Christmas Trees

[MIKE R]

What do y'all use for trees: real or fake. I like the real trees and the idea of a tree in the house but parents don't want the needles off them stuck in the hardwood floor or the sap on it.

Its a fake tree for us.

How about you?

 

[grsthegreat]

nice 12' tall fake tree for us. i used real trees for years, but the thought of that tree in a room with the fireplace kept me up at night with worry.

 

[grsthegreat]

nice 11' tall fake tree for us. i used real trees for years, but the thought of that tree in a room with the fireplace kept me up at night with worry.

 

[sjerden]

We have a Christmas forest with three smaller fake trees. I like real, but the wife doesn't want the sap and the needles on the carpet.

 

[dave1949]

Never had a fake tree. We have some small-scale local tree growers here, so I like to buy from them. Once in a while I cut one on our land, but I don't work at growing them. I planted 5 balsam seedlings about 3-4 years ago. 1.5 are still alive :laughing: They didn't seem too happy with the conditions.

 

[DKCDKC]

Grew up with the use of cedar trees... Smell wonderful, but a real fire hazard. As an adult I've always used real trees... Virginia White Pines. Good tree and practically fireproof. I've taken them outside in January and been unable to get them to burn unless you built a huge fire under them.

I like real trees. I've never seen an artificial tree that looked as good. But that's just me.

 

[jefwyn]

We always have real trees. I would like to go fake, but the daughters want real "it's tradition". So it will be real for us again this year.

 

[DT86]

Real trees for me. Got a nice 10' plus in the living room and a waist high "Snoopy" tree in the bed room. Both locally grown Virginia White Pine also.



When I looked at them he didn't have what I wanted (big enough for the living room or small enough for the bed room) so he cut them both just for me and brought them the next day.

 

[Mickey_Fx]

Since you asked. Not fond of artificial trees. Had one many yrs ago. Think we used one about 30 yrs ago when we had plans on visiting relatives on another state for Christmas.

Real trees are much lower cost than artificial and here in the PNW, trees of many varieties are redly available. Needles are not an issue after getting tree set up and can never recall sap being an issue. Usually have tree up on avg 3 weeks.

We got ours yesterday at a large Christmas tree farm, lot of those nearby. Got a Spruce this yr, our first one. Quite nice, full right to the top and decent shape. Spent the PM getting the tree decorated. Not bad if I do say so myself.

 

[EddieWalker]

Fake tree for me. It's just 4 ft tall and takes me half an hour to set up and decorate!!!

I bought a variety of plastic animals from Tractor Supply and Atwoods, then attached a small hook in the back of them and made them into ornaments.



Eddie

 

[unbidden]

Fake on the inside. The real stuff is a PITA with two dogs and 5 cats plus the wife is deathly afraid of fire. However, outdoors we use all natural stuff on the gates, fences and barn.

 

[Bird]

Like lots of folks our age, we used real trees for many years, but not in the last 20 years. In fact, we used the same artificial tree for a lot of years, but I bought the wife a new one this year.:laughing:

 

[clemsonfor]

As a forester there will never be a FAKE tree in my house, at least for any of the 2 main trees that we put up!! And i encourage every one to buy a real tree and support the biz.

 

[clemsonfor]

Fake on the inside. The real stuff is a PITA with two dogs and 5 cats plus the wife is deathly afraid of fire. However, outdoors we use all natural stuff on the gates, fences and barn.

We have 8 cats, the two newest ones its thier first cristmas, and we finially have 2 that will climb the tree all the way to the top! Lucky us? So one has nothing but lights on it, the other will be isolated from them.

 

[newbury]

I've been using a Christmas Branch for years. If the family is in town SWMBO usually gets a tree. When we first moved in about 30 years ago I bought and later planted a balled and burlapped one that "did good". It's about 35' tall now.

For years it's needed it's lower branches pruned. So normally about 1 December I go out with my chainsaw and wack off a limb. It get's the pine needle scent inside, only needs light trimming and is easy to maintain and dispose of.

My neighbors must have thought I was going to cut the tree down last year. I needed to run my Stihl 660 that had a 42" bar on it. So I cranked it up, let it warm up, and took all 42 inches to cut a branch about 2" in diameter

 

[Pete Judd]

Fake now, even planted a couple of rows of trees for this use over the years. Now the ones I planted are way to big, love the smell, but the fire hazard and mess made me go to the fake one 6-7 years ago. For smell, I just cut some branches and the wife makes a large wreath out of them.

 

[Western]

No fake tree for us! I have never seen a sap problem other than the base where the cut is and you aren't dealing with that end. As far as the needles, a good fresh and well watered tree has a minimal problem. after Christmas day, we use a sheet laid on the floor, then lay the tree on it and carry it out, no mess.

The smell and ambiance of a real tree is far worth it for us.

 

[Jstpssng]

Real tree here... but it's just the dog and me so ours is outside growing by the road.
Every year it gets a little taller, so when I put the lights on I have a pole to reach the top. A little suet for the birds
and it's done.

 

[grnspot110]

Wife & I both grew up using wild Red Cedars. After we were married, we started buying White Pines from local tree farms (cut your own). I planted some for Christmas tree use, used some of them, then, one year it got too dry to have them inside. I talked the wife into getting a fake, used it every since.

We do have a Pine out front we decorate every year:



Lights didn't show up very well:



grnspot

 

[grsthegreat]

Also, seeing a neighbors house burn down about 10 years ago....from his xmas tree going up.... was enough to send me to Lowes for my tree.

it depends on the kind of tree also. were mostly pines and firs here in N Idaho. Only a nutter would cut down a blue spruce that took 10 years to grow for an xmas tree :cool2:... I planted 12 blue spruces 10 years ago...there now only 10 feet tall. those things take FOREVER to grow here.