lynnerself
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Post by lynnerself on Dec 8, 2012 19:29:53 GMT -5
I'm thinking of not putting up a Christmas tree this year. We will be gone from the 15th to the 20th. We would need to go cut it and put it up and decorate tomorrow. I had a horrible migraine today. I need to clean house, shop for Christmas, get ready for a ski trip and catch up at work. And trust the house sitter to keep a tree watered. This would be the first year ever in my 58 years I've never had a tree. So I feel sad about it. Don't know what the kids will say when they come home for Christmas either. Have you ever had it be too much trouble?
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constanz22
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Post by constanz22 on Dec 8, 2012 19:42:03 GMT -5
I say every year I'm not going to bother! I live alone, nobody really comes here for Christmas. I don't even really like Christmas, so...The day is coming where I won't bother at all. I'm leaving for Florida tomorrow for 5 days so I REALLY almost skipped it this year. I actually ended up putting up a small table top fiber optic tree.
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Jake 48
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Post by Jake 48 on Dec 8, 2012 19:56:07 GMT -5
put up a tree on the 21st and have the kids decorate it when they are all there??
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2012 19:57:47 GMT -5
I'm thinking of not putting up a Christmas tree this year. We will be gone from the 15th to the 20th. We would need to go cut it and put it up and decorate tomorrow. I had a horrible migraine today. I need to clean house, shop for Christmas, get ready for a ski trip and catch up at work. And trust the house sitter to keep a tree watered. This would be the first year ever in my 58 years I've never had a tree. So I feel sad about it. Don't know what the kids will say when they come home for Christmas either. Have you ever had it be too much trouble? pre-lit artificial tree....goes up in minutes....don't have to worry about watering. I could never go back to a real tree.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2012 20:07:50 GMT -5
Many years since the kids left home we haven't had a tree. When we do have a tree it's an artificial one. It breaks me heart to cut a live tree. if you go to a tree farm, they are grown specifically to be cut down for xmas trees, it's not depleting the earth of trees.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2012 20:13:54 GMT -5
I'm too cheap to have a live tree any more. Although you can buy live ones from Lowe's (at least last year) for about $10, the Christmas tree lots and Christmas tree farms are expensive. There were a few times when we had to tie the tree to a nail in the wall to get it to stand up when the kids grow up. Never more.
Last year DH complained that my prelit artificial tree was too "bland." That is his favorite word for all of my decorating because I tend to go with neutrals. He wanted colored lights. So we bought a tree after Christmas and colored lights.
This was the first year that we weren't decorated by the day after Thanksgiving. I hate it. It's not like anyone else sees it, and I couldn't stand the clutter of the boxes we pulled out any more. I, um, got my message across, and the boxes are now gone. He has agreed we are "finished" even if we aren't.
I can honestly see us not "bothering" one day if we are going to wait until this late. That will make me really sad. I think that is when you REALLY know you are getting old: it is too much trouble to put up a tree.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 8, 2012 20:35:49 GMT -5
if you go to a tree farm, they are grown specifically to be cut down for xmas trees, it's not depleting the earth of trees. That would be okay, but around here we go out into the forest and cut them and that's where I have a problem. I'd much rather enjoy the tree for years in the forest. that's probably illegal to do where I live. when we cut down our own we went to a christmas tree farm. I much prefer the pre-lit fake tree.
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lurkyloo
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Post by lurkyloo on Dec 8, 2012 20:39:11 GMT -5
We're not doing a tree this year but then we'll be traveling...and I'd be really disappointed if the ILs didn't have a tree. If you're having people over, even just the kids, I'd probably go ahead. If you'll be back the weekend of the 23rd you can probably get a last-minute Charlie Brown kind of tree and make the kids help decorate it. Or you could compromise and get one of those smallish trees in a pot. Everyone wins, even lone
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taz157
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Post by taz157 on Dec 8, 2012 20:43:15 GMT -5
The first year DH and I lived in our current house, we didn't do a Christmas tree. We had just moved in about 3 weeks before, he wasn't living here full time as he still had things keeping up at our old house, it was too much trouble, and I don't think most of our Christmas stuff had make it down her yet. I think the only thing we had up was the Nativity scene.
However, we are the type to decorate at the last minute. Think the night of Christmas Eve going into Christmas Day. I "think" we are headed into a change though. DH collected tons of Hallmark ornaments over the years and he wanted to put up the majority of them over the years. Since DD has came along and just how it takes in general, he's decided that we won't do that anymore and we are going to severely trim down the amount of ornaments on the tree and sell the ones we don't want anymore.
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lynnerself
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Post by lynnerself on Dec 8, 2012 21:32:15 GMT -5
I love real trees. I would rather go without than get a fake one. We live where Christmas tree farms are everywhere. They are one of our biggest export crops. I will consider putting one up when we get back. But $45 for the tree to only be up 2 weeks seems steep. I guess not really in the total cost of Christmas. I'll see what the kids want to do, but I'm not getting it tomorrow.
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Jaguar
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Post by Jaguar on Dec 8, 2012 21:39:32 GMT -5
I stopped putting up a tree eons ago. I had crazy cats that would sit up in the tree and run up it. I got tired of broken antique ornaments. I had a huge ceramic tree that I sold in a garage sale a few years ago. I also had a beautiful porcelain angel that I donated to a raffle so others could have a Christmas.
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mollyanna58
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Post by mollyanna58 on Dec 8, 2012 21:57:08 GMT -5
I didn't put up a tree the first year I had my crazy dog; I was afraid she'd knock it over. Boy, did I hear it from my siblings when they came for Christmas day. I had a pre-lit tree for a couple of years, but each year another strand of lights would break and I'd have to put on light strings anyway. One December, I assembled it and put it out by the curb with a "free" sign. My neighbor took it in 5 minutes later.
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resolution
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Post by resolution on Dec 8, 2012 22:00:08 GMT -5
I gave away my old Christmas tree when I moved, so I didn't have a tree my first year in this house. We went to the in-laws for Christmas, but I still missed having a tree. We bought one the day after Christmas when they were on sale for $20. It is one of the pre-lit that is just three pieces that you stick together and then plug in. It took us a few minutes to put it together last weekend and then a half hour to hang ornaments. It does cheer me up when I go in the living room and see the tree and decorations so I think it was well worth the time.
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Dec 8, 2012 22:26:26 GMT -5
We never had a tree until last year, when I bought a 7' prelit one. All the places we'd lived were so tiny there was nowhere to display a tree without displacing half the living room furniture. I love the convenience of the prelit tree and it looks great at the top of the stairs... makes me happy whenever I see it.
We don't host Christmas or have kids and aren't THAT used to having a tree up yet, so if we didn't put it up one year it wouldn't be a big deal.
But if I went over to my mom's or MIL's to open gifts and there was no tree, it would be a little sad.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Dec 9, 2012 1:42:08 GMT -5
No tree for us this year either. We are in and out until after the first of the year. But I don't think we're gonna miss it because we will have many opportunities to enjoy trees at the places we will be visiting and staying.
PS: I agree with the person who said, "let the kids put the tree up when they come over."
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2012 7:54:58 GMT -5
I love real trees. I would rather go without than get a fake one. We live where Christmas tree farms are everywhere. They are one of our biggest export crops. I will consider putting one up when we get back. But $45 for the tree to only be up 2 weeks seems steep. I guess not really in the total cost of Christmas. I'll see what the kids want to do, but I'm not getting it tomorrow. I loved real trees until I got the pre-lit fake one. Not having to remember to water it. Not having to vacuum up needles until June. Not scraping up my arms putting the lights on. Not having to try and find branches that can hold heavier ornaments. I just use candles and these things you hang on the tree to make it smell real.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2012 7:56:27 GMT -5
PS: I agree with the person who said, "let the kids put the tree up when they come over."
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Dec 9, 2012 9:55:30 GMT -5
I like fake and pre-lit trees. DF wants a real one. This year I won. Next year, who knows? Since I'm the one who does it all, I'm thinking I should call it.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 9, 2012 11:05:13 GMT -5
I've got the little table top tree that was in TGH's hospital room. Since he died, I've put it up, but this year I just don't care. DD hung a Christmas towel in my bathroom. Does that count for decorating?
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skubikky
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Post by skubikky on Dec 10, 2012 14:48:46 GMT -5
DH and I have had fresh cut trees for many years. We have our own Christmas tree forest on our acreage so we just go out back and pick one. He orders seedlings from the Cornell Cooperative Extension each year and plants quite a few. That being said, haven't cut one yet.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Dec 10, 2012 14:53:23 GMT -5
We have a fake pre-lit tree because DH hates real ones. We have a white one now because DH broke our green one and I got to pick the new one. I wanted something different, I figure if I am going to go fake, go fake. It's plain by itself but looks really nice with my ornaments on it. I want to do a real tree at at least once when Gwen gets older. I have really fond memories of going to get the tree with my parents and I want to recreate that with Gwen. I decorate the day after Thanksgiving since I am already home that day. By the tiem I am done DH says it looks like Christmas threw up in our house.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Dec 10, 2012 15:01:23 GMT -5
I only put up "the tree" if I'm hosting Christmas dinner... which is every 3 years or so. The first year I didn't put up 'the tree' was weird == but I quickly got use to it. It's a huge pain in the ass for me to put up the tree. I have an artifical one but it's heavy and I really need some help to get it down from the attic. I've also got a million ornaments... and 60 year of christmas crap to deal with. I'm not that old - I've inherited the 'family' stuff.
I have some odds and ends of Christmas stuff I pull out every year so that I atleast make other people feel more comfortable in my house at the holiday. Apparently not having any Holiday stuff out makes other people unhappy or disquieted or something. Whatever. There's sooooo much Christmas stuff everywhere I find it kinda peaceful at home to NOT have so much stuff.
What I do have: A couple of faux potted pointsettia plants. I also swap around my collection of glassware - to the ruby glass. I may also put some ornaments and pine cones in glass baskets or the bigger clear vases. I have some snowman themed things for the kitchen and the bathroom. I do put faux garland on my front porch railings (with red ribbons) and an ever green wreath on my door. That's about as holiday as I get most years.
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andi9899
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Post by andi9899 on Dec 10, 2012 15:02:50 GMT -5
I'm thinking of not putting up a Christmas tree this year. We will be gone from the 15th to the 20th. We would need to go cut it and put it up and decorate tomorrow. I had a horrible migraine today. I need to clean house, shop for Christmas, get ready for a ski trip and catch up at work. And trust the house sitter to keep a tree watered. This would be the first year ever in my 58 years I've never had a tree. So I feel sad about it. Don't know what the kids will say when they come home for Christmas either. Have you ever had it be too much trouble? Yes! Last Christmas. I had my mom staying with me because she had a broken arm and leg. My youngest fell and broke her leg right after. I was working 2 jobs also in addition to the orthopedic ward I had on my main level of my house. A Christmas tree was the least of my worries.
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CarolinaKat
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Post by CarolinaKat on Dec 10, 2012 16:05:48 GMT -5
I have an artifical tree. With LED lights and shatterproof ornaments. I know some people think that a live tree is the only way to go, but since DF and i spend so much time visiting away from home for the holidays, the artifical works for us. Also with shatterproof ornamets, it's not a big deal if a kitty wants to play with one (or if the dog headbutts the christmas tree).
Full disclosure: I've never had a live christmas tree, and I inherited this one from my Grandmother. DF had never had an artifical tree until last year.
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Dec 10, 2012 16:10:45 GMT -5
I don't put up a tree, even though I generally host the holiday at my house. if I'm craving the scent of fresh pine in my house, I'll pick up a hearth log with greens. I almost did that today, but spaced out on my drive home. as the day's worn on, I can feel the crud settling in. I so totally jinxed myself last night when I said I was surprised that I'd managed to stay healthy while everyone else was getting sick - I have the immune system of a lab rat. how's your headache today? I hope it's gone by now.
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CarolinaKat
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Post by CarolinaKat on Dec 10, 2012 16:21:45 GMT -5
I don't put up a tree, even though I generally host the holiday at my house. if I'm craving the scent of fresh pine in my house, I'll pick up a hearth log with greens. I almost did that today, but spaced out on my drive home. as the day's worn on, I can feel the crud settling in. I so totally jinxed myself last night when I said I was surprised that I'd managed to stay healthy while everyone else was getting sick - I have the immune system of a lab rat. how's your headache today? I hope it's gone by now. Better on the new medication, but not entirely gone. I have to go see the neurologist again tomorrow so she can stare at me and wonder why the migraine is still here.
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Dec 10, 2012 16:23:19 GMT -5
ooh, I didn't notice you in here too, Kat. I was replying straight out to the OP, who had a nasty migraine over the weekend.
good to hear you're improving though. <hugs> do you think they can up the dose of the new meds and it might kill your migraine once and for all?
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CarolinaKat
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Post by CarolinaKat on Dec 10, 2012 16:34:45 GMT -5
ooh, I didn't notice you in here too, Kat. I was replying straight out to the OP, who had a nasty migraine over the weekend. good to hear you're improving though. <hugs> do you think they can up the dose of the new meds and it might kill your migraine once and for all? LOL! I thought since your post was just below mine you were talking to me We shall see how it goes tomorrow.
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chiver78
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Post by chiver78 on Dec 10, 2012 17:29:53 GMT -5
ooh, I didn't notice you in here too, Kat. I was replying straight out to the OP, who had a nasty migraine over the weekend. good to hear you're improving though. <hugs> do you think they can up the dose of the new meds and it might kill your migraine once and for all? LOL! I thought since your post was just below mine you were talking to me We shall see how it goes tomorrow. aw, it's all good. I do worry about you too, I just didn't see you here. I confess I didn't read the whole thread through before I hit reply. good luck tomorrow, let us know how it goes!
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lynnerself
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Post by lynnerself on Dec 10, 2012 18:42:24 GMT -5
ooh, I didn't notice you in here too, Kat. I was replying straight out to the OP, who had a nasty migraine over the weekend. good to hear you're improving though. <hugs> do you think they can up the dose of the new meds and it might kill your migraine once and for all? LOL! I thought since your post was just below mine you were talking to me We shall see how it goes tomorrow. OP here Migraine lasted from 5:30 am until about 2 pm and sucked up 1/2 a months worth of prescription drugs. I'm worried because I want to have a good supply to take on the ski vacation. Altitude and cold can be a trigger. Insurance has been bad about early refills for vacation. As to the tree. Not only no tree, but so far not even any decorations at all. I should have got them out Sunday. But all I managed was a little Christmas shopping. Still wiped out from head ache. Hopefully, one evening (of the next 4) I will get a little cleaning and decorating done.
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