Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge Live or Artificial Tree

OK, I'd like to know what kind of Christmas tree you like.

Do you like real trees or artificial?

I have both but prefer the ease and re-usability of the artificial. My wife likes a real tree because of the pine smell and look of a real tree.

Live

I like both.

I have three trees in the house. A real one in the living room. And artifical one in my den, and a 3 foot tall one on the top of the stairs. That is the childrens tree.

My tree in the Den is White, with Red and White lights...Up the Arsenal. And has motorcyle and car ornaments. Nothing else is allowed on it.

Well, mine's not "live" though it once was....

chalk me up on the real tree side.

real once upon a time live tree here..... but no motorcycle ornaments....

i have had a live tree my whole life, first year with a fake one and i am still undecided. good thing is it can be set up sooner and taken down later, i love christmas lights so the longer its up the better. but nothing like a real tree imho

Frank

Live Tree for lotsa' years. Bought a high dollar artificial tree 3 years ago. My, what a difference. I put a little pine-sol in a cup near the tree, and we're happy.

Live, cut it down myself. Chose this years from a 300 acre farm.

Definately live. It's not just the tree but it's tradition to go cut it down with the family every year. They last much longer if you cut fresh then the few week old ones at the big box retailers or tree lots.

I've got a live one here. Just put it up yesterday. Real thirsty though. Just like me sometimes. Cheers.

Willy

Nothing like firing up the old 372xp last night at 9:30 and cutting down the tree. God my neighbors must love me. Would a bow saw have worked probably. But bow saws dont have a compression release and a 20 inch bar.....

I don't have a tree but I like the fakes.

Artificial, with the lights built in.
Stack it, plug it, and hang a few ornaments.

Ive got the artificial version. Its relatively lifelike, I only pay for it once, it doesnt shed needles eveywhere, I dont have to feed it water and the cats are not inclined to climb it. I am happy with it, and so far, so are the kids. If they start complaining, I might consider going back to a real tree.

None. Stop the tree slaughter. The holocaust. Leave them in the forest where they belong. Let nature reclaim the vast xmas tree farms. And stop wasting oil to manufacture plastic xmas trees. Buying a plastic tree supports terrorism.

Bah.

Humbug.

(If that doesn't get me run out of this site on a rail I don't know what will.)

Went Artificial after years of Live trees. Love it.

The tradition w/family of cutting live tree, hauling, watering, tree eventually drying, needles falling, picking/sweeping them up, hauling out to trash combined with the frustration of starting the Christmas season with paying out the wasso(?) for a live tree ...

HAS NOW BECOME A TRADITION OF the family picking an evening, sorting the Artificial tree limbs, putting it together and decoration w/bulbs, etc. MUCH more fun and enjoyable.

The yearly price increases are what really got to me for a live one.

**SIDE NOTE: Heard on some entertainment show a month ago that in Europe the FASHIONABLE trees are now BLACK??? Kinda like when it was fashionable to hang them upside down?

I have a fake one. Bought the first year I moved down here.

It's a lot less mess and less hassle.

And I have a little black one for at the top of the stairs. Had that for a couple of years. Before it was fashionable but then I'm a hippygothkindachick. So black is normal for me.

Live tree...or at least it was

Dodged the tree bullet this year. Sending wife and kids to visit her mother in California for a couple of weeks. Always got a real tree. Nothing like taking the kids to look at dozens of trees at several different lots before deciding on one.

Q: What kind of tree do I like?

A:I'm not big on the tree thing. I guess it's the Scrooge side comming out. But, If I had to have one AND had the choice - any of those small enough to sit atop a piece of furniture would be fine.

Q: What kind do I have?

A: Because I am niether allowed to chose if or what gets to occupy a huge portion of my abode, I grudginly assemble a vinyl and steel contraption, that when assembled correctly, assumes the general shape of a pine tree. That chore remains on my very near horizon. I talked my way out of it last night. I won't be able to escape beyond tonight.

Its not that I don't like Christmas, I just have this eternal struggle to escape all the 'stuff' that seems to make the holiday more a chore than a festive event. I'd much rather fill the house with family, friends, food, and libation than the smell of freshly assembled PVC and the intrusion of bells, bobbles, and a plethora of mobile plug-in fire hazards - BAA! However, I am appriciative of those who decorate their butts off. I find viewing from afar quite enjoyable. So, have at it.

The real trees are so friggin expensive now I go with the falsies. Much easier to clean up after as well.

Real. (life long tradition) Vacuuming needles and feeding it water hasn't killed me yet.

You mean y'all buy trees?!? I'd never have thought it.

My Dad and I would take the old pickup, him driving, me with a bow saw, drive out in the country (I'd been spotting trees for weeks, one year I actually visited the chosen one, and trimmed it to shape monthly), he'd drop me off, while he'd go drive around a bit, I'd run, cut the tree down, run back to the road and hide behind it, when it was clear, he'd pull up, I'd toss it in the back and away we'd go. It's a family tradition.

<wistful sigh> Those were the good ol' days... even if it was only a cedar tree that most folk would pay to have cut down and hauled off.

An artificial one.... but it isn't the same.

Here's wishing all y'all a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy, Peaceful, and Prosperous New Year!

Always wouldn't have anything but a real tree with multi-colored lights, but eventually got tired of the shopping for the tree, the cost of the tree, and the hassle of a live tree. We are on our 3rd Christmas with an artificial tree. It's a really nice one, looks very real and still has multi-colored lights. It's 8' tall but breaks into 3 pieces and collapses (sorta) with the lights on it.

Even though it wasn't cheap, we've passed the break even point. I'll never go back. I missed the tree smell, but my wife bought some live tree smell in a can this year. Looks great, smells great, much less trouble. I guess as I get older, there's lots of things I don't want to waste time on. In less time than I could drive to a tree lot, our tree was up, lit, and getting decorated.

Despite the fact that we own a nice, large, fake tree, prewired with lights that don't all go out when one decides to work its way loose, which was easily accessible once we'd dragged the 12 other boxes of holiday cheer from under the stairs, and for the sake of future cherished warm family memories by our daughter, we bumped out into some insanely large preserve o captive trees last weekend in search of a live, soon to be dying in the living room, $45 token of holiday cheer .

Armed with bow saw and short at least 2 layers of clothes, gloves and proper hats, we rode with a dozen other tree farm fun seekers into the sea o trees, tethered behind a monster John Deere whose exhaust pointed directly at our seating area, a long, bright orange pumpkin cart. At least I had a cigar AND a lighter on me this year.

After getting off at the first stop we found all the trees were taller than our 9 year old but not as tall as my wife or I. Missing the lift on the pumpkin cart to the further field, instead we gamefully trudged hundreds of yards uphill, over miles of irrigation hoses, avoiding roaming mutts, fresh stumpy carcasses whose mortal remains hadn't yet been uprooted, small dead brown trees who I desperately wanted to set afire with a stray ash, and lost children.

Half cigar and half mile later, we'd spotted 2 likely candidates right next to each other... two of the only 7 foot plus, semi conical, non bat or squirrel infested douglas firs available. We used my cloud of smoke to clear away other potential tree claimaints, (I don't know honey.. do you think we need only 2 this year?.... ) and I sprawled out to saw away.

Wicked fun. Sad to say I had to take a break halfway through the trunk of the chosen one to pass the cigar to my wife so I could just sprawl back under the tree to rest my lungs and right arm. When it finally came down I realized that the haul back to the lot would be one fat pain in the exhaust. Applause from the peanut gallery, photos with the recently deceased and then I tossed the tree, now 2 sizes larger than it had been moments before, onto my shoulder. Instantly I covered myself in sap, needles, spiders, and random tree bits, each of which irritatingly found ways under my 2 layers of collars then down my back almost before the tree was actually above my shoulders.

That carrying position lasted maybe halfway down through the thicket of trees as I'd smartly decided to just cut diagonally across and through rows of trees, irrigation hoses, spiderwebs and jealous tree seekers, in order to get to the nearest, now windblown, pickup zone. After stumbling into several other trees, and nearly embedding myself and our tree in too small areas between trees I couldn't see before I was nearly stuck, I gave up, and enlisted my very patient, and somewhat more intelligently dressed wife, in order to get to the roundup area.

We'd just beat sunset to the farm and now clouds started over and it got chilly quick. We huddled with our daughter, and snickered quietly as others marched disappointedly from the field of tiny trees towards the hilltop we'd just mastered, watching as they drisrobbed to toss coats, hats, or shirts on prospectives, marking their fallback options even as they combed deeper into the green, sending small family members farther and farther afield in seach of perfection as their own legs and spirits faded with the last rays of the sun.

My cigar was down to just a chewy nub by the time we heard the sound of the John Deere approaching. Instantly you heard the calls of the various hill clans gathering their members for a decision, followed by the distinct sharp zip of saws in wood and encouraging calls from wives, children and the ever present dogs.

We were first on the cart with our tree at our stop, hopping on before the driver even had chance to tag our tree with field of origin, joining a forlorn trio who had a saw but no tree, who quietly plotted a trip to a rival farm in hopes of bagging a 12 footer before nights end. Quickly other firs and families made their way to the foot of the stairs and wrestled themselves between the tight wooden benches toward the front of the cart, arms and branches hanging out the sides, packed in full, sad, so sad for the families at the second stop down who hoped to be back in their cars before dark. Our tree got tagged and numbered at the end, the driver fired up and we squeaked, bumped, rumbled and gasped for air much of the way back, trying to not poke ourselves in the eyes or other orifices.

Parking lot. Unloading. A quick lining up for a shake and wrapping, but of course you'd need a receipt for the privledge of leaving without causing a scene. I abandoned semi frozen daughter and wife, unstuck myself from the bottom of the tree, and raced a dozen others for the chance to pay and get a receipt and get back in line to get the needles shaken out, and the tree wrapped in twine by sullen teens also well coated in needles, spider bits, brown dickies jackets and multicolored cell phones, and finally, merrily I say, with memories fresh as the scent of pine pitch now embedded in my flesh we made our way to the car and, while wife and child sat inside encouraging the heater to motivate itself just a bit, I strapped our tree down with a few feet of the mile of twine we'd received for the purpose, cut off the excess and draped the tangled remains on the nearest tilted fence post and made our escape.

It now sits in the living room, wrapped unevenly in new blue and white lights that cost more than the tree itself and which will hopefully light again next year, gulping water, enouraging cats to misbehave, shedding needles gleefully while my wife assures me that this is the last year, the LAST year that we go through this process, apparently believing that now that Santa's been "explained", the whole memory creation experience can be as well fulfilled by opening a cardboard box and setting up the artificial creation in the future.

Merry Merry...

Reverend,

That may just be the most heartfelt, touching Christmas story I've ever read. Well done, does a little bell ring every time a tree earns it's lights?

JH

Reverend-

"Applause from the peanut gallery, photos with the recently deceased and then I tossed the tree, now 2 sizes larger than it had been moments before, onto my shoulder. Instantly I covered myself in sap, needles, spiders, and random tree bits, each of which irritatingly found ways under my 2 layers of collars then down my back almost before the tree was actually above my shoulders."


Applause, applause, from this peanut as well.

Laziness and economics forced us 2 years ago to go the artificial tree route. Got one of those stack up fold out prelighted kinda tacky and donst look anything like a real tree.But it works for us.

Hey Rev,
Nice write-up.
Happy Holidays to you, and yours.

Uncle Charlie

I've got me one of those nicely painted green plywood Christmas trees with the holes drilled out for the lights to stick through. Sometimes I even take it out and plug it in during the Christmas season. Hard to decide which shelf to stick it on. When I do put it out, I am sure to put the little stuffed Grinch I have on top for the "angel". No needles, no assembly; just plug it in and go. Usually goes near my stuffed golfing Santa somebody gave me one year. Talk about dorky. Merry freaking Christmas. Ho! freaking Ho! freaking Ho!

Don't I just light up a room when I enter?

I have a little neon plug in christmass tree. Normally on Christmas eve we put a 30 rack under it.

Got a Real one...still sittin NAKED in the tree stand...some how just havent got the spirit this year...could be it's the weather...perhaps it's the Grumpy-non-smoking-blues, perhaps I'just fed up with the over commercialization of the season....perhaps ...perhaps...perhaps...

MAY-BEE it's just been so Damm nice outside that anyday worth putting up a tree on, I'M too busy riding the BIKE...If I had a nickle for every time I've said "better ride today there wont be many more days like this, this year." I'ld be ...well...$0.45 richer...but still thats alot of days riding that "shold have su(ked"

Hey Reverend,

Thank God for a wide mouth cup else soda would be spewed all over this keyboard (it's been recycled!!! ).

Oh yeah, good story too!

Yep, fresh cut hardly a needle on the floor.

mike

Quote:

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...still sittin NAKED in the tree stand...

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Well, that is certainly NOT a pretty picture!

I have a pre-lit, 7 foot, artificial purchased from Sears a couple years back following Christmas at 75% off regular price. I spray it with Fabreeze to give it that traditional 'piney' odor. I'm all about image, not substance. (Hmmmmmm, maybe I should buy a Harley... )