We got the tree up today, the outdoor lights and a bit of decorations around the living room. It's beginning to look a lot like Xmas around here. We don't have a big space for the tree, it's a bit crowded in the corner of the LR where my little computer table/all-in-one desktop usually is, but it is pretty and I love to see the decorated tree and the garland/lights around the fireplace. So festive! Is your tree up yet? Are you putting one up? If so, got a pic of it yet? Here's mine.
and my daughter gave me so much uphill about how much I piled on to our tree, I need to show her yours. I think it's magnificent.
Gorgeous tree Stefanie I love the photo too with your two beautiful Siamese kitties.. definitely hope you scrap them!! Beautiful!
Ours has been just standing in the living room for about 3 weeks and we decorated it last weekend. I wrapped all day yesterday and got most of the gifts under it
Um, yes and no. My 9' No 2 pencil tree is put together (its width is really slim so it fits along the staircase's small turn in the foyer). It is lit but not decorated--I need to take pics of new ornaments first. Yesterday I bought a full size 15' artificial tree from Treetopia, the same place we bought the 9' pencil. That should arrive on Thursday. So that is neither up nor decorated...and I'm already worried about how much that tree will take: how much ribbon, how much $ in new ornaments, how much TIME lol! We actually have a bunch of ornaments that never make it onto the 9' so we should be okay. I've decided to turn the 9' into a kids' and Vacation tree. I've been collecting ornaments to give to my kids when they move out as well as making a yearly ornament with their accomplishments written on it. The accomplishment ornaments have been going on the tree every year, but I have been hiding away the "collected" ornaments, which I now think is kind of silly: why not put them on the tree to enjoy now, and they'll have those childhood Christmas connections to think about when they move out and take their ornaments with them?
This is me too. We put it up last Sunday and didn't have a time all week where the whole family was home to decorate together. I've decided it's getting done tonight no matter who is home and wants to help. It looks pathetic all n@ked right now.
We got a fake tree yesterday. My very first one, and I love it! No warming it up, no clean up, no needles, it's wonderful! It's all lit up, and we are going to decorate it tonight! I love the coziness the lit tree brings, so the ornaments are just work, lol! I would be happy with just a lit tree!
I am SOOOO close to doing the same thing! We pay WAY too much money for a live tree every year... but I do love the experience of going to get the tree with the whole family, so I will probably wait at least until they are out of the house.
@Karen We used to get great trees for $25-30... this year, it was $50! And the trees didn't even look great. I was laughing at a tree on a car, and half of it was brown.... I don't know if they just bought it, or they were returning it! Can you even return a tree? We can also head up to where my husband grew up - a friend family owns a tree farm. But then, it's about $10-15 a FOOT. Too much. So, at the last minute, we decided to go get the fake one! Home Depot to the rescue! As for the boys, I always had pics of getting the tree, and I should have done that too with this one, lol! But, I forgot! I'll make them get hot chocolate with me and drive around and look at Christmas lights or visit the next town over's Christmas Crazy house (it was on the The Great Christmas Light Fight Show). I'll switch it up. We also have the PNC Holiday Lights show with Santa I could try!
We alternate between going to the Christmas tree farm and using our artificial tree. It’s a fake tree year for us. None of my daughters are home to go with me to experience the lot this year, and Harrison is an uninterested teenage boy...LOL. I went to get the tree out of storage and realized my old brain forgot to grab the key. So....it’s still not up, but it will be this week. Callan is coming home for her birthday (and Harrison’s) in January, so we’ll be leaving up the decorations until she leaves. We normally don’t take them down until after the Feast of the Epiphany anyway.
I love having a fake tree too, no mess with needles falling and don't have to worry about it drying out before the holiday is over.
I have fond memories of going to the tree farm and cutting down our tree, then getting hotdogs and cider, standing around the fire pit barrels they would put out. We did that until the kids were into their mid teens.