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 Expert
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Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | I've never had a real christmas tree but always wanted one. What are your opinions on them? And what all needs to be done to prepare for one and what needs to be done while you have it. We are just a little worried with having our wood burner in the same room as it...will that make it dry out faster? |
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  Fact Checker
Posts: 16572
  
Location: Displaced Iowegian | Yes. a wood burner will make it dry out much faster......If you get one, put it as far away from the wood burner as possible. I also would not get it until a week or so before Christmas. You should have a stand that you can put water in to keep it hydrated. Frankly, they smell good but that is the only advantage to a "real" tree......lol...AND they shed needles...... |
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 The Original Cyber Bartender
Location: Washington | I put up my real tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. But here is the deal we go cut it at Christmas tree farms. It is always near our fireplace but we water the tree twice a day. I feel guilty when I take it down the day after Christmas because it is still so alive. I leave it in the tree stand and the birds enjoy it's cover for the winter. Fraiser Fir IMHO last longer and because of the shorter needles they shed less. Love my fresh trees. |
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 Thread Killer
Posts: 7543
| I grew up on a tree farm...still live here although the tree farm idea has faded and now my dad calls it a wildlife sanctuary. LOL. We don't sell them anymore, but we do have a real one every year.
I guess, for me, pine needles were a way of life. Setting up my grandma's fake tree was a nightmare that I'd like to forget. That was WAY more complicated than I could have ever imagined. Heavy, ugly, and fake. Alergies are one thing, but I can't quite understand people freaking out about pine needles in the carpet, especially if they have pets! There's far more filth from your fur babies embedded in your carpet. Pine needles....They come out, people.
Just cut the thing down, put it in the tree stand, and keep it hydrated. Your wood burner will speed the drying out but if you keep on it (and it's NOT a hard job) you should be fine. Nothing quite like the smell of pine at Christmas time.
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Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | Dang it...I think it will be too close to it. I just think the fake ones either really do look FAKE and bare or they cost a crap ton of money. |
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 California Cowgirl
Posts: 14973
Location: California | I love them but my male dog pees on them so we go artificial.
I wonder if a $20 humidifer from WalMart would help with the drying out? |
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6437
Location: Montana | We've never had anything but a real tree. Real trees are SOOO great...they have a wonderful smell, and are so pretty. I would imagine a wood burner would make it dry out faster, but I would just make sure it has plenty of water (we water our's about once a day, but we do have humidifiers running in our house at all times because we have dry weather any ways). We usually put our tree up somewhere around the 8-10th of December, and it stays up until after the new year (usually is down by the 6th of January, which is the Feast of the Epiphany...you're supposed to leave them up until then in the Catholic religion). But I can't ever imagine not having a real tree. I guess that is just the way I grew up. :)
ETA: We've never had an issue with our dogs thinking the tree is an indoor bathroom, though we do joke about it. The only trouble we have had is the cat trying to climb the tree and tipping it over.
Edited by mtcanchazer 2014-11-15 9:02 PM
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 No Tune in a Bucket
Posts: 2935
Location: Texas | I spent a boat load of money on a fake tree about 6 years ago. It was pre-lit and huge and I thought it was great---until some of the lights didn't work. I bought lights and added my on lights. Last year a bought a real tree and I was so much happier. The real tree was very pretty and less and $40. I spent way over $100 for the fake one. Now the fake is in a big box in the storage and I will never use it again. |
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 The Color Specialist
Posts: 7530
Location: Washington. (The DRY side.) | I HATE fake trees. It's either REAL, or nothing! |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | I'm a fake girl. Every square inch is covered with colored twinkle lights and ornaments, so you can't see the tree anyway.  |
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Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | I saw a tree at a store a few weeks ago that I actually liked. It looked REAL! But it was very expensive. My mom and dad went there last night and it was on sale so they bought it for us. I can't wait to put it up!! |
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 Expert
Posts: 1718
Location: Southeast Louisiana | lexyy12 - 2014-11-15 4:28 PM
Dang it...I think it will be too close to it. I just think the fake ones either really do look FAKE and bare or they cost a crap ton of money.
Yep!
I want one of the expensive trees, but haven't found one yet at a good enough sale price, lol. |
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Fact Checker
Posts: 16572
Location: Displaced Iowegian | lexyy12 - 2014-11-16 9:48 AM I saw a tree at a store a few weeks ago that I actually liked. It looked REAL! But it was very expensive. My mom and dad went there last night and it was on sale so they bought it for us. I can't wait to put it up!!
I am happy to see that you got a tree….We did the old trek to the woods and cut down a tree until the boys were teenagers. They loved the adventure and we had some awesome (and some pretty awful) REAL trees. When it got to be a chore, we changed to an artificial. It was so real looking that it fooled one of my friends (who had seen some of our trees). She commented….wow……John and the boys did good this year……LOL
It was expensive but I have never missed the real and used that tree for 15 years……then passed it to my son……Now I plop out several fiber optic trees and call the house decorated. Have fun and enjoy decorating your "new" tree! |
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 Winner winner chicken dinner
Posts: 2047
Location: California | We always go and cut our tree down. My husband's b-day is Dec 7th, so usually we cut it down the weekend after that. We usually take it down before the New Year and then let our goats have it as a treat. They skin it down to bare bark in about a week's time.
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 Expert
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Location: SE Louisiana | Just Plain Lucky - 2014-11-15 4:27 PM
I grew up on a tree farm...still live here although the tree farm idea has faded and now my dad calls it a wildlife sanctuary. LOL. We don't sell them anymore, but we do have a real one every year.
I guess, for me, pine needles were a way of life. Setting up my grandma's fake tree was a nightmare that I'd like to forget. That was WAY more complicated than I could have ever imagined. Heavy, ugly, and fake. Alergies are one thing, but I can't quite understand people freaking out about pine needles in the carpet, especially if they have pets! There's far more filth from your fur babies embedded in your carpet. Pine needles....They come out, people.
Just cut the thing down, put it in the tree stand, and keep it hydrated. Your wood burner will speed the drying out but if you keep on it (and it's NOT a hard job) you should be fine. Nothing quite like the smell of pine at Christmas time.
OK.. I always topped the tree.... as in... cut off the top 4 or 5 feet and left the rest to keep growing... and we always had a wood burner... I did it about 10 days before Christmas and took it down Jan. 2nd. Keeping the base in water is a must. Cat and dog owners beware..
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Expert
Posts: 1718
Location: Southeast Louisiana | phillyincal - 2014-11-16 11:49 AM
We always go and cut our tree down. My husband's b-day is Dec 7th, so usually we cut it down the weekend after that. We usually take it down before the New Year and then let our goats have it as a treat. They skin it down to bare bark in about a week's time.
Those are some nice looking Nubians!
Donkeys look like they're jealous. |
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Expert
Posts: 4121
Location: SE Louisiana | Nita - 2014-11-16 11:59 AM
phillyincal - 2014-11-16 11:49 AM
We always go and cut our tree down. My husband's b-day is Dec 7th, so usually we cut it down the weekend after that. We usually take it down before the New Year and then let our goats have it as a treat. They skin it down to bare bark in about a week's time.
Those are some nice looking Nubians!
Donkeys look like they're jealous.
Those ARE some nice looking Nubians... I never liked them much but I grew up around the quieter Lamanchas. |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | I have never ever had a fake tree and never will. I've cut my own as well as just buying them. They smell fantastic and really aren't much work. Just keep the water level up. As far as shedding needles, we have a good sized skirt under our tree that most of the needles fall on (which isn't THAT many). We usually get our tree the first weekend of December and keep it up till at least a week after Christmas day. |
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Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | We had our first real snowfall of the year last night and it's still coming down. Now I'm in the mood for christmas!! We are going to put the tree and decorations up tonight!! Ready for our first christmas in our new home!!! :-) |
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 Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | Fake is the way to go! We have bought real trees for years. I'm one of those that wants the biggest, fullest tree I could fit under the ceiling. So the "live" trees would run us between $80 and $100 for something that is gonna die and loose its needles within a month. Lol. Last year, we bought a beautiful, fake tree. Ain't lookin' back. |
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 Texas Taco
Posts: 7499
Location: Bandera, TX | We take it a step further at my parents' hous: Real tree with REAL candles.
You have to be smart about where to put the candles, keep an eye on it, and of course keep all pets away from it. My mom is very experienced at that. I'm always worried that the house will catch on fire.... However, for me this is what Christmas is supposed to be like - been like that for the past 42 years.... hopefully many more. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1182
Location: Do I hear Banjos? | We go with a real tree. I'm firmly in the GO Real or Go without camp! But...I'm also kinda into saving cash...so...we generally cut our own...and it's actually a cedar tree! No allergies here so it works great for us. Smells wonderful and needles stay ON. They last a very long time despite the wood stove across the room.
So for us Free and Real is the way to go. |
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 Firecracker Dog Lover
Posts: 3175
| We cut our own and make memories doing it. We spend an entire day in the woods, find that perfect tree, play in the snow, have a campfire, eat chili and hot dogs, hot chocolate (and if you are over 21 - some Peppermint schnapps can be added) and have a grand ole time with whoever cares to join us. We usually have no less than 10 -15 people along. Makes for a fun, fun day. I personally LOVE a noble fir - they are my favorite - because they usually have even branches with room for ornaments to hang between limbs. Sadly since I moved to where I am now the closest I can come is a sub alpine fir. But I have cut my share of Douglas fir and grand fir over the years. But no spruce - too prickly! We want to see pictures when you have it up and decorated! |
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 Toy Story Fanatic
Posts: 4148
Location: Oregon | Always have a fresh tree. I put it up 10-14 days before Christmas and take it down New Years Day. My house is normally about 80 degrees...well used to be till my Grandma passed recently. But then I live in Clackamas County-there are tree farms EVERYWHERE!
http://www.sunset.com/travel/northwest/oregon-the-christmas-tree-capital |
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 Hugs to You
Posts: 7551
Location: In The Land of Cotton | My father was a produce man all his life. He always told me that if I ever got a fake tree he would come back and haunt me. I always get a real tree.
We used to get them about 2 weeks out from Christmas. Now I get one the Thanksgiving weekend and enjoy it longer. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1432
Location: Never in one place long | We used to always get a real tree when I was a kid... we have a fake one, I love being able to get it out whenever I want and reusing the same one. The real trees to me were a pain, had to go out in the cold and cutting down one tree per year seems wastful to me and the darn needles and water used to get everywhere. Call me a grinch but I just don't see the point... I could see the exciting side of having a REAL tree and the good smell being a draw though....not for me. |
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Expert
Posts: 1432
Location: Never in one place long | lexyy12 - 2014-11-16 9:48 AM
I saw a tree at a store a few weeks ago that I actually liked. It looked REAL! But it was very expensive. My mom and dad went there last night and it was on sale so they bought it for us. I can't wait to put it up!!
Check craiglist and facebook County/City for sale sites! People are selling fake trees ALL over and go for about $20-$50 and can use every year. |
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 I Don't Brag
Posts: 6960
| I curse my friend who introduced me to the Frasier Fir. The smell is intoxicating and addictive and they tend to be more expensive. I have been lucky and less picky about size and structure and been able to but one late in the season for under $20. I tell myself not to bother with a tree until I smell a FF. If I made a perfume it would have the FFir as a base note!
As far as when to buy, keeping it from drying out, I have heard both ways. GO out and cut fresh, but then we've hauled Christmas trees and they say that if they are not cut before it gets cold, they will dry out faster. I do keep a cool mist humidifier going all winter long to keep the air from getting too dry. It cuts down on dry mucus membranes (dry ones help cold proliferate), static shock and the Christmas from drying out faster. Also you can try adding some clear soda/pop to the water. It is supposed to help cut flowers last longer so why not Christmas trees? |
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