Christmas Trees

I am not a Christmas person so do not have a tree at all but for those that are they can keep it up all year if that’s what they want.

It does not affect anyone else, if they get pleasure from it then why not?

Like M0nica we buy ours in early December from a Christmas Tree farm near my daughter's house. I like the biggest one that will fit in the living room, and love the look of awe on the GCs faces when they see it. It was a bit of a waste last year, Christmas cancelled with five days notice, so will probably go to town this year!

I love Christmas, but do find Christmas displays open at the beginning of October rather missing the point. The point being, making money, not observing the true meaning of the Christmas festivities which wasn’t about how much money you could spend, or how many Christmas trees you can put up. True meaning for many has been lost to commercialism.

I suppose I am thinking ahead to Christmas ( in a small way)
As I shall be making Christmas cakes next week, and have just ordered a few things to put away as presents.
As regards trees, went over to artificial ones some time ago, as DH couldn’t lug one about anymore and the cats kept getting needles in their paws.So we have two, dressed differently, one in the sitting room and one in the conservatory.I like ringing the changes with colours for them.
I think they go up half way through December and stay up until 12th night.

I love everything about Christmas and I love to have a real tree. Given they dry out I put ours up and decorate it the weekend before Christmas though this year it might have to be during the week as Christmas Day is on a Saturday. I can’t wait! I shall not at all mind other people’s lights and decorations going up early as they brighten up a dark and dreary period.

Mil used to put tree up on Christmas eve and down on Boxing day.

I do enjoy Xmas, especially now my DD does the Xmas dinner!
Xmas trees on sale now will be binned or bare by Xmas. If you want your tree up so early, then an artificial one is the answer. I've had my artificial one for about 4 years - it will be the last tree I get, it will last for our life in this house and the DGC love it

I love Christmas and have two trees around the beginning of December. It’s mostly for me as the husband isn’t that bothered. October is way too early but I do start buying stuff to spread the cost.

For many years for children & close family special wrapped a present with a relevant to them Christmas bauble with their name & year written on attached.The children have all left home now but when they left they all had a good few baubles to start off their own trees. We also inherited back the baubles that we had given to parents , elderly aunt etc after they died. So now when we decorate the tree their are many memories & makes them feel close. Still doing & now GC , DIL's are added to list

One January I saw a sign by the road saying 'Christmas Trees! Buy now and avoid the rush!"
Made me laugh!

B9exchange

Like M0nica we buy ours in early December from a Christmas Tree farm near my daughter's house. I like the biggest one that will fit in the living room, and love the look of awe on the GCs faces when they see it. It was a bit of a waste last year, Christmas cancelled with five days notice, so will probably go to town this year!

When dds were still living at home, they used to go with dh to buy ours - and invariably come back with an enormous thing that had to have at least a foot chopped off the bottom before it’d fit - plus we’d have to shift the furniture around to make an adequate space for the huge spread.

It did always look lovely but it’s been something of a relief in later years to have ‘only’ a 5 or 6 footer that doesn’t need any shifting of furniture.

Our first Christmas tree after we were married (and living in Oman) was the tackiest artificial thing imaginable - about 3 foot tall with just straight green and white tinsel branches you bent outwards. It came in a box with a set of lights and a few decorations. But there were virtually no western style shops at the time, so I was over the moon to have found any sort of tree at all, in a new ‘proper’ shop that had only just opened.

We were living on a construction camp and although we had no children as yet there were quite a few families - all the children were invited in to see the tree. I don’t think anyone else had one, so it was a really Big Thing, they all loved it.

Me!!!!!
Is it hurting you?
Is it hurting anyone??
Then????
You do what works for you and let others get in with their lives

I stick to the tradition 12 days before then 12 days after.

No more real tree indoors now but a green pop up one in the dining area of the kitchen which is also decorated with white fairy lights and wreaths.
We have a 5ft fir in the front garden which I decorate with white fairy lights but the fun for me is decorating the back garden with white lights again, not a fan of coloured lights.
Usually do this around 15th and down on 2nd Jan.

We bought a real tree 2 years ago!!....potted it up...and displayed it outside of our front door from 1 December.....decorated in fairy lights! On 6 January, lights removed, and tree is taken around to back garden...where it sits...and grows...for process to be repeated the following year! Very sustainable...and adds light and message of joy ...especially during a pandemic! We have a beautiful small wooden Scandinavian tree for indoors...which came with its own lights and baubles. Our family have all grown and we used to enjoy a real tree indoors each year. However the tree outside is much admired and we know it does spread even more joy....as well as to our grandchildren! Merry Christmas everyone!

When in the Range last week, I couldn’t believe ‘ the range ‘ of Christmas trees and decorations on display, and the Christmas music was belting out.

I can't understand why anyone would want a tree this early in their home.

I can, though, see that you might just want one mid-November in a shopping centre or other commercial premises.

Denmark exports 10,5 million Christmas trees annually and they are usually felled from the middle of November. If you buy a tree early to mid-November it should be left outdoors for as long as possible.

A tree bought after the middle of December is not always fresher than one bought earlier.

With regards to fire hazard: there are environmentally friendly products you can spray on your tree before bringing it in and decorating it, to reduce or entirely prevent the danger of it catching fire.

Here it is usual to stand the tree in a holder that has room for water and to fill the container up at need during Christmas.

Real tree, real candles, 1 week before Christmas.

I had a fibre optic one (lights up) for years, then wanted a change- so i got a taller one with the 'snow' on- a disaster, all the snow glitter was everywhere, & spread all round the house by our cat, who liked to lay under the tree!- so i got rid of it as soon after new year as i could- when january sales came i bought a non snow covered pre-lit one, and put it away for the next december- december rolled round and could we find it? No, never did either?so had to get a real tree mid december (just in case other fake tree turned up sometime!) This year ive bought another fake one in july and put it right at front of the huge cupboard so i know where it is!!?We put tree up when we've some spare time(!) in december but everything's taken down by 5th january in our house as thats memoriam of when my mum died.

So much waste at Christmas. Terrible for the environment cutting trees down every year for one day. I will put up my lovely fake tree in November and enjoy decorating it with hanging mementoes collected over the years. Originally purchased around 30 years ago from Woolworths it has stood the test of time well!!

Real candles?isn't that a fire hazard helgawills??

We have had a range of Christmas trees over the years, from real, to artificial, to pre-lit artificial, to "half a tree" (which stood with its back to the wall, to minimise its reach into the room), but I have just read this week about renting a tree, which I love the idea of.

Rent the tree, enjoy it for the Christmas season, then the nursery collects the tree and replants it, and you get the same tree back again next year, and repeat the process.

I hate how Christmas is stretching almost into a six month thing now, with cards and decorations appearing in the shops earlier and earlier each year. I am fed up to the back teeth of it by 1st December. Taken at its basic, it's a celebration of someone's birth. Who else prepares to celebrate their birthday four or five months in advance?

Our trees go up 1st December and come down the day after Boxing Day. If this Scroogey McScroogeface had her way, they'd be up Christmas Eve and down Boxing Day

I know it's seems bonkers unless it's a growing tree? Incidentally talking about saving waste? I've just sent my excellent real looking faux tree to charity shop together with a huge box of lights(led) and decs to make way for a new one......my old tree was bought in 1995 when I got divorced and has serviced us all this time, it's in such good nick(too big for us now) it hopefully will continue to wow another family for many years to come with the decs varying in age from30-2 years old, mostly wooden German/continental type ( have loads can't resist a wooden dec) so I don't feel too bad about not using a real tree. I've got lots of fab trees in my garden and always find room for just .....one....more.....!??????

About 25 years ago I bought a beautiful artificial tree, it was very expensive at £99. It looks fabulous and my son’s friends bring their children round to see it every hear. Last year as we weren’t having a crowd we decided to buy a real tree. What a faff!!! Had to cut to fit tree holder, had to trim many branches because the tree was asymmetrical, the baubles kept falling off and the needles were a nightmare. Not put up until a week before Christmas in a cool room.
Back to my artificial one this year. £99 well spent I think.

We tried a smaller potted real tree 9 christmases ago, when we first moved to current house- and even kept it well watered etc, everything ok- then put it in ground out in back garden after christmas, but then it died off! So much for continuity?