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    Who buys a real tree for Christmas?

    Every year I look at the prices for real trees and say, no way! I'm just not willing to spend over $40.00 for a tree just to have the pine tree smell so I can throw it away a few weeks after buying it.  


    Do you buy only real every year? Why? 


    Do you use only an artificial tree every year? Why?


    "" ""

    +9  Views: 2315 Answers: 14 Posted: 11 years ago

    14 Answers

    I love the smell of a real Christmas tree, but on my budget, I find that a $ 2:50 cent spruce candle  smells like  a real Christmas tree. All I have to do is close my eyes and let my olfactory nerves kick in, it's like camping in a  spruce forest. LOL

    Colleen

    Moderator
    I have yet to find a candle that smells like a real tree. Do you get a particular brand?
    country bumpkin

    Moderator
    We have a local candle maker here in my home town. She makes leather scented candles. I'm sure most people don't care for the smell of leather but leather is popular here in Texas.
    Colleen

    Moderator
    Well, I guess I won't be visiting her shop, lol. Too far away. I'll just stick to the apples and cinnamon candles, the other smells of Christmas.
    zorro

    Going to midland to get a real one
    millie111

    i love candles too C.B..Wouldn`t be Christmas without those too!:-)
    Colleen

    Moderator
    When answering a question for the first time, you can use the add new answer box. Because that is what you are doing, adding a new answer to the question. To comment to anyone who has commented to the question, you click "comment this answer". That way they know you commented to them and it keeps all the comments of a discussion together and not spread out all over the page.

    I take my girls and we go out to the bush where I actually will climb up a smallish tree to TOP it, thus not killing it!! Last year we encountered a Sasquatch...for the first time!!! He/she was observing us while we/I maintained my composure! Aha! Whoop whoop! Merry Christmas!!

    hector5559

    What is a sasquatch,?????
    Colleen

    Moderator
    I like the no killing idea. Merry Christmas to big foot!
    Tommyh

    Did you invite bigfoot home for some egg nog?:)
    Merry Christmas Lindy.
    lindilou

    Colleen, my little brother taught me to do this and through the years it's proven to cause the trees to form into a huge 'ball' up top as it forces up new branches...the birds love it as the trees provide excellent cover for nesting when they do this 'compensation' growth thing!!!

    hector!!!!!

    And Tommyh, NO, we did not invite that massive being for Shnog!! Squatches do not do this sort of thing!! We left 20 green apples, a big bunch of White Sage, and some seashells and a few dry flowers for their kid!!! Whoop Whoop!!! ;D
    Colleen

    Moderator
    Below moved to where it goes.


    ________________________________________________


    Dollybird
    Karma: 166125

    lindilou, your tree will look beautiful, with the deco on it. I just love to see all beautiful Christmas decorations outside the homes of some Americans, amazing. Sadly, I have only ever seen them on line, or on TV.
    Edit this answer Delete answer
    Dollybird

    lindilou, Im back home in Ireland, never to leave again lol.
    lindilou

    How lucky you are darlin'!! You are a hop, skip and a jump over the pole!! ;)

    I do not know of the rest of mankind, but we had real trees until about 5 yrs. ago.  My wife still is in mourning over the lack of a real tree!  What I think is that the IDEA of a live tree, and the MEMORIES are more an attraction than the tree itself, it may smell nice, but so what, that isn't the real reason why we had them for so long.  Now both my married children, with little ones of their own, get real trees, and they thus are reliving their childhood memories of the family going out and getting one at the tree farm.  I think both paid $40-$50 for theirs.  We still had real trees even when our kids left the nest.  They were harassed by their mom to come and pick it, and then come home and decorate it.  Now with their families, she doesn't bother them any more, so we have an artificial tree. 

    We have an artificial Christmas tree which has been put up over the past five years and again this year, if hubby is in mood to do so, if not, I doubt if I will.

    millie111

    Oh Dolly..go on..get in the festive mood!:-)lol!..Give him a kick from me!;-)
    lindilou

    One year I topped a fairly small fir tree and used it for a tabletop tree...it was so cute Dollybird! And the tree I topped now stands well over 20 feet tall with a nice full bushy top! Merry Christmas!! :)
    lindilou

    I'm in Canada Dollybird and where are you dear?

    As a young boy of the 60's,that was the only thing my brothers and I could get our drunk father to do with us,was go out and get the tree,and we sure did have to bug him a lot to get him to do that,but he always did.As the years went by,I stuck with the real tree for years until about 10 years ago,and I got a artificial one,but to be honest I have not put one up the last couple of years :(     I hope to get back in the mood this year,for I do love that time of year :)      BTW,we have a guy here who takes over a closed down dept. stores parking lot every year and every tree is $19.99,nice trees,probably some of the 1st cut of the season,so they may be a little dry toward the end of Dec. but they are nice trees.

    Colleen

    Moderator
    I would pay $20. But that would be my limit.
    Tommyh

    Merry Christmas Rick.
    Get in the mood mate.It's a great time of year.
    lindilou

    Oh man, you outta come and get a tree with us...it would freak your freak bro! Merry HO HO!!
    doolittle

    lindi- I'll come too with homemade halos for the squach to wear!
    lindilou

    It's funny Doc, but the Squatches would likely check them out...even try them on should we partake as well!! But after seeing they are inedible, they would likely hand/toss them back and split...unless they are edible ones!! Definitely make 'em edible Doc!! hee hee hee! ;D
    millie111

    Merry Christmas Rick...I hope you have a great one!xxxMillie

    30.8 million live Christmas trees were purchased in the United States in 2011


    We have been using the same artificial tree for around eight years, because I am too old to go and cut one down.  ;)




    Colleen

    Moderator
    30.8 million............wow. Hopefully the most of them got shredded and fed to the pigs.
    lindilou

    It's funny you say that Colleen...out here shredded trees are called 'hog fuel' and used to run the pulp and paper mill in Campbell River. So, do they actually feed pigs the leftovers?
    I know they'll clear a fenced off pasture in no time flat!!
    Colleen

    Moderator
    Yup and the pigs love it.
    lindilou

    Pine marinated hams for Easter!!! ;)
    Colleen

    Moderator
    LOL, I bet that's why Easter ham tastes better than ham at any other time of the year :)

    We have had our tree since the kids were little.(The youngest is now 40.) Christmas just wouldn't be the same without it.Now the grand kids have a great time decorating it. We just dug it out from under the steps ready for Xmas tree decorationg day next wekend.Very exciting!! That's when Xmas really starts for us.


    Merry Christmas Colleen.

    Colleen

    Moderator
    Same to you Tommy :)

    We have been packing and unpacking the same plastic tree for fifteen years. We are surrounded by living trees of every kind and description and ski lodges are just a few miles away north and south. Our neighbors decorate the trees in their yard. Walmart had trees from the day before Thanksgiving, Last year it was October 15th when the first Christmas trees showed up. I prefer to observe other people in their Christmas frenzy rather than participating personally. The plastic tree we have says…ok, I have a tree, so don’t bother me…yea,yea,yea and Merry Christmas to you too. I know that’s rather droll, but I do laugh and joke and go to dinners, but to be honest I’M HERE FOR THE DESSERT.  

    lindilou

    That's why I go to weddings!! Dessert!!! LOL

    A real tree..it has to be a real tree..childhood memories and all that!:-¬...something lovely and a bit crazy about having a tree in your living room..but it`s a must!:-)

    Dardaigh

    Do you get a big one Mills?
    We had real each year as a child but it was smallish and sat on a decorated packing crate.
    Over here, everyone's has to be at minimum, 6ft. lol
    millie111

    Not quite six feet Dar..but pretty big..and my bros.have to supervise the tree and lights and decorations at "Grandma`s"..(My mum`s)!..That is the one that really brings great memories flooding back,as we still decorate that one with the baubles and decorations that we`ve had since we were kids!:-)(antiques)!:-)..them and us!;-)...(Some years we used to have smaller ones)..to me it`s just lovely and wouldn`t be Christmas without a tree!:-0..As Tommy says too!

    BAR HUMBUG...You can get em free on Christmas eve...Their a dime a dozen...!!

    Colleen

    Moderator
    Actually, they still sell on Christmas eve here. Christmas day they are free.
    Tommyh

    Bar Humbug indeed!.LOL
    Merry Christmas mate.
    daren1

    Like wise my friend ...CHEERS..
    lindilou

    um...isn't it Har Bumhug? (blink blink)

    When the kids were little, we used to get a real one.


    A decent sized, full tree will run you anywhere from


    $60-80 around here, these days. Plus you have to remember


    to keep it watered all the time.


    My artificial one serves it's purpose and I'm happy with it.

    Tommyh

    Merry Christmas Dar.
    Dardaigh

    And a very Merry Christmas to you too, my Aussie friend!

    This reminds me of a very old joke I heard Dave Allen relate one time on the telly...he said, "This is the only time of the year that you can say...'and the same to you'...and get away with it." :)
    hector5559

    Do you have dollals in Irland??
    Dardaigh

    Dollals, Denn? Dunno what that is.
    I'm in Canada now, sweetie. :)
    hector5559

    o,m, g Dardaigh,i thought you were irish,as you know John Macomack,
    Dardaigh

    I am, Denn...I was born there, also lived in England but now live in Canada.

    We found our tree on someone's curb a few years ago. It came with lights and is quite pretty. We even stored it doing our recent move. I have ornaments going back 25+ years......

    doolittle

    My mom got 3 ornaments for every christmas- one for her, my sister, and me....we all have other ornaments but our trees look pretty similar (she made a lot of them so they are nice to have)
    jhharlan

    25 years ago I made ornaments with Reynold's wrap and seashells. (you just rub and rub) and they are still beautiful! I have a star fish on top of my tree....
    doolittle

    Thay's cool. A starfish is a great idea!
    jhharlan

    I also hung sand dollars with ribbon....
    doolittle

    It sounds really pretty! can you post a picture of it?
    jhharlan

    I don't even own a camera! But thank you. My cat disappeared last Sat. night. Any advice for "cat calls"
    doolittle

    Oh no...does your kitty usually wander??
    jhharlan

    Oh, no. He's ten years old and a creature of habit. He just vanished from under our noses.
    doolittle

    Start asking neighbors if they've seen him & call local vets, humane society, the county "dog catchers" etc. I sure hope he is just sewing his wild oats!!!
    jhharlan

    His "oats" got clipped years ago. Have asked everybody. Will visit the pound.....
    doolittle

    My Nelson dissapeared..I called everywhere, went door to door asking people to check their garages and sheds, finally was told he was hit by a car & the driver took him. It was awful! I called every vet listed in 2 counties! He arrived back home 2 1/2 weeks later- had been 16 lbs of muscle was down to 9 lbs and had a broken hip...all I can figure is he escaped from the drivers place and hobbled back home! He lived until he was 17!! He was an awesome cat!!!
    jhharlan

    Worthless is a great cat. He, too, has a broken hip (at least I'm typing in present tense...). It is so unlike him to vanish. I'm keeping my chin up though it's hard to sleep w/o him.....
    doolittle

    he needs to bring you the Best Christmas gift ever and come home tonight!!!
    jhharlan

    Well, he has celebrated enough Christmases to know what they are.....
    lindilou

    Honey try calling for him around 3 in the morning...then stay still and listen really hard...if he is around and capable of talking back, he will so! I've located many an injured animal using this method!! Peace kid and good luck
    millie111

    Julie and Doo..the older the baubles and handmade things..well I think it makes it so much more special!:-)
    sunnyB

    Hope you cat comes home soon Julie, I worry about about mine every time they go out.
    millie111

    Julie,has your cat come home yet?...I hope so soon.Xx
    jhharlan

    No, @millie. Worthless is no where to be found. I printed up posters yesterday and posted them. So unlike him to wander off like that, right out from under our noses.....
    doolittle

    Julie- I know how difficult it is to have Worthless vanish! I'm so sorry you have to go through this so close to Christmas! Does he have a chip under his skin??
    millie111

    Julie..Don`t give up hope!..One of mine who also wasn`t a wanderer..reappeared after 6 weeks..ano was gone for over 3!..It`s awful I know...but keep up the posters and all that you are doing..I am thinking about you and sending you a big hug!XxxMills
    jhharlan

    Thank you all for the encouraging words. I've not given up hope yet. Still have the litter box he is so fond of. I'm praying my heart out!

    About 20 years ago we bought a fake tree, but it looks so real that most people have to touch it to be able to tell. Paid $ 20.00 for it on closeout, what a deal!  I do like real trees but I'm highly allergic to pine trees.

    Colleen

    Moderator
    I'm sure red velvet cake with real cream cheese frosting looks much better on those branches than real branches any way :)

    (Am I driving you nuts about the cake yet? LOL)
    witchway

    Colleen how did you know we decorate using red velvet cupcakes instead of coloured balls! We'll have to get together for coffee and red velvet cupcakes (with real cream cheese frosting) sometime after the holidays...and no, you're not driving me nuts. Happiest Holiday Blessings to you.
    Colleen

    Moderator
    Sounds like a plan! I'll e-mail you my phone number :)

    We had real trees for years when our boys were young, now we have an artificial one . I think we might have areal one if we had grandchildren, but that's not happening at the moment.


    Have a great Christmas Colleen.

    Colleen

    Moderator
    You too Sunny. :)


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