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August 2006
Posts: 2804
Location: ranson,wva | here's a good question,what different kinds of xmas trees do you guys put up?? im not shure what strain mine is but it cost$68.99 and smells like oranges...jason |
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November 2006
Posts: 217
Location: Snåsa, Norway | I go out in my forest and cut a fine looking young spruce. |
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August 2006
Posts: 2804
Location: ranson,wva | spruce is nice..jason |
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December 2003
Posts: 1889
Location: Central Massachusetts | One of the benefits of living in Oregon.. the leading producer of Christmas trees in the US ...
Drove less than 1 mile to a Christmas tree farm I can see from my home office window.
Trudged around the farm for an hour with the wife and kids looking for "the perfect tree" -- family tradition
Cut down a nice 9' noble fir and sat down at the fire pit for some hot chocolate while they shake it, mount it on the stand, and tie it to the roof of the car. 2 min back home and "just add water"!
Not bad for $30 out the door. :)
Merry Christmas! |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | They make a big deal about Douglas Fir out here. $60+/- in the stores. But $10-$20 out in the country. And the way Portland is laid-out, you don't have to go too far to find a tree-farm. |
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Joined:
January 2005
Posts: 4903
Location: Phoenix AZ | Originally posted by Old Man Arthur:
They make a big deal about Douglas Fir out here. Awww, Douglas - Smuglas. Everyone knows that it's not the type of tree that matters. What matters is how big is the box that you have to store it in for the other 11 months of the year.
We've had an artifical tree for 15 years now ever since that fateful xmas back when I was living in NY. Took the kids all bundle3d in their snow suits out to the tree farm to cut our own tree. She was a beauty. It was about a week early to put it up so I propped her up in the snow in the back yard. Basically a deep freeze out in the elements. The next weekend we brought her in, whittled down the trunk to fit the stand, put her up and started decorating and she slowly started to thaw out. After about half the lights and crap were nicely in place I stared to notice something... sniff, sniff... sniff, sniff. What the hell is THAT. Yup, sure enough the tree had been totally doused in cat piss. The whole house started to stink to high heaven. 5 year old daughter says "maybe santa will have a stuffy nose and won't smell it". Kids start balling their eyes out as daddy drags the piss soaked tree back outside.
That was the last year we had a real tree. Never again. I think xmas should truly be the most plastic, artifical cheap ass holiday they ever invented.
Dave |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Great story Dave! :D
My middle son has allergies so we have not had a real tree for about 21 years now.
Works out good because Pam like to put the tree up right after Thanksgiving and leave it up till after New Year. It has become quite the project. We do the village and electric train thing underneath and have collected many sentimental and "meaningful" orniments over the years.
However, this year is going to be very different. Pam & I have suddenly become "empty-nesters" and two of the three kids, who are working in Florida, said they won't make it home for Christmas this year. Bummer. |
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September 2004
Posts: 1180
Location: Vermont USA | OK here it goes back when we lived in Newbury Vt. We went out on a farmers field to cut a tree we were living in a small place so the tree had to be around 4ft. or so. Well we found a nice one cut it brought it home all for free. About a half hour later I could smell cat, so out goes the tree. Later I find out it's a tree they call kitty spruce. Well to avoid bringing one home again I was told to stroke a branch and smell your fingers if they smell like cat pee don't cut it. Ever since then we never had a problem, well there's some useless info.
Pauly |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | What's with all this real wood stuff guys????
Ours is plastic and came in a box. Get with the program. |
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November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Aluminum, baby
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | Palm. |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | Two excellent suggestions! |
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December 2001
Posts: 10582
Location: NJ | balsam
they smell great |
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August 2005
Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | AAA Sitka Spruce with Koa bells and an Engleman angel with a smattering of Abalone tinsel on a solid Lyrachord stand and sixteen holes in a pear tree! |
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May 2003
Posts: 425
Location: SE Michigan | Plastic and Steel. Many years ago my family stopped promoting the sensless slaughter of innocent baby evergreens and we bought a synthenic one. It looks pretty good and is pretty easy to set up. Let all those baby conifers grow into large trees that future guitars can be made of.
Actually I was getting kind of tired of shelling out $50-$70 for a natual Christmas tree every year. That was what they were costing 8 years ago, I'll bet they cost even more these days. |
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January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | They're even more down here! |
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December 2003
Posts: 13987
Location: Upper Left USA | This is the yearly debate. Pull the really big imitation Canadian Pine out of the huge box or put up a "real" one.
Like my Oregonian Brothers and Sisters I get the option of fresh, and in some cases, loaded with hibernating Bees or Wasps.
Grand Noble Fir at about $75 is the frequent winner. I prefer a real nice wreath that you can mist and get the same smell. |
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March 2005
Posts: 12758
Location: Boise, Idaho | Since we are empty nesters now, although the girls will be home for Christmas, we decided to go artificial this year. By the time my wife decided what type she wanted, none of the stores had any left. They all come with lights already on them and she wanted the clear lights. There are plenty out there with colored lights and a few with no lights. Although we have about 20 extra strands of lights, I know better than to argue with her.
Today, her "goal" is to buy a noble fir and get it set up. |
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April 2006
Posts: 972
Location: PDX | I've got a bunch of Oregon natives in bonsai. So we rotate them, Hemlock, Doug Fir, Grand Fir, Western Red Cedar, Sitka Spuce, Lodgpole Pine, Noble Fir, etc. We usually have two or three of them throughout the house.
But i like aluminum the best, with the rotating color filters in front of a spot light.
_____
gh1 |
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March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | One year, the "ex" came with the idea of getting a live "balled" (with a burlap-wrapped root "ball") tree that could planted in the yard the following Spring. Being that we owned a florist shop at the time, we were able to buy it wholesale.
Ever tried t'MOVE one of these things??
It was about five feet tall and weighed a futhermuckin' TON!!
I slid it out of the back of the van into a galvanized washtub with a mover's dolly under it.
After spending a VERY chilly Christmas (the heat was almost "off" 'cause it would've killed it), it went back outside bright & early the morning of Dec. 26th . . . Balls&All.
The friggin' thing eventually died when it got replanted, and everytime my back goes "out", I think of that tree.
It's probably a piece of particle board somewhere, now . . . |
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July 2002
Posts: 280
Location: Waterloo, IL | Started with a real pine tree that we cut ourselves for free. The wife and I had to tie up to keep it from falling over. Found out she was allergic to pines and spruces, so we went to a fake plastic tree. We have had a couple of them over the years. Had one that we thought the movers lost the pole to, so she bought another tree. I found the pole the next year. This year I took the better of the two trees into the house, and took the older tree up to donate it for those that can't afford as much. Took the pole for it (I thought) and came back home. Son #2 is getting the tree out of the box to put it together and discovers the pole is missing. Had to go back up and retrieve the pole. Looked inside the box while I was there and both poles were in it. Everyone is happy now. :D |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12758
Location: Boise, Idaho | At 10:30 I was posting here. At 12, we have a tree, cut off the bottom, put it in the stand and wife is patiently waiting for the branches to drop a bit before she decorates it. Nice to have Fred Meyer close and it didn't hurt that it was raining. Almost picked it out from the car. Doesn't look too bad for a quickee. And it's a Grand Fir, not a Noble. I forget those things. I like the Grands, too, because they're cheaper. $37 for an 8 footer. I can handle that. |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | At Mom's house, the got a fake tree (way-back-when). I thought it was tacky. But the one nice thing about it (I learned) is that you can decorate it while you put it together.
I gotta find me one of them Orphan Charlie Brown Christmas trees. |
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August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | lady stonebobbo is a fan of multiple christmas trees. She treasures lots of very unique and personal ornaments and other decorations she's acquired over the years, and loves to pull them out and hang them. It's a several day process. Different trees have different looks and they can handle different types of ormaments. The trees are just a canvas for something she's been enamored with for many years.
I think we've got three already, but there's also garlands and wreaths ... all fresh cut. It sure smells good. lady stonebobbo also likes big trees if she can fit them. There's a big (14') Noble in the living room ... fortunately I talked her down. She's stuffed 18 footers in there before. She's got a Douglas Fir in the family room that she's calling the bird tree this year. She also has a soft spot in her heart for the Charlie Brown tree, so she always buys one and has it in the corner of the dining room. She's talking about adding one or two in some other spots.
Crazy, huh? Well, not really. I don't have a problem with how many trees she wants/needs ... she doesn't have a problem with how many guitars I want/need. Syncronicity. |
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October 2006
Posts: 5575
Location: big island | the "hottest" selling trees here in hawaii are the flocked ones. it's so ironic to be in 85 degree sunshine and see those trees covered in "snow" strapped to the cars whose drivers speed home quickly, as if to keep them from melting before they get there. |
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May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Best x-mass trees are plastic. |
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February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Life in the country - I've wanted artificial for the last two years, got outvoted again. Drove 1/2 mile down the road and bought a nice 10 foot grand from a grower friend for $15. |
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January 2006
Posts: 387
Location: Whitecourt, Ab | Within 1/2 mile in any direction of me are free spruce/pine/fir trees as far as you can see( a wonderful smell year round). We usually try to find one flat on one side to fit against our front room window. Our family tradition is to go out as a family and take turns chopping(5 hits each) one down and the one who falls the tree gets to place the star/angel on top when we finish decorating |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Good to live in Canada...
Urban Legend-- Last year, in the Portland OR area, some couple got busted for getting a Christmas Tree off the side of the highway.
Theft of Department of Transportation property. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10582
Location: NJ | went to home depot bought a balsam for 24.99 and a wreath for 9.99.
both sitting currently in the back yard. |
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Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | We went and got our tree today (blue spruce or something that looks remarkably like it).
My wife made me completely re-arrange the family room to accomodate it. My back hurts now from moving furniture.
It took several hours to move everything, clean, vaccuum, etc., etc. Ten minutes ago she said, "I don't think I like the room this way. It looks cluttery."
:rolleyes: :mad: |
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Joined:
June 2005
Posts: 1320
Location: Round Rock, TX | Artificial, lights already on (clear). Get it out of the attic (10 minutes), set it up (5 minutes), plug it in (0.5 minutes), put on the ornaments (1 hour - 9' tree - 100's of ornaments), light up the gas logs in the fireplace (0.5 minutes) and drink (real) eggnog and Drambuie and play carols on one of the O's (hours and hours, day after day). Priorities, people, priorities.
--bill |
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OT. CHRISTMAS TREES