Thursday, December 08, 2005
Real or Fake?
The kids have started to ask when we are getting a tree. For over twenty years, I have insisted on a real tree - I love the smell and the look of real trees.
In recent years, the kids aren't so excited about going to get the tree, let alone decorating it. Last year I had to beg people to help. So this year we are having ongoing discussions and negotiations about whether we should give up and get a fake tree.
When I was young, we had a fake Christmas tree. After my parents split up, my mother always insisted on getting a real tree, so maybe it was my dad who liked fake ones. Or maybe they were just a fad in the 1960s. Usually we didn't get our tree until very close to Christmas day, and we would keep it up until all of the needles fell off. One time, we had our tree up until the beginning of March!
My husband's family always had a fake tree, which they set up every December 2nd, which was his brother's birthday. They took it down right after New Year's. I never really liked their tree - it seemed very fake and flashy.
One of my sisters has a modern fibre optics tree with the lights built right into the tree. While very spacey and cool, it just does not feel like a Christmas tree.
We have always gotten a real tree, sometimes from tree farms, sometimes from local lots, often from lots where charities were fundraising. We have even tried to get trees from IKEA, as they sell them for $15 and give the money to local charities -- but usually they sell out on one weekend and we rarely make it in time.
What do you think? Real tree or Fake tree?
Oh - and the "gruesome" comment is intended to be totally nonjudgemental btw - I love the smell as well and like to look at them in other locations. It just isn't for me. Plus, I'm superstitious - I've found that I have Instant Karma after cutting down live trees in the form of bad migraines. Don't ask me - perhaps it is just misplaced guilt.
: 3:49 p.m.We may even go into the woods behind our house and cut our own.
This way I can give the tree and Mother Earth proper thanks,or we might just do what we always do and spend 16 bucks to support the hockey team,undecided but for sure a real tree!
My mom and I both take Christmas tree decorating VERY seriously. My mom's ornament collection is enormous and spectacular and I fully intend to follow in her footsteps. One problem with this is that a real tree can't support so many ornaments -- but a good fake tree can!
Todd's take is interesting. But the northwestern European genes in me cannot cope with the thought of a Christmas without greenery.
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