Trees, Christmas

[mister d]

A simple poll here to get the swamp's official take. I grew up in a fake tree house and never thought anything of it, but for some reason when my first was born I decided she "needed" a real tree, so we're on our 6th real tree this year and I can't imagine reversing the decision.



"Inspiration", if you want to call it that: http://adequateman.deadspin.com/i-bough ... 1790313604

[A_B]

I want a real tree at some point but up to now I have never had anything other than a fake tree from childhood through today.

[tennbengal]

Fake growing up, was real for awhile in adult year, back to fake. Less hassle, less mess. But will probably do real again at some point.

[Nonlinear FC]

Never had a fake tree my entire life... Until this year.

And the only reason we have one is because it is the SECOND tree. I was getting tired of our tree getting junked up with all the bullshit ornaments, so I finally convinced the wife to buy a cheap fake tree to go up in the family room downstairs. Decorating was so much better this year.

[duff]

Real trees all the way. Grew up having one, until about jr high and my parents went fake. The Mrs. and I have gotten a real tree since we started living together. The kids only have had real trees. Could never go back to a fake tree.

Forget to add that never get a pre-cut. Make sure and find a farm to cut down your own.

[The Sybian]

I am offended that my situation is not listed. Yet another reason for my rebel fighter status in the War on Christmas. My inlaws and parents are all Jewish, but my inlaws do the whole Christmas thing for some reason. They do a full tree, and somehow I can't remember if it is real or fake. Knowing my inlaws, I can't imagine they go out to get a tree or deal with the mess afterwards, but I am thinking it is real. I'll have to pay attention this year.

My wife felt the need to do the Santa thing, and we do the Elf on a Shelf, which is fun for me. My son has always shown no interest in finding him or anything related to him, but every year I overhear him talking to the elf, asking questions and apologizing for his sins, and will freak out if anyone comes close to touching him. My daughter is still obsessed with finding him and loves the dangerous situations he gets himself into, but she has been asking a lot of questions based on her doubts. Her aftercare buddies (they are 7yo for reference) have devised a plan to get to the bottom of the mystery. One kid just started a youtube channel and has a bunch of cameras. He is going to set them up to see if the Elf really does go back to report to Santa, or if his parents move it.

Every year I think of starting an Elf thread for those who do it to post pictures. Since I usually remember after going to bed, I have been lame this year.

[Ryan]

Real. Spectacular.

But if I had to work any harder than "go to place, point at tree, watch tree get tied to roof, drive home", I'd be at Lowe's in 3 seconds.

[duff]

Every year I think of starting an Elf thread for those who do it to post pictures. Since I usually remember after going to bed, I have been lame this year.

Our elf hasn't done a great job with his shenanigans this year. Most years he gets himself in some precarious situations. Pretty lazy this year. The youngest (8) loves searching for him every morning. She even writes him notes. The oldest (10) has lost some interest in the whole thing. Pretty sure she knows what is going on. It will all end soon.

[mister d]

"He must not have hidden last night because he knew your sister wasn't feeling good and wanted to keep an eye on her. Isn't that nice?"

[Sabo]

Fake tree when I was a kid and started getting real ones after I got married. And while real trees are messy and you have to water it and you have to somehow stop the cat from drinking the tree water, it's a much better experience. I like having the scent of pine in my house for about a day.

I will say selling Christmas trees is the most fun job I've ever had.

[BSF21]

Fake.Fake.Fake.

You're all mostly tryhards.

[DSafetyGuy]

I will say selling Christmas trees is the most fun job I've ever had.

I would like some elaboration on this, simply out of curiosity.

[P.D.X.]

Yeah I'm a hippie liberal and think the cost*/benefit of real trees is pretty ridiculous. Something grows for a few years that you chop down for a month's worth of enjoyment and then just throw out. Grumble grumble.

(*not just the cash you dish out but the agri-industrial cost of land, fertilizer, pesticides, transportation, water, etc. etc. Seems to be an unsustainable practice in the long.)

[Ryan]

I hear you. Trees don't just grow on trees.

[mister d]

Real. Spectacular.

But if I had to work any harder than "go to place, point at ... roof...i...e...", I'd b...Low... in 3 seconds.

Fake.Fake.Fake.

You're ... mostly ...hard...

[bapo!]

I'm allergic to pine, so I associate the holidays with suffering next to a real tree for several weeks every year during my childhood. I envy you fake-tree people.

I don't have anything even vaguely Christmasy in my apartment now.

When I was a kid, my father had the idea of planting a bunch of pine trees on our property to sell as Christmas trees. Then he never told anybody about them, so we never sold them. If anybody here needs a tree, you can have one. There aren't any access roads, so you'll have to drag your tree thru the woods. And they're all about 40 feet tall now, so make sure your ceiling is tall enough.

[Rush2112]

Real growing up, then fake once I moved to a city. Now fake, because well it's easier.

My parents now go the 2 foot ceramic tree route. Even when the fam comes to visit.

[Sabo]

I will say selling Christmas trees is the most fun job I've ever had.

I would like some elaboration on this, simply out of curiosity.

I'll offer a couple of points. And just as background, I was selling trees outside the grocery store I worked at as a teenager and during college Christmas breaks.

1. You're almost always dealing with fairly happy customers. I mean, who the hell is angry or pissed off when buying a Christmas tree? 'Tis the season, and all that. I remember one woman being a total bitch while selling her a tree, but otherwise, everyone I dealt with was at worst neutral about the transaction.

2. Tips. I made some damn nice tips from folks just for picking up a tree, showing it off, cutting a few branches and limbs off and putting it in someone's car. One night I made something like $30 in tips, which was pretty outstanding for the early 1990s.

3. I got to see some rather interesting things when loading trees in people's vehicles. I guess some people forget what they leave in their trunks. And I swear, I am not making these up. One person had a sex doll in the trunk. Another person had a trunk full of trash and newspapers. But the most memorable one was a guy who had a set of medieval full plate armor in his trunk. When I expressed amazement at seeing a set of plate armor, he then offered to sell it to me. I ended up putting that tree in the guy's passenger seat.

I also sold a Christmas tree to Ken Griffey Sr., which was pretty cool. He was very nice.

[wlu_lax6]

Wife raised Catholic, I am a Member of the Tribe. I hate decorations for any holiday. Mostly storage and limited use. My wife brought into the family a fake midget tree that sits on an end table that can be decorated from her old apartment. It has taken a beating in the storage space and barely looks better than the Charlie Brown special. She sets it up, each year (usually when I am out of the house). She also has 2 strings of cheap white lights that she throws up near the front of the house (usually with blue painters tape) and minimal effort. I am also not involved in that event (and my wife knows to keep it small and don't get me involved..which is another reason I love her)..

Helps that we are typically not at our house for Xmas. Usually with her sister who sets up a small xmas village. Little houses, white cotton snow, special xmas decorative plates, table cloth, pot-pouri, etc. I don't know where they store all that stuff. They live in Atlanta..Have no clue what they pay but it must be some crazy price for a real imported giant live tree from some nordic country. Sorry but boogles my mind the $ spent (not even talking about gifts). That being said I do like that my SIL does this charity thing where they decorate people's mailboxes as a charity fund raiser for a pretty good cause. She goes all out pulling all nighters creating those mailbox setups from scratch (while probably getting housed on expensive wine).

I put the Menorah on the table for Hanukkah. We may spin a dreidel one night.

Elf on a shelf. Commercialism at its worst. Let me create a new money grab tradition. Wait ......nope worse than that dumb elf...Mensch on a Bench. We will have none of that in my house...none.

Also love that my wife is ready to kill off the wonder in my young daughter's world because my wife thinks the santa thing is just dumb but holding off until here sister is okay with my daughter ruining it for her kids (who are older).....sorry if I just ruined it for those swampers who still believe in the Coca Cola marketing fat man in a red suit....but as the Jewish kid who went to public school...it is kind of my expected role this time of year.

[Ryan]

"...simmmply haaaaving a wonderful Christmastime!"

[A_B]

Big furious Jew.

[Giff]

We do a fake pre-lit one, so it's really easy to put up and take down. It takes us a day or so to decorate the inside and yard, and I'm typically relegated to getting the boxes out of the attic or garage, which is fine with me. I enjoy having a lit tree, fireplace on (rare use down here), and sipping on egg nog. It's a fun month.

[DaveInSeattle]

Real all the way. Have never had a fake tree. Some of my most vivid memories of childhood are of my father and one of my sisters arguing at the Christmas tree farm over finding the perfect tree. And my father, ever the engineer, used to pick up spare limbs off the ground at the farm, take them home, and do "cosmetic surgery" on the tree, using wire to fill in the bare spots.

I have relented a bit, now doing the "pre-cut" from a lot, rather than driving out to a farm somewhere. But I used to love to do that with my kids when they were younger. We'd pull up, and I'd say "Ok, our tree is here somewhere, we just need to find it".

[govmentchedda]

Always real.

[rass]

Big furious Jew.

wl unbeliever loquaciously assails xmas

[The Sybian]

When we first moved in together, or maybe it was when my son was born, my wife wanted to put up some decorations and get a tree. I said no, mostly because I don't want the hassle, and it would fall on me to do it. Every year when neighbors start decorating, my daughter asks why we can't. I wouldn't care, beyond the pain in the ass factor, so I never respond and the question goes away. She pulls the same shit for Halloween.

[brian]

As an atheist, never much saw the point in it. If the wife wants to put up a tree or whatever, then fine but I don't participate. Never really saw/see much point in any kind of cultural appropriation. I don't get drunk and act a fool on Saint Patrick's Day because I'm not Irish. Etc., etc.

[Brontoburglar]

Big furious Jew.

wl unbeliever loquaciously assails xmas

shoulda misspelled a couple words and put this in a different thread

8.5/10

[wlu_lax6]

Big furious Jew.

wl unbeliever loquaciously assails xmas

shoulda misspelled a couple words and put this in a different thread

8.5/10

Maybe I should have saved mine for the Airing of the Grievances...never did post over there

[sancarlos]

I can't believe so many of you have fake trees. Why not just get a Festivus pole?

I've always had a real tree. Every year of my aged life. Can't imagine it any other way. Love the tree smell in the home. (But, man, those prices are a rip-off. So, maybe I'm seeing your point, now.)

[HaulCitgo]

Real tree. Several objections to price. How much is the correct value for a 7-8 and 9-10 foot tree? Bigger is better you know.

[Moreta]

I'm a real tree person. One year (2004 to be exact), when I was doing the standard hospital stay after childbirth thing, my then-husband decided he'd take care of the tree since it was into the second week of December. He went and bought a fake one. This was after nine Christmases of real trees. I was pissed that my reward for laboring to bring his daughter into the world was a fake tree and $100 out of the bank account that we really couldn't swing.

When we split (a year later), he left the tree. I kept putting it up every year in addition to the real tree. Last year it was too mangled after 11 years of use (and careless storage) to bother packing away. I am going to stalk the after Christmas sales for a new fake one because the house is weird with just one tree now.

I usually put the kids' homemade and schoolmade ornaments on the fake one.

[Shirley]

I voted real, but we actually haven't had one for the last few years. We've been doing Christmas at our beach condo, where we bought a fake tree. That was tough for me, because I'd never had one before. I always insisted on real.

This year, we are out of town, so we just brought the beach fake tree to our house and put it up. I hope this doesn't mean we're done with real for good now, but it's possible.

[EnochRoot]

I answered literal-honestly.

There'll be no Christmas tree in our household this year. We're driving to FL tomorrow (avatar in the backseat), where my parents have a fake tree.

[Ryan]

I answered literal-honestly.

There'll be no Christmas tree in our household this year. We're driving to FL tomorrow (avatar in the backseat), where my parents have a fake tree.

#GatesOfHell #Xfinity

[BSF21]

I answered literal-honestly.

There'll be no Christmas tree in our household this year. We're driving to FL tomorrow (avatar in the backseat), where my parents have a fake tree.

Hope your pup travels better than ours. Godspeed and let us know when you get out of FL alive.

[Johnnie]

One of my earliest childhood memories is decorating a fake house plant with my mom because we were too poor to actually get a tree, real or fake. (In fact all the presents I got that year were donated by the church and it was when I learned Santa wasn't real. I got a baseball glove but it went on my throwing hand and all the tags on presents were "From Santa, To John" but written in my mom's handwriting.)

When my step dad came into the picture we got real trees. And that was a present in and of itself. It smelled nice and decorating it was fun. But...They had to be watered and they dried out. Throwing it away was the official "end of Christmas" in my mind.

After a couple moves, we went the fake route from then on. A smaller tree that's easy to take out, put up, and then take down and put away. It was economically feasible and didn't involve any extra worry.

After enlisting, I had a tree one year. My mom bought me a fake tree with fiber optics on it. It was cool, but I didn't have the room to store it, so it eventually got thrown away. That was 2002. I haven't put up anything, decorations or otherwise, since.

But if I ever do, it'll be a fake tree because then I can do this:

[DC47]

We celebrate the hell out of christmas, despite not being christians. We have a live tree -- but it's a 30 year-old hibiscus that stands five feet tall in a large pot. It's wrapped in christmas lights (year-round) that comment ironically on our family name, and a boatload of kid's ornaments. We also set out my mother's nativity creche from the '50s. But while she was a devoted Catholic and treated it with reverence, my kids' tradition is to move the 3 wise men around the living room each night, as they wander on their way to the stable.

The youngest is soon to be 16, but still seems to believe in Santa. So we continue to bake him cookies and leave milk and carrots (for the hungry reindeer). Every christmas morning she goes to the window, where she sees scraps of knawed-on carrots in the snow, left by the grateful Rudolph and his comrades.

[HaulCitgo]

Expensive this year. Business is booming I guess. Been trying to work the right angle to get Ms. to consider a move to NC. Christmas tree farming? Too cyclical probably and I am a long way from grandaddy as far as farming goes. But family ties could help me and someone is going to need to employ the central Americans once the immigration bill passes.

[mister d]

We were told there was a minor shortage this year.