Seasonal Christmas Talk

[Huntn]

Chapter 2020: Trees- Real, Artificial, or No Way Jose, plus decorating

I was recently heard a report on NPR about the price of real Christmas trees skyrocketing and selling for $150 in large cities, and I looked at our $350 artificial tree pre-wired with lights and felt pretty good about it.

Although raised Presbyterian, briefly a church member in my teens, now Agnostic, with a non-practicing Catholic wife (who sounds more agnostic every day) we like Xmas trees as decore, more a nostalgic feeling, although they are a lot more work if you take the time to load them with ornaments.

I’ve also scaled back my outside decore, a couple of strands of lights on some bushes, 3 Wise Pink Flamingoes, and a newly made pineapple wreath over the dining room window (Wife’s request). I’ve semi-vowed no more ladder work for decoration, although I violated that briefly to put the wreath up, but that is a good trade off with wrapping tree trunks with lights.

 

[DT]

We (talking my family, i.e., wife and daughter) always had a live tree, then a fews years ago we had back-to-back Christmas trips planned, NYC, then Montreal, so knowing we wouldn't be home we decided to get an artificial.

It's a beautiful tree from Balsam Hill, pre-lighted, great design in terms of assembly, nice storage/carry bag, very realistic. It's around 6', not huge, we use that tree in front of the house (I can see it right from my seat here in the downstairs office).

Last year / this year, we and went back to a bigger live tree for the TV room. In the stand - which is this neat one we got several years ago, it uses the hole the tree lots use, so easy and stable - it's around 100" tall Tons of lights, ornaments, it gets the "special" odds and ends, like ornaments from travel, homemade stuff and whatnot.

We decorate ours stairs with garland and lights, same for the deck/glass doors, fireplace mantel, various Xmas accoutrements all around the house We do lights in the yard, just around the smaller trees/shrubs, stuff that doesn't require a ladder, some nice bows on the front porch lights (and the mailbox), and last year we got this really nice set of lighted deer/sled, very simple, elegant, we put that way out in the yard, so it's sort of isolated against an unlit background, very neat effect.

 

[lizkat]

Heh, not to politicize the thread but this remark about Advent calendars in 2020 had me in stitches:

 

[DT]

Oh yeah, and our constantly rotating group of Xmas flicks, the "Big 3", mostly, Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story, and Elf

 

[Joe]

I have a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree lol

That is the extent of my decorations during the holidays.

 

[Chew Toy McCoy]

I have a 2' fake tree I've been using for forever. When I was a kid we used to drive up into the hills every year and cut down our tree, but my parents have been rocking the fake tree thing for at least the past decade.

I didn't do any Christmas decorating this year because the year has been shit and I'm just not feeling it. My parents just did some outdoor decorations but nothing inside including not putting up the tree. Traditionally I've gone to their house for Christmas eve/day, but this year we're going to our cabin which we also did for Thanksgiving. It's a great mellow time and a great excuse to get out of other seasonal gathering obligations we'd rather not go to, especially this year with wondering how serious some people are taking covid.

 

[lizkat]

Long ago gave up on a real tree inside the house while I had a couple kittycats always willing to help decorate. They're gone now but I've been sticking to approximately the same nod to holiday decor for long enough it's become my tradition.

The little tree is an antique fake rescued from ignominy when the general store was closing, and its attic was disgorging over a hundred years' worth of seasonal and other surprises from up in there. The proprietor threw in the angel and drummer boy and said if I didn't take them she'd be back with a crate more of stuff, so "count your Xmas tribulations as blessings while they're still few enough to put away easily". LOL !! All I did was make a few paper-backed fabric ornaments (again with a nod to the cats) and set it up on a red and gold draping of more fabric.

 

[Gutwrench]

I haven’t put up a tree or any decorations for ten years or longer.

 

[DT]

Holy Fudge ...

 

[Huntn]

Oh yeah, and our constantly rotating group of Xmas flicks, the "Big 3", mostly, Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story, and Elf

Christmas Vacation and It’s A Wonderful Life.

 

[Huntn]

I haven’t put up a tree or any decorations for ten years or longer.

Honestly if not for the wife I probably would not mess with a tree real or artificial, but would rely on something more modest like so:

It’s fake too, lol. ​

 

[DT]

Honestly if not for the wife I probably would not mess with a tree real or artificial, but would rely on something more modest like so:

View attachment 1994
It’s fake too, lol. ​

Yeah, we have kind of the same, it's lighted.

BTW, if you ever get tired at staring up at TV that's mount 50 feet off the ground, look into a product called a Mantel Mount, it's pretty fantastic.

 

[Huntn]

Yeah, we have kind of the same, it's lighted.

BTW, if you ever get tired at staring up at TV that's mount 50 feet off the ground, look into a product called a Mantel Mount, it's pretty fantastic.

The bottom is only 6’ high. I probably have to tilt my head up about 15 degrees not uncomfortable, used to it , and doubt I or the wife would like the TV hanging down in front of the mantel.

 

[Gutwrench]

Honestly if not for the wife I probably would not mess with a tree real or artificial, but would rely on something more modest like so:

View attachment 1994
It’s fake too, lol. ​

Is that yours? It’s lovely.

 

[Huntn]

Is that yours? It’s lovely.

Yes, our mantle.

 

[DT]

The bottom is only 6’ high. I probably have to tilt my head up about 15 degrees not uncomfortable, used to it , and doubt I or the wife would like the TV hanging down in front of the mantel.

That's the thing it easily swing up to sit nearly flush with the wall over the mantel, it's a very cool piece of engineering. It looks like ours is at about 6' at the 3/4 point up from the bottom, but it's not quite all the way down (as not to smash the garlands).

I definitely couldn't do the front-row height, if not for this, we'd probably have it on the non-fireplace wall.

Sorry, hahaha, this is not very Christmas-y chit chat

 

[Gutwrench]

Yes, our mantle.

Looks good! I have a couple tvs mounted above mantels and high on walls. They‘re in large rooms so the height is fine.

 

[Gutwrench]

Holy Fudge ...


View attachment 1993

Meh, it’s just me and just another day in my view. I certainly don’t judge anyone who likes to be festive. But happy holidays!

 

[Renzatic]

Meh, it’s just me and just another day in my view. I certainly don’t judge anyone who likes to be festive. But happy holidays!

Every Christmas Eve, I lock myself in a dark room, light a single candle, and sing Christmas carols to myself in a sad voice while I eat cold ravioli straight out of the can with my fingers.

It's how I spent my holidays as a child, and it's since become something of a tradition.

 

[Gutwrench]

Every Christmas Eve, I lock myself in a dark room, light a single candle, and sing Christmas carols to myself in a sad voice while I eat cold ravioli straight out of the can with my fingers.

It's how I spent my holidays as a child, and it's since become something of a tradition.

I usually lie in my bed in the dark staring at the ceiling.