Xmas trees...traditional, stylish or trendy

I got a fake frosted tree about 9 inches high in the garden centre’s sale, and that’s the extent of my decorations. I hate Christmas.

Juniewoonie I know how you feel. After my son died in the November I didn’t want to do Christmas. My family persuaded me otherwise so I went out and bought star shaped plain tree lights and a silver star for the top. It was very peaceful and in honour of my missing star. I couldn’t bring myself to do anything else.
Now if someone has suffered a bereavement I send a Christmas card wishing them peace.

After a bereavement last year just before Christmas , I don’t think I can bring myself to do Christmas this year. I think I need a time of quiet reflection. I hope to do Christmas next year because it was a time of year my son loved.

Witzend what a lovely memory!
Maybe you have a photo of it somewhere.
You obviously do in your heart.
🎄

Much as I don’t usually care for artificial trees, I did once have the most fake one imaginable, and loved it!

It was mid 70s, about my first year with dh in Oman. There were hardly any western-style shops at the time, and virtually nothing Cnristmassy to buy. But a colleague told me that she’d heard of a new ‘proper’ shop opening! So we set off in my little car, quite a way into town, and down various dirt tracks, to find it.
Oh joy! They actually had a little Christmas tree, an ultra fake one, only about 3’ tall, ‘branches’ of green and white tinsel, in a box with a set of lights and a few baubles!

I was so chuffed with my little tree - it was the only one among expat friends, all the children came to admire it.

A few years ago I found it in the loft and binned it - poor little tree, I still wish I hadn’t. 🙁

pascal30
We still have real candles for Christmas eve. They are truly beautiful but always watched closely.
Nothing is quite so magical.

I have recently discovered you can buy twinkly fake ones powered by individual batteries and controlled with a remote control. They aren't joined with a wire and come in several "styles". I have put some on my "birthday list" in case anyone is interested....

flappergirl

kittylester

After years of renting a tree, we have succumbed to a prelit, artificial for the lounge. It's decoration depends on whether I can stop who ever is here from throwing everything at it! It is supposed to be tasteful!

We have a white branch in the hall with glass and pink and purple baubles. We also have one on the 'glass corridor' which is probably visible from space.

I didn't know you could rent Christmas trees. Quite a revelation. I've never heard of anyone doing this or seen it advertised. I suppose it solves the problem of storage. Where would you go to rent one? Are you in the UK kitty?

In Cambridgeshire/Suffolk real Christmas trees can be delivered and installed. Perhaps look to 'The Christmas Tree Firm'. We've friends who are pleased with their service.

Our tree is artificial, bought by me when DH was working abroad and I was at home with two small children and suffering two tennis elbows and two housemaids knees. I couldn't manage to carry a real tree home. That is nearly 40 years ago and we still have it. Huge and very realistic.

The baubles are of all sorts, including some that I had when I was a tiny tot 70+ years ago, glass of course. The fairy is a plastic one from Woollies (also 70 years ago) and she has had new knickers over the years.

I decorate it in gaudy baubles, some pretty wooden ones from a hol in Germany, and bright tinsel of all colours. We love it but it's now a struggle to get it down from the loft and sometimes never goes back.

It's nor modern, not stylish, but historic and means a lot to me.

In addition to the real one in the sitting room, a small potted one with lights, goes outside the front door on 1st December - or as near to that as I can manage.

Last year’s is in a pot in the garden. I usually manage to keep them for 2-3 years before they start looking sad. Can’t plant them in the garden alas, it’s just too small.

When I was a child, for many years we had a tiny real tree (my mother insisted that she liked little trees, but undoubtedly it was initially down to cost) which was planted out and dug up again every year.

It evidently wasn't happy about this, and it showed!
When I was maybe 13, the boy next door (who I had a bit of a crush on at the time) said, ‘Has your Christmas tree had a heart attack?’ 😂

Eventually the poor thing was pensioned off and left to grow properly in the garden.

flappergirl, for the past few years dd and SiL have rented a tree - they’ve had the same one back again, but it was always tall, so presumably it’ll be too tall at some point. It’s kept well watered and previously I’ve noticed that it was making new growth shortly before being returned.

They are in Oxford, but the tree comes from maybe 20 miles away, I forget where - SiL has had to strap it to the roof of the car!

We have a real tree in the living room, decorated with many different baubles collected over the years, some are from my parent’s tree, one from my father’s tree when he was a child, and some collected from the various places we have visited over the years. In the dining room we have a small artificial, self lit tree, standing on the piano. Outside the front we door we have a small (about three foot) real tree decorated with outdoor lights.

There are lots of places that rent out Christmas trees all over the country. This one is near us, in Bristol. It may be very sustainable, but seems pricey to me…..

www.aliandjoes.com/online-store/RENT-A-TREE-150cm-5ft-ft-Potted-Christmas-Tree-p227062907

kittylester

After years of renting a tree, we have succumbed to a prelit, artificial for the lounge. It's decoration depends on whether I can stop who ever is here from throwing everything at it! It is supposed to be tasteful!

We have a white branch in the hall with glass and pink and purple baubles. We also have one on the 'glass corridor' which is probably visible from space.

I didn't know you could rent Christmas trees. Quite a revelation. I've never heard of anyone doing this or seen it advertised. I suppose it solves the problem of storage. Where would you go to rent one? Are you in the UK kitty?

Many years ago someone made a wicker-based wreath for DH. That same one has to come out every year.

Maggiemaybe, when dds were still at home they’d go with dh to choose a tree, and invariably come back with such a huge thing, dh would have to saw a foot off the bottom, to get it to fit under the ceiling, and we’d still have to shift the furniture around to make space.
Now it’s just me and dh I go with him, and we get a six foot max.

Our tree gets delivered along with a wreath every year about 7-10 days before Christmas. It gets bunged in a bucketful of water for a day or two then decorated.

Comes down on 12 th night.

If I live long enough, I guess I might be less ambitious, but we will see.

Maggiemaybe

Prior to 2020 we’d always get a real one far too big for the room and have to sidle round it to get upstairs - a bit National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. As the space we needed for grandchildren increased we had to lower our sights a bit. For the last three years we’ve had the same tree, planted out in the garden again after each tour of duty. Always decorated traditionally with loads of lights. I just wish it would grow a bit faster.

The little twinkly led twig tree we had in the kitchen died on us last year so I must get another. I absolutely love Christmas.

Our neighbours have one which started life as a tiny one in a pot; they planted it in the garden and it must be 70 ft now.

I do like a real tree, have had large ones and smaller ones in pots over the years but for practical purposes we have had a very real-looking artificial one for a few years.

However, I might just buy a small growing one in a pot this year.

Decorations are an eclectic mix both bought and inherited.
Fairy is a rather elderly Sindy but I must say she is looking very good for her age.

I like to decorate the front and back garden with mainly baubles , tinsel and lights - sometimes bows .
It takes ages !
Every year , I say never again or perhaps I should start earlier.
I prefer a real Christmas tree to a fake one .
I do have a colour theme .
This year it will be mainly green shades with some red and silver with gold .

BeneathTheHowlingStars

I have a 'twig' tree which I decorate with teardrop shape crystals and a string of led fairylights which I can change the colour of etc. I really like it.

I’ve bought one too. Decorations on it for Christmas time and just the lights for the month of January.

I don't have a tree now days but in the past when we had big family christmas's we would have a real tree with German clip on candleholders and real candles.. It had to to watched obviously, but it looked spectacular

Prior to 2020 we’d always get a real one far too big for the room and have to sidle round it to get upstairs - a bit National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. As the space we needed for grandchildren increased we had to lower our sights a bit. For the last three years we’ve had the same tree, planted out in the garden again after each tour of duty. Always decorated traditionally with loads of lights. I just wish it would grow a bit faster.

The little twinkly led twig tree we had in the kitchen died on us last year so I must get another. I absolutely love Christmas.

When it comes to Christmas trees, love traditional ones, each decoration has a meaning to it collected over many decades and always coloured lights, lots of things the children and grandchildren have made and sometimes some chocolate 'picks', really quite magical and has soul. Either a silver or gold star to top or a pretty Angel and always a wooden Nativity scene nearby. Don't go in for trends or colour schemes.

Chocolatelovinggran

Quite right, too , Cabbie!
I enjoy the tasteful coordinated trees in hotels, but like the happy chaos of collected- over- years stuff on my tree.
A friend is planning to buy all new baubles this year to match her newly decorated sitting room. This astonishes me.

An ex neighbour of mine - who would often complain about being hard up - used to buy a whole new set of decorations in a different colour - all e.g. blue or silver - every year. Before I realised this, she once asked me what colour tree we were having that year.
‘Er, green?’ 🎄

A real tree, always, with assorted decorations collected over many decades, inc. a few I remember from my own childhood.