Forgive me for I have sinned

We went to our favourite GC today. I'm still not sure how this happened but we found ourselves looking at ....ARTIFICIAL Christmas trees.!! Even worse we actually bought one.
In mitigation we've always bought real ones before but we were finding it harder and harder to get one the right size and shape. The past few years we have had to spend time trimming and cutting to get the shape and size we needed particularly of the lower branches.

 

We have always had an artificial tree @Allotment Boy. Don’t think either of us have sinned

 

Bet there were no Christmas trees, real OR artificial in that Bethlehem stable, @Allotment Boy, so I wouldn't worry too much about it

 

I don't put any Christmas trees up these days, since B died and children in the family have grown up.
In the past I used to cut a branch from a shrub in the hedgerow to decorate. They always looked nice, and more natural than a foreign tree

 

Shame on you @Allotment Boy
I bought a live tree some years ago, and it was planted in the back garden. I'm cutting it down this year for the house. It's about 5 foot now. When we first moved in here, I had some little artificial trees as it was all a bit difficult having our first C'mas, and we had a nice little display. We used them a couple of times, but I normally had a real tree. The girls always helped decorate it, and we had great fun one year with gingerbread men my daughter made. Let's just say the deocration of those wasn't entirely 'traditional'! We do some lights outside, but subtle, static ones - those flashing lights send me bonkers, and nothing until early December.
Haven't bothered much now that the girls are much older. I can't really be bothered at all now!

I can understand how you feel @Michael Hewett. The whole thing has got out of control now too, and it should just suit you and your situation. A few little twinkling lights in your garden is much easier, especially with the battery ones and with timers etc.

 

There's lots of talk that the real ones have suffered from the weather this year and are going to be "gappy".

 

We've never had a real tree, not even in childhood.

 

Last yr I made one from a green plant support about 150 cms tall and arranged in a spiral that had been languishing in the garage for a while. Actually it looked remarkably effective, with lights and baubles and whatnot. Mostly I can't be bothered with decs though. A string of old-fashioned lights (LED ones are too blinding for me) draped between picture frames is enough.

 

I used to have real trees but we got an artificial tree the year that there was snow and ice on the ground for the whole of December (2009?) and I couldn't face going to the Christmas tree place for a real one. This will be the artificial one's 17th year and I expect it'll see me out (or I'll get to the stage where I can't be bothered with it).

 

Maybe I am beating myself up over nothing but I've long regarded artificial trees as one step away from Astroturf.
A school friend of mine used to have the same single "interesting" branch that had been sprayed white. Mind you his older brother was a graphic artist and so while it was very minimalist it looked good.
The reason we still have a tree and decorations is because the grandchildren insist on having Christmas at Grandmas, even though they are not youngsters any more. I do have a slight concern about just how much longer we will be doing this, in the Covid year we didn't bother with any of it as no-one could visit. To make economic sense we have to do another 4-5 years at least.

 

I like the different coloured lights on trees etc (I don’t mind sending them in shops either) as I think they cheer up the dark afternoons and nights and look pretty. I don’t mind “ doing” Christmas as I do like to see the small tree we have, with lots of little ornaments collected over the years and which sits on a side table. As we don’t have the main lounge light on during the evening ( just lamps around the room) it always brightens a corner and does my winter soul good and lifts the spirits. The lights we have on the tree we got fromB and Q ages ago, they’re small ball shaped ones, have a fuzzy surface to the touch, and gently, very gently fade away from one colour to the other. It’s so subtle you don’t really notice it.
We’ve had various sizes of tress over the years but since we downsized we’ve opted for a small green tree which is enough for us.

 

I see where you are coming from, but an artificial tree seems a lesser crime to me as you are not inflicting it on neighbours and wildlife (... apart from maybe the odd house spider, of course).

 

I actually hate the idea of real trees at Christmas. Why anyone would want to hack one down for a short display decoration, has always puzzled me. I don't really like trees in pots either because they never enjoy being inside.
We do have a fake tree but there is only one member of the family who would have to have it up, the rest don't really worry to much.

I do grow an alternative tree most years, which is done from seed and then added to the collection outside. I've got one each of the 3 redwood species, a Monteray pine, atlas cedar and himalayan weeping pine to name a few. This year's new seedling is a grand fir and I just bought some Mexican weeping pine seeds to grow on.

 

For the last 30 years our artifical tree has been in the loft and thats where it will stay

 

Xmas trees go back to pagan times and bringing in something evergreen to celebrate the solstice and the lengthening of days ensuring spring would come again.

We always have a real Nordmann at least 5' high and yes, I trim the lower branches off so it fits my Xmas tree pot which is an old galvanised laundry pot painted red and green with gold stencilled snowflakes and Xmas trees. I wouldn't take one grwon wild but these are an arable crop grown in the Vendée. We buy ours at the end of November when they first hit the shops and put in water till we're ready to bring it indoors so it stays fresh for ages.

I do the decorating as t'other pair like the effect but not the faff and we have warm light non flashing lights. Some of the decorations are specials bought in assorted Xmas markets in germany and Belgium and some are home made - felt and beads so cat proof and, when we had them, safe from wagging doggies too.

For the hall, I have made a Scandi tree - 2 dimensional and made with canes, lights and all cream and gold.

We also have bare branches strung with lights and baubles suspended from the dining room and kitchen ceilings. OH and Possum love it all but I get fed up so leave it all as late as poss and the tree comes down on 12th night. The kitchen branch is all blue and silver and stays up till Candlemass.

Oh yes, we now buy our tree from a GC and get a 15€ voucher to spend in January so I get extra value from the tree which ends up stuffed in the undergrowth below the trees on our boundary to provide shelter and food for small critters and crawlies. Win win.