General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDoes Your Family Have A Holiday Tree?
30 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited | |
Yes | |
15 (50%) |
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No | |
13 (43%) |
|
Sometimes | |
2 (7%) |
|
0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided. | |
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Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll |
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,899 posts)I've never had much luck mixing cats and Christmas trees.
rbrnmw
(7,160 posts)I spray vinegar around mine and the cats dont mess with it they hate the smell of vinegar
ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)My House:
rbrnmw
(7,160 posts)woodsprite
(11,930 posts)She had gone down early, before any of us were up, and found our xmas tree laying in the middle of the floor (courtesy of my two cats) with all her presents trapped underneath. Ever since then, we 'anchor' the tree to the wall with buttonhole thread -- just enough to make it stable but the thread just seems to fade into the wall color. Thankfully no kitties were hurt, just a few glass ornaments bit the dust.
We went to having an artificial tree when my one cat got pine needles stuck in her throat. They wouldn't chew on the artificial tree, but they sure like to lay on it's branches.
tosh
(4,424 posts)even if they are artificial!
Agschmid
(28,749 posts)Should provide hours of entertainment... And yes the tree will be tied to the ceiling.
ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)Have fun! I have a hard time getting mad at my own...they can't help it!
http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/25-cats-in-on-and-under-christmas-trees
cali
(114,904 posts)It has nothing to do with religion for me but its still something I think of as a Christmas Tree.
Laura PourMeADrink
(42,770 posts)Blue_In_AK
(46,436 posts)I finally broke down and let my husband buy a fake one a couple years ago, after years of resisting. It's a very realistic-looking one though, and we spray it with pine air freshener to complete the deception. I have no problem with whatever anyone wants to call the winter holiday.
thecrow
(5,519 posts)but nobody will bring them up the stairs and help me decorate, so there they sit.
Maybe I shold set them up in my basement and never take them down!
Blue_In_AK
(46,436 posts)Im fine with people saying happy holidays, but if you put a tree in your house for one month its probably because you are celebrating christmas. I think calling it a holday tree just reeks of too much PC BS.
So my response. Yes I have a christmas tree. I do not have a holiday tree so I didnt vote in the poll.
whathehell
(29,096 posts)lunamagica
(9,967 posts)Its HALLOWEEN!
Same with the "Holiday tree" No, it's a Christmas tree
snooper2
(30,151 posts)Atheists need to take the word Christmas and make it our own
Besides, we actually know where Santa lives, at the North Pole...
I've asked THOUSANDS of times where the fuck Jesabus is hanging out but NOOOOO, never get an answer. People can't even tell me if he/she/it is made up of matter!
Now Santa on the other hand is totally real. My daughter sat on his lap last year at the mall! I've got PICTURES! Never seen anybody ever produce a picture of them doing a fist bump with jesus have you?
lunamagica
(9,967 posts)memories and I don't want to call it anything else.
As for the question, no not yet. Waiting until Thanksgiving
Cali_Democrat
(30,439 posts)etherealtruth
(22,165 posts)no religious connection ... but, an extreme emotional attachment
City Lights
(25,171 posts)Snotcicles
(9,089 posts)NightWatcher
(39,343 posts)I have a 2 1/2 year old. Her playhouse even has a tree and lights
JustAnotherGen
(31,937 posts)HappyMe
(20,277 posts)I did that when my kids were young too. Loved every minute of it.
My sons are 27 now and I live out of state. I still put up a Christmas tree. It reminds me of how great Christmas was when I was a kid, and of my sons... all happy, warm memories. It's about what's in your heart.
Coyotl
(15,262 posts)Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)They're replanted every year. It's a big industry for this state.
Coyotl
(15,262 posts)Some of that land could be productive of food commodities as well and employ more people, but demand places more value on a disposable tree.
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)Evergreens naturally cover the slopes of hills and mountains. I think farming for food on a lot of this land might not be a good match. The industry definitely employs a LOT of people here, too.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)Glassunion
(10,201 posts)#1. They are sustainable. For every tree they cut down, they plant one in its place.
#2. It supports a local business. The tree farmers in my area are local farmers.
#3. They smell nice.
Chellee
(2,102 posts)the trees or the farmers?
Glassunion
(10,201 posts)nolabear
(41,995 posts)Seriously, Christmas trees are great crops here in WA and if I was unwilling to kill a tree I wouldn't be able to live. No endangered species went into the making of my Christmas, I promise.
ScreamingMeemie
(68,918 posts)for the past 6 years. It usually ends up being a Valentine's Day tree as well.
Puzzledtraveller
(5,937 posts)Like a Charlie Brown one.
Niceguy1
(2,467 posts)Christmas tree up this weekend. The cat will love it.
LuvNewcastle
(16,860 posts)It's white and it has little bulbs of different colors that are lit by a light bulb that fits inside the tree. I always set it up on my coffee table. It always makes me think of my grandparents when it's lit up at night. I'll put it up after Thanksgiving and take it down between Christmas and New Year's.
HappyMe
(20,277 posts)One for my aunt, grandma and stepmom. I only made 1 white one, the tips were flecked with white or clear sparklies.
Good times.
LuvNewcastle
(16,860 posts)especially at Christmas time.
FSogol
(45,554 posts)She made spares for future grandkids too.
We get a real tree, which we get around Dec 1 and remove on Jan 6. Love the pine smell and lights.
Arcanetrance
(2,670 posts)Epiphany4z
(2,234 posts)raising my own heathen hoard ..lol..a family of atheist who would never miss xmas we celebrate life in general. Good times, good food, lots of warm family hugs.
onehandle
(51,122 posts)Will string lights in windows and outside, put up Christmas decor here and there, and my wife will put several up crèches around the house.
Soy nog with Bénédictine will appear like magic.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)as saying "Holiday Candelabra" instead of "Menorah".
The tree is for Christmas, not any other holiday. And I highly doubt that anyone anywhere this Christmas will refer in conversation to their "holiday tree".
csziggy
(34,139 posts)Christians preempting the holy days of other religions is an old cynical habit of theirs. They took the Yule Festival, the fall and spring equinoxes - I wonder how the Catholic Church missed stealing the midsummer festival?
http://www.thelivingmoon.com/44cosmic_wisdom/02files/Tree_Life04.html
I like the name "Holiday tree" - it doesn't claim the decorative tradition for any one sect or religion.
Travis_0004
(5,417 posts)My guess is far less than 1% so Im going to keep calling it a christmas tree.
csziggy
(34,139 posts)And those people tend to live by the tenets of their beliefs. But I know more people that call themselves "Christian" than actually live by the tenets of their various sects. That is why I am closer to the non-Christians than I am to the "Christians".
My post above was objecting to Nye Bevan's post claiming that decorated trees in the middle of the winter were only called "Christmas" trees. That was not originally true and it still is not completely true.
Big Blue Marble
(5,152 posts)Literally and symbolically, Christmas is about the return of light to the world.
Mas means a celebration and Christ comes from the Greek word for light.
It we go beyond the literal celebration as many christians view it, celebrating
Christmas is a powerful celebration of light and expansion in the cycle of the
year and in our lives.
csziggy
(34,139 posts)As a non-believer, I am for whatever brings joy and enlightenment to people. What I object to is Christians shoving their religion down my throat at every opportunity. That is pretty much the only reason I fight the prevalence of "Christmas" at this time of year.
When it was not made a war on other religions, I didn't worry about the labels. Once "Christians" objected to generic holiday greetings, I was ready to give them the fight they seemed to be looking for.
Big Blue Marble
(5,152 posts)They would not approve of the way we celebrate Christmas without any religious context.
And their opinion does not matter to me or my family.
csziggy
(34,139 posts)Most of the family is OK - it the fundie BIL who insists on things being HIS way. Whenever I can, I avoid going to events at his house, but some years it's unavoidable. Since I do like the rest of the family I want to participate in get togethers. I just don't understand how someone raised Unitarian ends up marrying a fundamentalist!
Big Blue Marble
(5,152 posts)Fortunately, my celebrations are with immediate family who are all on the same
secular page about this holiday. Family tension like yours, are so sad and interfere
with your enjoyment of the holidays.
If only arrogance and certainty were not part of some peoples belief and they
could celebrate out differences as well as our shared values with humility.
Beliefs are not facts; that is why they are called beliefs (LOL), but then
people like your BIL just do not get that.
RobinA
(9,898 posts)The return of the light. So yeah, we kind of celebrate Yule. With a manger scene thrown in. I find the Christmas story an enjoyable myth that I chose to see as a metaphor rather than actual people in donkeys looking for a place to have their child.
Big Blue Marble
(5,152 posts)I enjoy the ancient Christmas music in much the same way. It connects me to the human
heart, the human struggle. In that way, it is timeless. Ancient peoples struggled with life
as we do. They had no scientific context and so they created myth to describe the mystery.
These myths are beautiful in their own way.
When we celebrate the return of the light, we connect with our heritage as well as the
cycle of life, not such a bad thing to celebrate after all.
CTyankee
(63,912 posts)She wasn't having any of it. To her, a Christmas tree is a Christmas tree, period.
Puzzledtraveller
(5,937 posts)Skip Intro
(19,768 posts)X_Digger
(18,585 posts)No presents, no special dinners, no special spending at all. That goes for birthdays and anniversaries, too.
If it takes a holiday and spending money to show how much you love / care for / appreciate your family or partner- then you're doing it wrong the rest of the year.
When a plus just doesn't cut it.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)nolabear
(41,995 posts)It doesn't take one at all for me to show love or appreciation. I do, every time I'm smart enough to stop taking the people and world I love for granted, and I don't take them for granted much. I just enjoy doing something special then. It breaks up the routine, makes people smile, is as irrational and silly as you can be, and just makes my heart soar. I love the fact that people leap in and participate together in rituals that bind us together. The only thing that makes me sad is when it's used to be divisive.
Big Blue Marble
(5,152 posts)Celebrations of annual holidays filled with traditions, some old, some new, bring our families
together to share our love and connections. They connect us to times of our past when we were
children or when our own children were young. When celebrated culturally, these holidays
bring us together as a community as they have for millennia. In that regard, they also connect
us with our ancestors who shared these celebrations. And lastly, they connect us to the cycles
in time and the year. To me, Christmas and Solstice celebrations are the most meaningful of all.
I celebrate them with great intensity.
nolabear
(41,995 posts)Imagine how our wayback ancestors must have celebrated. Light! Light!
HappyMe
(20,277 posts)Irrational and silly be damned, I love Christmas. Small kindnesses and appreciation are the way to go all year long.
Whether the celebration is fancy and elaborate or small and homey - it connects people and warms the heart.
Now I'm all fired up! I'm going to pull out my cross stitch ornament patterns and threads and get to work.
nolabear
(41,995 posts)But I love my origami ones! My favorites, of course, are the little handprints and cutouts and things my now grown sons made. I was as delighted by those as I would have been gold and diamond ones. I still am.
HappyMe
(20,277 posts)ended up looking like a jam in a copy machine.
I had things that my sons made when they were little. When I moved east, I left them with the boys. Sometimes one or the other will call when they get them out and we reminisce.
I have all sorts of odd ornaments.
X_Digger
(18,585 posts)It's not expected, therefore it means so much more to both of us.
giftedgirl77
(4,713 posts)kill trees for a damn holiday. Yes, my husband has to listen to me bitch for almost 2 months about it. We have to anchor it to the wall because my cats think it is the most awesome creation ever to come into the house & I spend most of the season picking the balls up around the house because the dogs & cats carry them around.
I have accepted I will never have a grown-up tree, it's always madness.
DesMoinesDem
(1,569 posts)These trees would never have been planted if it weren't for Christmas. How is buying a plastic tree from China better than buying a tree grown in the US specifically for Christmas?
giftedgirl77
(4,713 posts)one every year. It's supposed to be acceptable to just grow all these trees year after year just so they can be cut down dried out then thrown out? Please.
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)My real tree is biodegradable and they plant a new one for every one they sell.
DesMoinesDem
(1,569 posts)Why do you think not growing a tree is better than planting a tree and cutting it down? In addition, most Christmas trees are recycled. I would rather plant a tree and cut it down every year than pay to have some plastic shipped over from China.
giftedgirl77
(4,713 posts)made in China? Some people have more sense than that, no different than shopping at Wal-Mart, Sans Club or any other factory surplus stores. There are several tree farms around here & it is my opinion that it sucks that people make the decision to have a tree dry up in their home for a month just for shits & giggles. However, it is not as if I protest these actions in anyway shape or form, I merely stated my opinion.
DesMoinesDem
(1,569 posts)I challenge you to find any artificial trees made anywhere besides China. Why do you think it sucks and is unacceptable to plant a tree and cut it down. Why is not planting a tree at all better?
hlthe2b
(102,419 posts)one year.... It was so heavy that I had to pay two guys to get it in and to plant it afterwards. It smelled heavenly, I cared for it "religiously", put it in the garage afterwards to transition into planting outside and planted on a warmish winter day providing tremendous aftercare the next two months.
It died. I cried.
There is NOTHING like a real tree, but I now put up a small fake one (most years) or nothing at all (last year). Then I go on the annual search to find the BEST candles, reed diffusers and similar to try to recreate the smell that I sorely miss.
I am appalled at how much they charge for "real" Christmas trees in some areas, even though I realize it is mostly transportation costs driving up the cost. And, yes, it is sad to see these beautiful trees all sacrificed for a holiday--but they are farm-raised, so if one gets past the "green house gases" produced to transport them, it is probably a "wash"...
giftedgirl77
(4,713 posts)we used to go up to the mountains & cut down a huge tree. I just think it sucks, I hate going to Home Depot after the holidays & seeing huge piles of dead trees. All to have a pretty tree for 2 weeks.
Big Blue Marble
(5,152 posts)I have been for over twenty years. He brings his trees in from NC
where he buys them from small farming operations.
When I purchase my tree, I am supporting my local economy and
the economy of the US. All the money stays in the US. None of
it goes to Multi-nationals, big box stores or China.
After my celebration, the tree is used in my back yard as a shelter
for the birds and squirrels, then later recycled back to the earth.
MoonRiver
(36,926 posts)All I do is slap on the ornaments, and presto, Christmas is on!
NCTraveler
(30,481 posts)I ask the local director of the part what kind of tree he would like for the park. He tells me and I pick it up. Bring it home, decorate it, and show it great love. After the new year I drive it to the park and give it to the director. He loves it. They now have multiple Christmas trees of mine growing happily in the park.
Paladin
(28,277 posts)If you used that phrase on a right-wing site, you'd be getting death threats by now. Spirit of the season, and all that.....
UncleYoder
(233 posts)My grandmother lived in a big old 2 story farmhouse. She had a beautiful artificial Christmas tree every year. And every year on Dec. 31st she would have me unplug the lights and carry it upstairs to the back bedroom and throw a sheet over it. Where it would stay until next year's installation. Two minutes to replace the tinsel that got knocked off coming down the stairs and we were ready for Santa.
NuclearDem
(16,184 posts)(Also, yes, I have one. Fake.)
RC
(25,592 posts)I probably will not put it up, even if I do find it.
Shrike47
(6,913 posts)whathehell
(29,096 posts)Ron Green
(9,823 posts)and a good friend and local Dem official is a good-sized tree farmer. Please buy an Oregon Christmas tree this year.
HappyMe
(20,277 posts)I have my husband convinced that we will do the cut your own thing this year.
Supporting local farms and businesses is the right thing to do.
a la izquierda
(11,797 posts)Oh well. I'm likely allergic to my dogs too.
kestrel91316
(51,666 posts)A - I don't personally have a tree up, but it's just me and my 2 cats so I probably don't qualify as a "family". I probably should have sat out the poll.
B - My ACTUAL FAMILY in WI puts up a tree every year, but our family tradition has been to put the tree up only a week or 10 days before Christmas so they don't technically either.
C - If I decided to spend a lot of time and money on something just for me, my own tree wouldn't go up until Dec 20 or so. But the last time I had one the cats pulled it down twice so I just don't bother.
Are you happy?
Ranchemp.
(1,991 posts)because mine isn't a holiday tree, it's a Christmas Tree.
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)Six of one, half a dozen of the other...
Ranchemp.
(1,991 posts)I have no problem with people calling it a Holiday Tree if that's what they want, to each his own.
ieoeja
(9,748 posts)I've worked on Christmas before. Kinda sucks when you don't get it as a holiday. But the world does not just pause to let us all enjoy it.
B2G
(9,766 posts)Vashta Nerada
(3,922 posts)We have a holiday tree. We also celebrate the "christian" holiday like every other christian: we want to receive stuff and complain when we don't get what we want.
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)I put a bird at the top to pay homage to nature and the roots of Xmas -- paganism. There are a lot of animal ornaments, some sun ornaments and also some Xmassy ornaments I've been given, the kids have made, from my childhood (which was also in a secular, non-religious family). I enjoy the getting and the decorating of the tree.
JNelson6563
(28,151 posts)I have my kids here this year (they are college aged) and so it will be fun. I work for a local grocery chain and they are getting some smaller trees that are still living, planted in pots. I think we may get one of those this year. Love the smell!
We aren't Christians but I love the promise of the light to come. Our winters in the north are long and cold and DARK! Some greenery and lights for a couple of weeks will only do us good. And we'll wrap it all up with a great time spent together. I know they'll be off into the world soon enough so I cherish such times that I have with them!
Julie
Arugula Latte
(50,566 posts)We're in the Northwest where you get months on end of mostly gray skies so any light is cheering. And my kids are teens and I'm very aware of the swift passage of their childhoods, too. The tree thing is something we all do together, so it's special.
JNelson6563
(28,151 posts)Skidmore
(37,364 posts)kids come home with their little ones. This year is their year with the inlaws.
The last time we had one up, I went from the six foot version to a table top sized.
LittleBlue
(10,362 posts)Only a fake one, can't have my place burned down. Christmas is my wife's favorite holiday because it doesn't involve anything patriotic, she doesn't feel left out.
tularetom
(23,664 posts)One on the front porch and one in the living room.
I guess they truly are "holiday" trees, they go up the day after Thanksgiving and come down on New Year's Day.
So far I have managed to resist the request for inflatable snowmen on the lawn, reindeer on the roof, etc., and I no longer hang lights from the 2nd story eaves, but the outside tree is well illuminated and I run a string of lights around the porch roof.
I'm not sure how much of this I would do if it were solely up to me but it isn't.
demwing
(16,916 posts)it will go up next week, and probably stay up till May or so before I get around to the take down...
We're atheists and have a Christmas Tree. We call it a "Christmas Tree". We also have lights, presents, etc.
We celebrate the time of year and call that time of year "Christmas" rather than something else (xmas, yule, whatever). We're happy if other people attach a Christian aspect to it but we don't. We attend Hanukkah and Christian events with friends and family (including Catholic services with my mother sometimes and lighting candles with Jewish neighbors) as well as many of events (school, office, neighborhood) where you wouldn't know there is any religious aspect to the time of year (other than seeing menorahs and nativity scenes - sometimes on the same table).
We're happy that friends and family share their religious celebrations with us and that we can collectively celebrate the time of year where kindness, charity, and joy are everyone's focus (except the kids who are focused on gifts).
It's a good time to talk with the kids about respecting other religions and about making your own choices and being proud of them without disrespecting anyone else's choice (they have been worried about telling people they aren't Christian sometimes)
LWolf
(46,179 posts)What family?
I don't have trees anymore. I passed on all the family ornaments to my son and his son. They always have a tree. My mom sometimes has a tree. My other son sometimes has a tree. Nobody has a tree today.
csziggy
(34,139 posts)My husband does not believe in killing trees for Christ. We both like living trees so we plant lots of them. In the 35+ years we've owned this farm, we've planted thousands of trees, about 20 of them were "holiday" trees.
My holiday and its celebrations are not the kind that include killing trees or shopping.
Big Blue Marble
(5,152 posts)Putting up our tree and enjoying it are a major part of our holiday celebration.
We have wonderful ornaments collected over a lifetime. Each has significance
and memories, some of loved ones gone. The lights are wonderful, bright,
and energizing at this darkest time of year. It is hard to take it down when
the festivities are over.
One does not have to be Christian to enjoy this traditional pagan holiday
in all its many glories. Many cultures have celebrated the solstice, each in their own
way through out the centuries. I am joyful to participate in such an age old
tradition. Our beautiful tree is at the center of our celebration of love and light.
Dreamer Tatum
(10,926 posts)And yes, we will have one.
IrishAyes
(6,151 posts)The chows never bothered anything indoors or out, but the smooth-coat JRT puppy still shreds anything she can reach. So my tv's on the wall and so is the Christmas tree. I'm thinking about having the basic shape cut out of thin metal so I can paint decorations on it and store and restore it more easily.
bigwillq
(72,790 posts)shanti
(21,675 posts)but I haven't had a tree for at least 20 years. Can't say I miss it either I'm not a big Xmas person.
Xmas presents? No, I don't do that anymore, and informed my sons, of which I have four (and 2 grands) that when I retired, that's the way I'd go. They're all good with it, except for my oldest, who is as stubborn as a mule. He thinks I'm a terrible, selfish person because I don't do presents. I do, however, make exceptions for my grandchildren, I could never forget the babies.
I do like to make them something (I'm a knitter/crafter), but although I'm pretty accomplished, my sons don't really appreciate handmade items, so there's that. That saddens me....
Now, I do things for each of them randomly, when least expected. I'm on a fixed income, so it seems to work best for me.
aristocles
(594 posts)We both grew up in the Christian tradition and it was part of family life. We continued the tradition for our family.
Our three kids were not raised in the Christian, or any other faith tradition, just: be kind, be courteous, follow the Golden Rule (or, if you prefer, Kant's categorical imperative).
nolabear
(41,995 posts)It's my contribution to the season. On Dec. 6th you can have a tree. Dec. 5th is MINEMINEMINE!! LOL! It works out pretty well; the tree's still going at Christmas and we get it out soon after.
I'm a sucker for Christmas, maybe because we had some strange ones when I was s kid. For years our tree, because my mother had a 60s fascination for that kind of modernism, was a silver thing with only red balls and a color wheel. I joke that one of my enduring memories is the zzzzzzzzing! those metal branches made as we whipped them out of their sheaths each year.
I love a real tree, and every year get one new ornament and one new CD. My collections are strange and wonderful, and the family likes and fusses over them.
rdking647
(5,113 posts)Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)And alternately, why put up a crappy aluminum-and-plastic facsimile?
Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)2. I love the smell.
3. It's a tradition. It reminds me of all the happy memories of Christmas trees of my childhood.
4. The presents go underneath it.
5. The Christmas tree farm plants a new one for every one they sell.
6. It's fully biodegradable.
7. Thy candles shine so brightly! From base to summit, gay and bright, There's only splendor for the sight. O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! Thy candles shine so brightly!
Hope this helps.
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)My point is just that I can look out a window to admire trees, and they're actual, living trees, doing what trees do best.
Throd
(7,208 posts)Hoyt
(54,770 posts)appleannie1
(5,072 posts)All my kids and grandkids are scattered so we don't even decorate anymore.
Drunken Irishman
(34,857 posts)Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)ieoeja
(9,748 posts)Decorating trees with lights for the winter solstice, of course, predates Christianity. But people converting to Christianity didn't have to throw away all other traditions. Quite often those old traditions fit in so well with Christianity that they merged their new religion with the old tradition.
The Solstice Tree was celebrating the moment when the day stops shortening and begins lengthening instead. As dark is associate with "evil" and light with "good", this moment was observed as a turning from evil to good. Since Christians believe that Jesus' birth introduced a great good into the world, the Church decided the Winter Solstice would be a good time to celebrate his birth. The Solstice Tree then became the Christmas Tree for many people.
For other people, of course, it remained the Solstice Tree.
Amaya
(4,560 posts)Nye Bevan
(25,406 posts)I have a Christmas tree! -
11 Bravo
(23,928 posts)Hekate
(90,860 posts)I think it's made of willow and vines, but it's all gold and is perfect to hang my ornaments on every year. The craft store had taller ones, but this size fits on a table in the corner of the living room.
Ah, memories. We've got grandkids now (as I will tell anyone who listens) but when my daughter was a toddler and we also had a puppy (gah!) I actually set up the tree inside the playpen to keep it and the young critters safe. That's when I also embarked on a long term project of having ornaments that won't shatter if dropped.
Some people can't live without the scent of pine -- I find I can live quite well without the mounds of dried needles all over.
HereSince1628
(36,063 posts)Yes. NOT YET.
That is, imo, the most accurate answer I can provide.
ForgoTheConsequence
(4,869 posts)Chellee
(2,102 posts)Go Vols
(5,902 posts)need to get the Thanksgiving tree up this weekend.
Freddie
(9,275 posts)And DH is somewhat obsessive with finding the perfect tree. We will drive miles to all the cut-your-own farms around here to find the right one. Multi colored lights and the family collection of eclectic ornaments from "baby's first Christmas" (they're grown now) to Elvis.
But mainly I like to make a big deal of Christmas in memory of my Grandma, 21 years gone now, who made every Christmas special for all her grandkids and I'm trying to make memories for my kids and now there's a grandchild and next year there will be 2.
hack89
(39,171 posts)liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)It's just fun and it doesn't really have any relevance to Jesus. Christmas is what you make of it. I do get aggravated with stores who put up decorations before Halloween, but around the house we still love to put up a tree and decorations. We usually wait until a couple of weeks until Christmas though. My atheist daughter is actually dating a Jewish boy right now, so she is getting to share in his family traditions as well. It should be fun and interesting for her.
Manifestor_of_Light
(21,046 posts)Love to put up lights. Put one out in the yard with llghts too. We're Unitarians. We enjoy decorating. The real trees give me an instant headache--so we use a big plastic one.
LEDs are getting better every year. Hubby is a real Griswold!! (Former Electrical Engineering major--he got bored and switched to nuclear physics). He knows how to put all this stuff on extension cords and not fry his ass.
Daughter is an agnostic and she celebrates too. At my age I don't need anything, so the decorating and cooking are fun for me.
ileus
(15,396 posts)Same one we've used for 7 years now.
CFLDem
(2,083 posts)And my family isn't even religious.
'Holiday Tree' is just gutless foo-foo PC nonsense.
Unless it's like some sort of compromise tree in a multi-religious household...
liberal_at_heart
(12,081 posts)the tree has more of a Solstice history than Christmas history anyway. If you want to call it a Christmas tree, you should be able to. But someone who would rather refer to it as a Holiday tree should be able to that also.
nadinbrzezinski
(154,021 posts)And no way I would get the conures off it.