What's Your Christmas Tree like?

[Bluehawk]

1.When do you usually put it up?
- Right after Thanksgiving, so we can see it as long as possible.

2. Is yours cut from the forest, a living tree or another kind?
- Used to be from the forest, but now too expensive, so we use a nice green plastic one.

3. Any preferred species of tree?
- Blue Spruce, when I could get it, in the old days.

4. How tall do you like it to be?
- 6-8 feet

5. Does yours have a special theme or color scheme?
- Generally blue, white and clear glass or sparkly stuff

6. Who gets involved in decorating it?
- Mostly Lady Blue... I like to watch. I help out if asked.

7. What color and kind of lights do you prefer?
- Tiny white and blue ones.

8. Any really old-timey decorations or lights?
- Not any actual old timers, but a few that are of that style, plus Lady Blue's painted plaster houses in a village underneath the tree on quilting batting, with lights inside each house.

9. Do you use tinsel?
- Yes, non-metallic

10. Does it have a top piece angel, star or other decoration?
- Yes, a Victorian angel I found at Rite-Aid

11. When do you take it down?
- Right after New Year's Day

12. Any special memory of Christmas Trees past?
- My paternal gramdmother always made Pennsylvania Dutch ornaments out of pastel strips of paper dipped in canning wax and glitter. Her picture got in the Springfield, Minnesota paper almost every year for that.

[conlor]

1. I might put it up next weekend. Seems too early right not.

2. For the last 3 years, we've used a 4' artificial tree that I put on a table with a gold shiny cloth over it and an off-white see-though lacy cover over that.

3. It's gotta be Blue Spruce, when we've had real trees.

4. I'd like it to be 20 feet tall, but it wouldn't fit in the house....

5. I have a ton of the wooden ornaments I got in Germany and since the war started, I've been getting ornaments of soldiers, sailors, Army and Marines, in uniform, they're teddy bears and snow men, etc. and some human. I fill it in with rocking horses and cardinals and other things.

6. Only I decorate, since the kids are grown. I cheat though. Since it's a small tree, I don't undecorate, just bring it down, uncover it, and preen it a little.

7. Multi-colored lights.

8. No old ones, but some replicas.

9. Don't use tinsel anymore.

10. On top is a crocheted angel that I got from a veteran's wife, who comes in to where I work.

11. Usually take it down on New Years Day.

12. Going to Grandma's on Christmas Day and all the family would be there.

[Snowden]

1.When do you usually put it up?
- On December 23rd - Bob's birthday, when our sons were growing up. Now, any old time after Thanksgiving. Dec. 23rd was a tradition started when Bob was a kid. His mother, having missed the "big day," decided his birthday was still too close to it for a party, so it was the day the tree went up and he wanted to continue that.

2. Is yours cut from the forest, a living tree or another kind?
- Used to be from the forest, but now too expensive, so we use a nice green plastic one. Pretty much the same here; we even took the boys out to cut one when they were the right age, but now the plastic has to do.

3. Any preferred species of tree?
- Spruce, but so long as it wasn't cedar, pine would do, or any fir tree that had enough body to the tips.

4. How tall do you like it to be?
- About seven feet at that time; 9-9½ when we had the Crow's Nest because the ceiling was nearly 11 feet high. The plastic tree is roughly 4 feet and is sufficient.

5. Does yours have a special theme or color scheme?
- No - I like the multi-colored lights, ornaments from when I was a kid mixed with from my sons were kids and whatever I see and add whenever I see something I like. I have a lot of Nativity scenes, some classic, some not; lots of "cute" ornaments, some just plain. Since we came down here, a lot are Eastern Shore things - birds and such. The tree pretty much tells of our lives and interests, as well as what Christmas means to us as Christians and as a family.

6. Who gets involved in decorating it?
- All of the family as the boys got big enough. It's back to just Bob and me now that Paddy is in the rectory, although he did offer to help when he was here last weekend. Said he has lots of ideas for decorating. I do remember he is a bundle of ideas. I'm rather pleased at being back to using my own again.. He told me I can put Jesus back on the side board, which he called the "white-topped cabined in the dining room." That includes a white tree with blue lights and glass and pewter ornaments, and one rose-colored rose (suggested by DocDiggs) which I call "Mary's tree." The Nativity Scene sits at the other end of the sideboard.

7. What color and kind of lights do you prefer?
- Tiny multi-colored on the green tree; blue on Mary's white tree.

8. Any really old-timey decorations or lights?
- Ornaments, yes - the lights, no.

9. Do you use tinsel?
- Yes, non-metallic - not a lot, and glass icicles.

10. Does it have a top piece angel, star or other decoration?
- Yes, stars. I had a lovely Russian icon one for years, but it was broken several years ago. It was at least 10" tall, with a tiny nativity scene embedded in it. I enjoy the star more though - we always had a star when I was a kid, so it looks more natural to me.

11. When do you take it down?
- On the day of the presentation, February 2nd. This is the true end of the Christmas season, which starts Christmas Day. I do put it up early - because it makes winter so beautiful. I do not put the Holy Family in the Nativity scenes until Christmas Eve, nor the Christ chile in the manger until midnight - but the cow lies there from whenever I put I out until then, and the tree is enjoyed from whenever until February 2nd - or whenever I get around to it. Being old has its privileges and I make the most of it.

12. Any special memory of Christmas Trees past?
- My paternal grandmother made many of the ornaments we had - I still have a few and my brothers most likely have some too. Like Sir Blue, we treasure those things. The memories - I could fill the page, but I won't. I'll tell only one. My oldest brother always drank glass after glass of water before going to bed Christmas Eve. When we were kids, the tree went up Christmas Eve after we were in bed - usually put up by a tipsy father and an exhausted mother, who staggered up to bed about 3:00 a.m. - just as the water paid off and he woke up my other brother and me and we tiptoes down and opened what they had just piled under that tree.

Christmas day all the family arrived at our house and my still-exhuasted mother fed them all. My two younger brothers missed all that.

Thanks for starting this thread, Sir Blue. What a joy!

[Anth]

1.When do you usually put it up?
2 weeks before Christmas

2. Is yours cut from the forest, a living tree or another kind?
Living. We used to have a plastic tree when we had dogs (for obvious reasons), but when the dogs went we started getting a real tree from the local garden-center.

3. Any preferred species of tree?
Anything that is alive and wont drop its needles within 24 hours of getting in the house.

4. How tall do you like it to be?
If it fits in the car it will fit in the house, so max 6'6".

5. Does yours have a special theme or color scheme?
The tree? Green!

6. Who gets involved in decorating it?
Mam and myself. Dad used to help out when I couldnt reach but now he sits there watching us do the hard work.

7. What color and kind of lights do you prefer?
Any colour, and lots of them!

8. Any really old-timey decorations or lights?
We have some old glass decorations that came from my great grandmothers house that we still use and have been passed down. They might have even come from her mams house.

9. Do you use tinsel?
Why aye!

10. Does it have a top piece angel, star or other decoration?
Got an angel that normally needs fishing line to keep it on the tree.

11. When do you take it down?
2 weeks after Christmas.

12. Any special memory of Christmas Trees past?
Not exactly a memory but its a sort of tradition for the youngest person in the family to ring a little bell that is on the tree on Christmas morning. When the house is silent (like on a morning when everyone is asleep), the bairn running to open their presents at 6am and ringing the bell gets everyone up

[JudyLynne]

1.When do you usually put it up?
- First weekend after Thanksgiving

2. Is yours cut from the forest, a living tree or another kind?
- We have 2 artificial trees. One outside & one inside

3. Any preferred species of tree?
- not really

4. How tall do you like it to be?
- 7'

5. Does yours have a special theme or color scheme?
- Outside tree tiny twinkling multi colored lights - inside tree all decorations have special meaning (no special theme or color) & tiny twinkling blue lights

6. Who gets involved in decorating it?
- Husband puts the trees up and lights on and i do the decorations

7. What color and kind of lights do you prefer?
- tiny twinkling blue lights

8. Any really old-timey decorations or lights?
- some old Christmas balls from 1950's

9. Do you use tinsel?
- no

10. Does it have a top piece angel, star or other decoration?
- Angel with a white light under her dress

11. When do you take it down?
- New Years Day or the day before

12. Any special memory of Christmas Trees past?
- I loved having my younger brother Donny over to help decorate the trees. He would always get so VERY excited. Special memories lots of them.
__________________

[Woodmonkey]

1.When do you usually put it up?
When the kids were home, it was Thanksgiving weekend. Now it's when I get to it!

2. Is yours cut from the forest, a living tree or another kind?
Artificial

3. Any preferred species of tree?
Nope

4. How tall do you like it to be?
6 feet

5. Does yours have a special theme or color scheme?
I had two when the kids were little cause the living room was very large. One just had poinsettia lights on them and was place so it could be seen from the dining room. The other had ornaments passed down from family or made by the kids. Now I have my tree - tons of little white lights with the adjustible twinkle (slow), no flashing lights cause they give me a headache. All ornaments are white, clear irridescent or white irridescent and tons of them and lots of the same theme garland beads. A white angel on top. It takes night to show it off. The twinkling lights show the irridescent colors off. Gentle, peaceful, draws you in. I can get lost looking at that tree.

6. Who gets involved in decorating it?
The kids took over when they were at home, now it is me and usually Dave comes over to help (if I feed him).

7. What color and kind of lights do you prefer?
White

8. Any really old-timey decorations or lights?
No.

9. Do you use tinsel?
No

10. Does it have a top piece angel, star or other decoration?
white angel

11. When do you take it down?
We used to take it down on Epiphany Sunday

12. Any special memory of Christmas Trees past?
My father was an Atheist but went along with Christian holidays. He didn't like the tree though so he and I would put it up on Christmas Eve and take it down the day after Christmas.