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Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,941
Registered: ‎03-30-2010

OK, I know that the faux trees are easy to set up and take down and the ones that are pre-lit make adding the lights a non-issue.

 

Having said that, I'd still rather have a real tree grown right here in NC than a hunk of plastic from China.   Obviously, there are people who just can't have a natural tree for all sorts of reasons, but, as long as I am able to do a real tree, I'm going to.

 

Some of my favorite Christmas memories are of my dad and I going to get the tree from a local seller or driving out to a farm to cut our own.   The scent of those trees was wonderful and filled the house with Christmas.  I grew up in PA and we had tree farms there as well.

 

Anyone else feel the same about real trees?

Frequent Contributor
Posts: 82
Registered: ‎09-20-2014
Real trees are beautiful. Enjoy yours.
Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,239
Registered: ‎03-11-2010

di-mc--Currently living in Fraser fir farm country in the NC mtns.  Nothing is better! 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,758
Registered: ‎01-18-2012

We always have a real tree but I did check out the artificial ones this year and could not believe how expensive some of them are.  Will stay with our real tree and all the decorations from all previous years.  We do buy some new items each year though.  Enjoy your trees.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,264
Registered: ‎03-15-2010

I do feel the same way.  However, real trees were getting so expensive.  Also, you have to take your tree stand to see how many branches on the bottom needed to be cut off.  Then there was always a bad side of the tree.  And, some of my heavier ornaments wouldn't stay where I put them.  Oh, and then you have to struggle with lights.

 

So, a few years ago we bought a fake tree and I love it.  It's up in 5 minutes, no bad side, my ornaments stay where I want them and no watering.  And, the lights are already on it.  To get the smell of a Christmas tree I buy branches from where they sell trees and decorate with them.

 

When the kids were young we would go out for a tree and it was fun.  But, then they grew up and I grew old.

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,239
Registered: ‎03-11-2010

winkk--I smiled when I read your reply.  When I was very,very young, my parents didn't have a lot of money.  Santa brought our tree so my Dad would wait until Christmas eve and buy 2 trees for a song.  Then, he would take branches from one and drill holes in the trunk of the other and put them in to fill in the bare spots.  He would use heavy black thread to tie the branch up higher on the trunk (think triangle) so that it would stay in place and ornaments could hang nicely.  A lot of work for him but done with a lot of love. 

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,504
Registered: ‎05-22-2014

Enjoy your real tree.  There is nothing like it.  We used to put up two every year.  Then things changed as we grew old.  We do appreciate our artificial tree now.

 

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,941
Registered: ‎03-30-2010

Meezerpleezer,

 

What a great story!

 

My mom's parents came here from N. Italy.  Evidently, Christmas trees weren't the tradiiton there because my mom said she recalls when they didn't have a tree.  However, one Christmas she found some branches a neighbor had thrown out, she brought them home, put them in a bucket and added some home made decorations.  Every year after that, they had an honest to goodness Christmas tree!

Respected Contributor
Posts: 2,239
Registered: ‎03-11-2010

di-mc  Christmas memories are the best!  Sharing them is even better.  Thanks for sharing yours.

Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,643
Registered: ‎07-30-2014

I love a real tree, too.  I've lived in Arkansas for 10 years now, and before I started using a white, artificial tree, I was always buying a real one.  It's funny that living in the "Natural State" is not really conduscive to finding a fresh Christmas tree.  Pine trees are not as plentiful in Arkansas as they are in my former state of residece (PA), so they have to bring  in Christmas trees from other areas.  Even if I put a real tree up in the second week of December, I'd always find it to be pretty dead by Christmas.  Fresh cut is not an option here.