Christmas Poll... what about the tree?

[SurfnFish]

8' Douglas Fir from USFS land around 6,000'. Light assortment of bulbs, few strands of colored non-blinking LED lights, the gold star on top we've had for decades. No presents underneath, each year we donate what we'd usually spend on each other to the Bethlehem Inn shelter in Bend....Santa does, however, always have a full stocking for each of us on Xmas morning..

 

[RCF]

We currently have 7 'permanently natural' trees in our house. My wife tried to get the kids to have fewer, but no dice. On those trees it is hard to hang ornaments, just lay them on sorta.

Once our daughters move out, I will put up my final tree. A real 14' noble with lots of hanging room for ornaments. I have over a 1000 ornaments from the 20's through the 60's. It will also have 2 new boxes of leaded aluminum tinsel placed carefully string by string...

A true "remember back when' tree.

 

[Mossback]

Organic...

 

[Grayone]

Allergies. Fake only. Would prefer real but just can't do it.

 

[Eastside]

How about artificial instead of fake? My stem cell transplant for cancer 10 years ago this coming June resulted in us not being able to have our customary noble fir. We bought an artificial tree that year and have upgraded over the years. It works for us because my wife wants the tree up right after Thanksgiving or before like this year. It doesn’t come down until after New Year’s. Not possible to keep a cut tree going for that long. We like white lights and on the current tree, they are integrated into the branches. I miss the real tree but not keeping it watered and cleaning up the mess afterwards.

 

[Shawn Seeger]

Dad's tree does both white and colored and flashing... kinda psychedelic (driving my wife crazy)

 

[krusty]

My wife and I are not much of a fan of christmas trees, though we put up a fake tree every year for the family.

Might have something to do with her finding my dad dead under the tree christmas morning while she and our toddler daughter were living with my parents when I was overseas in the Marine Corps.

Frankly, I'm always very relieved when this fucking holiday is behind us. Bad memories.

 

[cody-]

Also no tree. Years of apartment life then I just felt like I didn't need one after getting a house this year. Surprised that no tree is over 25% (at my time of voting).

 

[Northern]

Real, Nordman this year, colored lights, no blinking


Wish I could find the photo from about 20 years ago when we cut one down from a friend's property (at her request!) that almost reached the 12' peak of that sloped ceiling. It was so big it filled half the room, and the girls could actually sit under it!
It looked smaller outside...

 

[PhilR]

I was always Team Real, but when my son underwent cancer treatment we had to go artificial and I’ve never looked back. Put it together, plug it in, and hang some ornaments. We have two of the pencil style, as we don’t have a ton of space for it.

 

[Peyton00]

 

[RCF]

One ofthe earlier 12' 'permanently natural' (artificial) trees with lots of hanging room for ornaments:



They are not made like this anymore....

 

[Long_Rod_Silvers]

 

[Greg Armstrong]

Someday we may go the fake route. But for now we’re sticking with real… Noble fir (slightly sheered).

Anyone remember when tree flocking was first made popular? I remember Grandma had a pink one back in about ‘65

 

[clarkman]

Several years ago we went with "fake it til you make it..." Style. Haven't looked back. Less mess, built in lights, easy up, easy down

 

[_WW_]

Once the house was empty of children we went artificial. After several hit and miss we/she finally found one that she likes. Been using it for about ten years.

 

[Stonedfish]

@Shawn Seeger - If I were to cast my vote for "none" one could say "Buzzy is just like Ebaneezer Stondedfish", right? (Just kidding Brian). No tree back home since we aren't home for a bit. Fake tree at our daughters and fake tree in the grandkids room. Growing up it was always a fir tree harvested from the hills between Sequim and Port Angeles.

Pat,
I miss the days of Chubby & Tubby $5.00 Christmas trees.
Maybe if they were still in business I’d put one up…..yeah, not likely.
SF

 

[SurfnFish]

fond memories of selecting a tree when we lived in Half Moon Bay, raising the kids...we'd go to a 'U cut 'em' fir tree farm in the coastal foothills on the way to Santa Cruz, give the kids time to find 'their' fave tree which they'd stand by, and then Mom and Dad would examine each tree while the kids tried to sell us on the wonderful attributes of their selection (my daughter would often state her tree came with foot rubs for Dad..) and then select the winner to cut down and take home. On the way home we'd always stop at our friends home made ice cream shop for hot fudge sundaes. Xmas Eve, and Thanksgiving as well, would be a gathering of 15 to 20 family and friends, a joyous time of laughter, overloaded food tables, flowing wine and good cheer. It was the best years of our lives, and remain so grateful for having had them.

 

[Herkileez]

When the kids were growing up, we'd make a day of finding "just the right" white pine on the woods. Nowadays, I help put up the fake tree, then step away, as my wife decorates (fine with me, as I always do it wrong... )...although I did tie up a couple of decorations that somehow got past the quality police....Merry Christmas everyone !!

 

[Salmo_g]

Noble fir, always. This year and last, Mrs. Salmo didn't have time to go to the mountains, so we got one from a tree farm. (A tree hatchery.) I dislike the farm trees because of too many branches. I much prefer the wild Noble fir with the widely spaced branches for hanging the decorations. And man, do we have a lot of decorations! It's fun putting them up each year and reminiscing about the times and places we found the various items, as some go back decades.