Christmas trees... fake vs. real?

[polo1665]

Up til this year we have always had a real tree. I enjoyed patronizing the local sellers, it was always a nice day out.The last couple of years I haven't been very happy with the quality of the trees we've been getting. Last year the tree we had started losing needles the day after we brought it in the house. Pretty bad when you pay $70-$80 for a tree and it disappoints.

This year I made one trip out to look for a tree and was disappointed in the selection again, so we decided to go artificial. Bought a tree from Balsam Hill. Pre-lit, easy to put together and looks nice. If I keep it for 8 years it pays for itself.

 

[spitter]

People that I work with pay well over $100 for a pre cut tree I guess it,s a city thing. They had to spray the trees along the parkway with knoxious chemicals because people wood cut them down and steel them.:confused2::drink:

 

[Jstpssng]

People that I work with pay well over $100 for a pre cut tree I guess it,s a city thing. They had to spray the trees along the parkway with knoxious chemicals because people wood cut them down and steel them.:confused2::drink:

Somebody mentioned white spruce... what we call that tree here smells like cat pee when you bring it into the house. Hence one of the nicknames for it is "cat spruce".

 

[Sigarms]

People that I work with pay well over $100 for a pre cut tree I guess it,s a city thing. They had to spray the trees along the parkway with knoxious chemicals because people wood cut them down and steel them.:confused2::drink:

Uhm...I'm guessing the average price for a "nice" pre cut tree is a easy $75. I don't think it's a "city thing":laughing:

Last time I remember when we went down and actually cut one down as a family, probably $20, but that was over 30 years ago.

Have to laugh, per polo's comment. When my wife I told me how much she paid for the artificial tree, I must of given her a look, because she said for what we were paying for live trees, it would pay for itself in the long run. Of couse, she was right.

 

[Thomas]

4-5 foot real tree anything taller wider just waste of good tree for Mrs. and I also 2 kittens....getting so Christmas and other holiday days losing there true meaning.

 

[Jstpssng]

4-5 foot real tree anything taller wider just waste of good tree for Mrs. and I also 2 kittens....getting so Christmas and other holiday days losing there true meaning.

We stopped having family gatherings, but the last few we had were more enjoyable than they had been in a long time. Instead of exchanging gifts we started buying for a family off the tree at my parent's church, so that what we gave had some meaning.

 

[Sigarms]

We stopped having family gatherings, but the last few we had were more enjoyable than they had been in a long time. Instead of exchanging gifts we started buying for a family off the tree at my parent's church, so that what we gave had some meaning.

I'd like to think that most churches look at doing what your parents church does.

Ultimatley Christmas is one of two things for people. Either a holiday with some time off for work or it actually has some religious meaning.

I get and understand a Nativity scene, but at the end of the day, when you put a tree in your house only to throw it away a month later, I'm not certain how that relates to Jesus Christ.

Don't get me wrong, always remember and cherish Christmas mornings as a kid wanting to be downstairs opening presents, but at the end of the day, that's not what the day is really about. That said, I'm getting old old. I can't believe that a lot of churches don't even hold a Christmas service on Christmas day, seems to be too much of a inconvenience to people.

 

[Jstpssng]

^^^
The original Christmas tree did have some type of significance, but I don't remember enough of it to tell.
We used to enjoy the Christmas Eve service, singing one hymn while holding a candle. I wonder how many churches were burned down that way. Many of the people who go to church aren't representative of organized religion...

We start seeing tractor trailerloads of trees going down the interstate before Thanksgiving, headed for the Boston market. No small wonder that people are dissatisfied with them.

 

[Oaktree]

getting so Christmas and other holiday days losing there true meaning.

People have been complaining about that for decades, even longer. Stan Freberg did a comedy routine called Green Chri$tma$ in the early 50s.

I remember when I was a kid one of my aunts had a “fake” silver tree that had a light that sat on the floor and shined up on the tree. It had a color wheel that turned and changed the color of the tree. Modern technology back in the day!

A childhood friend of mine's parents had one of those back in the 60s. Thought it was weird.

That having been said, we have a 2' fiber optic tree that was my wife's before I met her. Fits on a table, takes 2 minutes to set up/take down. We don't make a big deal about Christmas anyway.

When I was single I might hang up a couple strings of outdoor lights and call it good.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Real tree for us, every year. Growing up in AZ, and until we moved up here to ND, we used to get a tree permit from USFS and cut one from one of the national forests in northern AZ. The trip to get the tree was part of our family tradition. Spend the day playing in the snow, roast marshmallows and hot dogs over a fire, cut down a tree and head back home. Many fond memories of doing that as a kid. Our kids seemed to have enjoyed the whole thing as well.

Now up here, we just buy one, most years we've gotten good trees from Lowe's (surprisingly), they've been pretty fresh, and stayed alive through New Years. This year, we just (yesterday) bought one from the Costco (just opened) in town. It was $20, for a 7 foot tree. We'll see how it lasts, doesn't seem as fresh but hey, it's 20 bucks.

Live tree for us.