Originally Posted By Lisann22 December 16, 2005 - Question of the day: What kind of Christmas tree do you like? Noble fir? The super bushy ones? Short and round, tall and thin? 3ft, 4ft, 5ft, 6ft, 7ft????? How do you decorate yours - theme, mish mash of stuff? One color lights, multi-color lights? Tinsel, garland, popcorn string? Real or fake? Aye yi yi!
Originally Posted By Kylesmom Nobel, but this year we cut our own so we didn't get that option. My family collects onaments on trips and we also have some special ones that are 30 years or more old. So our tree is a mish-mash w/ multi-colored net lights and a new (very pretty) silver star on top. We have a cat so no tinsel.
Originally Posted By Lisann22 We like the Nobels because the branches are spaced out so you can hang the ornaments and actually see them dangle. About 5 years ago we came across this tree - I can't remember the name of them, that have almost a blue-ish silver tips. They are beautiful. We have gotten them ever since. We like the multi-color lights. We usually put about 4 or 5 strings on a 5 foot tree - I really like my lights. Our ornaments are a bit of everything. Homemade from my sister and I when we were kids, little cousin treasures from year's past, the old Charlie Brown stripped kind, Hallmark collector's. My mom used to be a one strand at a time tinseler. Now we put beads usually. If we have time we tinsel it nicely. We never do artificial. Has to be a fresh tree. We also put one up on our porch. It's a red and silver tree with white lights. All the ornaments are red or red and silver. It's really beautiful.
Originally Posted By Labuda I do short (about 4 feet tall), and color, but no theme. Just ordered a second tree - white tinsel one - that will have the theme moved to it, and our other tree - a green pre-lit - will have mish-mash of gift ornaments, etc. Oh, and I prefer short & round.
Originally Posted By TiggerPooh1973 We always get a real tree, not sure what kind it is. We don't realy have much of a choice here. We have high ceilings, so we get a tree that is about 8 or 9 feet tall and bushy. We have a wide variety of ornaments. Lots of Disney ones. We do multi colored and white lights. We do garland and tinsel, and yes, the tinsel has to be put on one at a time! We also put one outside the front door, real tree again, about 6 feet tall with multicolored LED lights on it.
Originally Posted By Big Thunder I like a full tree, maybe Scotch Pine? I like em just tall enough so that when the finial top is on, it almost touches the ceiling. So 6' - 7' feet. As for ornaments, I like a variety, so I spoze I'm in the mish mash category. Most of our ornaments have some sort of meaning or story behind it. Over the years we have gathered many, from trips, gotten as gifts, bought for special occasions, etc. However some are simply what was in the box we bought. I like a variety of shiny bright balls and decorated balls, large/small. Then we add shapes, homemade ornaments, Disneyland ornaments etc. As for theme, we have never actually set out to do a theme, however over the years I have accumulated many DisneyLAND ornaments. Things specific to DisneyLAND, as a well as a few general Disney ornaments. It was never my intent to do a Disney theme, however I have almost enough now that I would like to do a separate Disneyland theme tree some year in my office. As for lights I have always done multicolored, as for quantity, I'd say it's average, usually 3 or 4 strings, however many that is? As for colors, I like a green tree, non-flocked. None of that California neon pink or metallic silver tree for me thank you. Not even a white tree. Pine trees are green folks, yes in their natural habitat they get white snow on them outside, but in the house the snow would melt, so my Christmas trees are natural green. When I was a kid sometimes we'd lightly spray some white flock from an aerosol can, that's as far as I'll go. Real or Fake? I prefer a real tree, but 10 years ago I bought an artificial tree for around $200, it was marked down after Christmas from a much higher original price. It was the nicest, most real looking artificial tree I had ever seen, so I bought it. For the last 4 years I've been telling my wife "This is the last year I am using this fake tree, it is getting a bit ragged and I miss a real Christmas tree" She laughed at me this year when I said it. In my defense, I figure we used to spend anywhere between $50-$85 per real tree before I bought the artie, so it has definitely paid for itself and still people see it and they are surprised it's not real when I tell them.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom I have a fake tree, its fiber optic and easy to set up. My in-laws are from Virginia and always have a ceder tree. Apparently using ceder trees for christmas trees is very popular in the Richmond, VA area. You try to get a tree with lots of blue berries on it. The trees smell incredible and look pretty good too. Back in Rhode Island its popular to have a blue spruce tree for a Christmas tree.
Originally Posted By Big Thunder oh forgot a few things... once when I was a kid I strung popcorn because I'd seen it in movies and cartoons, but overall I didnt like the look. It was the only time I did it. A few years ago we used shinny colored bead type garland, I think it was different strings of red and green? But that's not the norm for me. Traditionally my family has been a tinsel using family. I didn't like it as a kid, I wanted bright fluffy garland like my friend's' trees, but for the last 20 years if I use anything after lights and ornaments, it's tinsel. Hanging tinsel is an art IMO. I usually get frustrated because my wife hangs it differently with less care, and lil Thunder wants to join also, which is a good thing, but thats like two or more people trying to texture a wall, it's a unique art and it needs to be done delicately and with consistency. Then, after the tinsel is on.. I cuss at it for the next 2 weeks, because it gets messed up so easily. People touching it. Putting gifts under the tree, my cat Figaro wanting to play with it, just the wind from opening an door or someone walking by it messes it up. For those reasons, I have gone sin tinsel a few years but then my girls whine and I go back to hanging it on. And THEN... I cuss at it a even weeks after the holidays while vacuuming because that stuff just doesn't wanna leave.
Originally Posted By Lisann22 Maybe that is the type of tree we've been getting a Blue Spruce. They almost glow.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom Blue Spruces look great. You just don't want one to fall on you! Ouch!
Originally Posted By Lisann22 <<<it's a unique art and it needs to be done delicately and with consistency.>>> Took my mom 2 weeks to complete. 1 strand at a time. We went through boxes and boxes of tinsel each year. Boy, were those trees beautiful.
Originally Posted By wahooskipper Here in Florida I can't seem to keep a real tree alive until Christmas Day so we have a very tall fake one that looks pretty good when decorated but I do miss the smells. When I lived in Ohio we used to not only get a real tree, but we bought them alive...with their root balls...and we planted them in the yard after Christmas. Each summer someone is probably shading themselves under one of my old Christmas trees.
Originally Posted By melekalikimaka I loved tinsel when I was a kid. I also thought it was funny how we would find tinsel in the house months later. I also remember getting tinsel cuts (like paper cuts). Ouch. I prefer the trees that have spaces between the branches and I do not like the bushy trees. I can never remember the name of the tree I like. We have always had fake trees and I am sick of them. I really, really want a real tree next year. I do have tons of cedar boughs in my house this year. I love the smell and the look of greenery everywhere.
Originally Posted By Lisann22 Kitty cats and tinsel don't mix though. We've had several holiday trips to the vet due to one of our kitties not being able to "pass" the tinsel. ;>
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan I like artificial ones. Nothing puts me in a Scrooge-like mood faster than fighting to get a tree in the stand, having to hack off brances, getting sap all over my hands, etc. And that's even before the fight with the lights. Ugh. I like real trees in other people's homes, though! ; )
Originally Posted By SuzieQ Real, Noble, minimum 7 ft. Multi-color lights. Mish Mash of ornaments. No tinsel, no garland.
Originally Posted By Lisann22 Can't put candy canes on the tree, between the kitties and dogs the tree would be on it's side. It's bad enough that they play hockey with the ornaments.
