The Christmas Tree SCs

[batmoody]

We live in Oregon and we have a fake tree. Mostly cuz we didn't like the critters that came with it.......

[Lace Neil Singer]

We have a fake tree cuz none of us like scraping needles out of the carpet 5 months later. Also the cat likes to play with the baubles so a real tree would be bald in a day.

[MadMike]

We've always gotten live trees, but it's been getting a bit pricey. It's starting to sound really tempting to get a fake one, but I don't think the wife would want to.

I almost don't want to get any kind of tree this year, because those kittens we took in last summer are going to be in the damn thing.

[Geek King]

We've always gotten live trees, but it's been getting a bit pricey. It's starting to sound really tempting to get a fake one, but I don't think the wife would want to.

I almost don't want to get any kind of tree this year, because those kittens we took in last summer are going to be in the damn thing.

Big tip: leave off the tinsel if you do put a tree up. It will do a number on a cats digestive track if they eat it, and it sounds like your kittens are the playful type.

You also might want to put soft, chewable ornaments on the lower limbs. Kittens will pull things off the branches they can reach.

[Horsetuna]

Two years ago I bought a nice artificial tree, the kind I had when I was a child.

The 'trunk' is two peices of wood you screw together (technically you can just use the top half and get a mini christmas tree with half the branches)

All the branches are wire twised and plastic, and are color coded so you know which ones go together.

Its a christmas traditoin to set up the trunk, then sort the branches Via color, then start putting them all in (Top down).

Then you string the lights on.

Then comes ornaments.

Finally, garlands. The angel of course on top.


When I was a kid the tree being set up was an all-day family project, and it was fun! We had so many types of ornaments you couldnt see the green. Lesse...

As a kid, we had:
2 kinds of lights (big flashing bulbs and littler ones)
Pine cones (HUGE ones from BC)
Apples
Ball ornaments
Plastic-cross-stich ornaments
Ceramic Ornaments
Candycanes
Misc. Ornaments
Yellow garlands
Gold Garlands
The angel on top of the tree
Birds (including one that sang birdsong. Its a bad day when you turn it on and forget which bird it is)
Candycanes
Sometimes we had tinsel but we didnt like it.


I can't wait to set the tree up this year. this one's my own and I dont have enough ornaments yet. I dont even know where the ornaments ARE.

But I have: Garlands, new lights, candycanes (Half eaten now), Batman ornaments, and ornaments and ball ornaments.

Can't find apples yet, ours were huge. I did see some lovely fake peacocks in the store though.

[LdyJedi]

We take ours out to the burn barrel and torch it. It kind of gives one pause when you see how fast it burns......

One year, my father got the bright idea of cutting up the tree and burning the tree in the fireplace, after it had already begun to dry out.

The neighbors said the flames could be seen shooting out of the chimney.

Needless to say, they hired a chimney sweep that week!

[morgana]

On the cats in the Christmas tree topic:

Fun is the cats climbing it.

Real fun is the german shepherd *chasing* three cats up it. And trying to follow them. I was still brushing needles out of his coat eight days later, and the cats didn't come out from under the bed for three days. And don't get me started on the ornaments that got broken.

I don't put up a tree anymore.

[Jester]

$250 for a tree? Even down here in the Keys, the ones that my friend's girlfriend was asking about why they were so expensive, even those were only $100 or so. What the hell is going on in Central Florida.

Myself, I don't do a tree. No room in the apartment is a minor reason. A major reason is I am not Christian, and none of my family lives within a thousand miles of me. (Closest immediate family member is my stepbrother in New Jersey.)

That being said, I am almost always the first person at whatever job I work at to wear a Santa hat to work (I say almost, because once or twice, someone beat me by a day or so. Damn them.) Once I start wearing said hat, I continue on through till Christmas Day itself. Which is pretty funny, as I am also usually one of the only Jewish people on staff! And, no matter where I have worked, no matter how strict their dress code is, no one has ever given me much serious grief about it.

I still have not worn my Santa hat yet this year....figure I will start Friday, as that will be Officially December. So far, no one at either one of my jobs has done this yet.

Hey, can anyone find a smiley with a Santa hat we can add?

[Lace Neil Singer]

Hey, can anyone find a smiley with a Santa hat we can add?

or

[thegiraffe]

$250 for a tree? Even down here in the Keys, the ones that my friend's girlfriend was asking about why they were so expensive, even those were only $100 or so. What the hell is going on in Central Florida.

Most 12- or 13- foot Christmas trees (live ones) go for $300-$400. We were looking at one (even prettier than the one we got...if you can believe that) that they wanted $350 for. We got a deal.

[Buglady]

I always have real trees because a small ancestral-pagan part of me is afraid that if I don't have a live evergreen tree, properly ornamented and celebrated, then burned on Twelfth Night, that sun may not come back this year...

[Sofar]

Good lord, artificial trees. Fake stuff creeps me out. The concept of having a dying tree in your living room is kind of creepy as well, but at least it doesn't involve plastic. I like the tiny potted trees, the ones that are only four or five feet tall. I plant them on the verge when Christmas has passed, but unfortunately the last two died. Soil must be too alkaline.

[Hempress]

We only use real trees, because like Sofar, plastic kinda creeps me out. But holy crap, if I lived in Florida we'd be using fake ones. $100-300 for a tree?! I've never paid more than $30 for one.

[DesignFox]

I've always had a fake tree growing up. So, the plastic thing doesn't bother me!

While I am not very religious anymore, I still love the season. My favorite part has always been, and will always be, the christmas tree! I take it to a whole level. Our tree at home has always had lots of lights and ornaments for every branch. We used to do the tinsel thing, but it sort of ruins the tree, so I prefer not to do that anymore. I happen to LOVE keeping the fakey tree in one piece, with all the lights wrapped and storing it...my least favorite part was wrapping lights! My BF just moved into a house and we are having our first christmas in his house together. His parents gave us a huge, beautiful fake tree, pre-wrapped with lights. Of course, we don't have enough ornaments to fill it, so half the fun has been ornament shopping (mainly cheap stuff to fill it up until we can fill it with more sentimental ornaments). I got a beautiful white tree skirt at Target that has silver snowflakes and silver beaded trim stiched on it...the lights on the tree are white, I bought a white/silver star tree topper ( I never liked the idea of shoving the tree up an angel's butt) with silver snowflake beads as garland..and silver, blue, white ornaments Some with snowflakes or snowmen painted on them..mostly plain. And a couple of silver or white ornaments that are unique enough to stand out, but still stick with the theme... Gradually, we will de-theme the tree and it will be more homemade. My tree at home has always been a mix of home-made and glass/pre-made ornaments. I just love it! I'm so excited, and I can't wait to finish decorating!

And Giraffe- Boy that is a beautiful Tree!!! I would have a field day with a 13 foot christmas tree! Part of the good part of having a fakey though- I have so many ornaments that I have left one or two on branches in the past- at least not having to throw the tree out means I can find them again next year!

[Seanette]

Between my own clumsiness and the cat, we don't use breakable ornaments (he's middle-aged to senior-citizen, depending on definitions, and he's been caught batting ornaments).

He thinks my felt-applique tree skirt makes a dandy kitty bed. I don't mind, except when he starts "editing" it (I once caught him trying to pull off an applique with his teeth).