Irregular Christmas Tradition

[mrdreamjeans]

When I was a child in Pennsylvania, our family made a big deal of going to a tree farm to pick out our Christmas tree. The freshly cut tree would be taken home on the top of the car or in the back of the truck, taken into the house in its place of honor, put in the stand and then the decorating began. After we moved to Texas (and a very different climate) in 1967, my Mom's allergies escalated, partially due to Dad's pipe smoking. Real Christmas trees were banned from the house.

Thus, a new tradition was born. We bought an artificial tree. Instead of the aroma of fresh pine, every year we dust off plastic branches in descending order of size, put them in the right holes, then the decorating begins. We've used the same fake tree now for close to 40 years. It's not the warm, fuzzy memory you'd like to have, but after so many years, it's a family tradition.

I've tried to improve the look of the tree over the years and think I've done a decent job the past two Christmases. I've added blue hydrangeas and white poinsettias to fill in some of the gaps; I put up blue lights, garland and about 50 ornaments in blue, white and silver. Tinsel is added at the end. Here's the completed product!

Comments

[nudewoody.livejournal.com]

I know someone who has an aluminum tree fetish. I think he has something like 3 dozen, puts up all of them every year.

[sparkle-n-fur.livejournal.com]

Uh... can I put you on the "top" of my tree this year?

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

I have a friend there in San Francisco that has themed Christmas trees, one for every room in his home, including the bath:) They are actually very fun ... especially, the teddy bear tree!

Happy Holidays! HUGS!

[mikeybill.livejournal.com]

Very pretty - hope you all have a great time.

[bruinwi.livejournal.com]

I would not have thought of the hydrangeas. They're a nice touch.

Thank the Maker for the Gay gene; how else could tacky things be made to look so gorgeous!

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

Yes indeed! I'm already plotting a different scheme for next year's tree:)

Have a wonderful holiday! Glad to hear that your performances with the ballet and chorus have gone so well!

Big Hugs!

[sparkle-n-fur.livejournal.com]

You did a fine job and I understand the 40 year old tree. My Sister inherited ours. I still remember the smell your hands get from the twisted metal branches. Ours were color coded with paint on the tips.

There were always one or two that could not be deciphered until the finished product and there was that one branch that was far too big to be up there near the top.

I got punched in the arm yearly by my sister for that mistake.

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

Looks like your sister was looking for an excuse to punch you:) Our tree has the color-coding system. The paint is really starting to fade after 40 years. So that we don't get the size of branches wrong, when we disassemble the tree we group the branches and tie them together with twine. It works well.

Happy Holidays!

[bearnight.livejournal.com]

I much prefer a dead fake tree to a live one. I get the "pleasure" of spending a few hours each year dragging home a live tree and putting up - then listening to complaints that one side has holes or something. Christmas should be enjoyable - not a rush of work up to the 25th, then a big let down. Bahumbug.

I remember our fake tree having color coded stems. You had to match the stem to the colored hole.

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

We have the color code, though fading. As to stopping the undeserved criticism ... Buy you some hydrangeas or poinsettias to plug those holes, Bubba, or use them to plug the mouths of the harpies:) Dad bitched and moaned about putting up the tree; whined about helping ... he didn't have the balance ... I wasn't doing it right ...etc ... But I got it up and I'm happy with it! So Merry Friggin Christmas! *grin*

Big HUGS!

[musicbearmn.livejournal.com]

I like it. :)

[quietdanmn.livejournal.com]

Lovely! I love the blue, and hydrangeas. Our tree has white and red poinsettias, along with doves.

I've had both real and artificial trees, and they both have advantages. At my house, it is preferred to go with the artificial, for a variety of reasons. We have a fold-up model, that comes in 3 pieces. I'll post a picture of it later this weekend.

For the real pine scent though, my sister and I get a fresh wreath or swag each year. Our preference is for a "winter" decoration on it, so we can have it beyond Christmas.

Happy Christmas!

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

That's smart planning!

Happy Holidays and thanks for your lovely card!

Big HUGS!

[designerotter.livejournal.com]

How beautiful ! The hydrangeas really make it sing.

When I was a child in Pennsylvania (yup, me too)we always had a real Douglas fir. As an adult, I've never had a tree of my own ... but that's OK because I always celebrated at the family manse. Besides, before getting into theatre I did a stretch in window display, and decorated about eight trees each year for the department store.
Now the family tree at my brother's house is a good artificial one ... has been for years. Actually those old ones were often very high quality and amazingly convincing. Beautiful is... beautiful.

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Joe! Coming from a designer, that's a wonderful compliment. Isn't it funny how our persepctive on holidays ... and on weekend activities ... is so different because our work is other folks' entertainment? For instance, most years New Years Eve is no big deal for me. I'm usually performing right up to the clock hitting midnight and then I'm too tired to go out to parties:) Course, in my 20s, that was another story ... *grin*

Have a terrific Christmas in California! Big HUGS!

[designerotter.livejournal.com]

...an interesting observation - and so true. Someone ought to write a book (perhaps a collection of essays from various people), something on the order of "Holidays From the Other Side."

...A heartfelt Merry Christmas to you, dear friend - along with Big Hugs from sunny California !

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

nicely done!

I have a 6' artificial tree that I bought 3 years ago for less than $20 at Big Lots and looks pretty darned good if you ask me although I did do the live tree too and grew up with live Christmas trees but living in an apartment it's much simpler to go artificial however.

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

Thanks, John! Have a Happy Christmas!

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

You too Neil!

[notdefined.livejournal.com]

An irregular tradition?? I hope you don't have to take something for it. I hate it when I'm irregular. hehehehe
We had an awful white artificial tree when I was growing up. Both my baby brother and myself were pretty severe asthmatics so we could not have a live tree (nor puppies or kittens). My mother had ornaments that were collected through the years, many of which were older than me, and I had my favorite clear purple ball. I would put it on the tree every year in an out of the way place so I would be the only one who would see it. We also had strings of bubble lights, that were so old that I just new Moses brought down from the mountain in his other arm. My sister surprised me a few years ago with a couple strings of bubble lights for our tree! I had a real tree for years after I was on my own. Not long after Morgan and I got together, we decided that an artificial tree was not only easier to take care of, but did not drop needles, pose a fire risk or fascinate the dogs the way a real one does. Ours are not very old, but we saw one at Michael's last week that one would be hard pressed to distinguish it from a real tree. It even feels like a real tree with perfectly shaped spruce needles. Just think what they will be like in a couple more years, complete with the aroma and gobs of sticky sap!

I think I can see light! More hydrangeas!!!!!!!!!!!

[bearhedded.livejournal.com]

"an irregular tradition".....I bet it's because he's following the advice from Linda, (rule #1) in his earlier post, about avoiding crudite's....

"...complete with aroma and gobs of sticky sap!" That's been around since I was a kid. My brother and I are allergic to trees, as well, and had an early "realistic" fake (HAH! looked like a pile of green toilet brushes!) The trouble is, it was made of real tree sap, and would've caused the same ailments!

Re: I think I can see light! More hydrangeas!!!!!!!!!!!

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

I've never seen the artificial ones with sap. Sounds yucky:)

There's a 4th hydrangea bunch on the side of tree not in the picture. I will consider more bunches for next year:) No more holes!

Have a wonderful holiday and here's to a happy, healthy, success-filled 2007 for both of us! Big Hugs!

Re: I think I can see light! More hydrangeas!!!!!!!!!!!

[bearhedded.livejournal.com]

"No more holes!"

If there's another bunch I can't see, I guess there ARE no holes!

Maybe I'm seeing silver & white decorations in folial configurations!

Happy Holiday Hugs back at you!

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

I should have tried my first poll to see how many people put up artificial trees versus real ones:) We had a set of Christmas ornaments that we put up every year for decades. Sadly, only one ornament remains intact from my childhood which is why I created this themed tree for Mom. She loves the colors because it matches most everything in the living room:)

I saw an artificial tree similar to the one you describe at Garden Ridge Pottery. It looked so real; even after I touched it several times, it still seemed real. It had the old-fashioned large candle-light shaped bulbs on it in bright colors. If it had been a regular year for me, I might have purchased it. Couldn't afford it. Perhaps next Christmas ... By that time, I will have met you:)

Have a wonderful holiday! HUGS!