon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Beth n Rod 1,279 Report post Posted November 26, 2007 Ours is going up today! :) Beth Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Tmrrptr 164 Report post Posted November 27, 2007 I'd cut a branch off a palm tree if it were near the ground. If I could get a cool artificial tree that would match up with a '57 Buick it would be great! r Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
0 Isaac B 14 Report post Posted December 11, 2008 Christmas trees are a huge industry here. So support my economy, buy real trees! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
After the Thanksgiving turkey has come and gone, so begins the annual ritual for many of resurecting the Christmas Tree and decorating it.
So, in the spirit of the season which do you use?
Beth
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