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Email a FriendPosted by Claire on Thursday, Dec 9, 2010 5:54 PM (EDT):
Real tree with white lights. Sometimes we go pick it out as a family, other times (if the weather is lousy) my husband picks it out by himself and brings it home.
Naming the Christmas Tree
and other annual traditions.
Posted by Robyn Lee in Just me on Thursday, December 09, 2010 4:05 PM
After reading Rachel’s post about her Christmas tree, I started to think about the trees of Christmas past and decided to share my own traditions.
I remember the first conversation with my roommates about having a Christmas tree.
Mary and Colleen both wanted color lights, but I insisted on white. I suggested a fake tree and they both balked at the idea (I think I might have been accused of being a bah humbug!).
We compromised and settled on a real tree with white lights. Now every year we pick up our tree on Gaudete Sunday (or pink candle Sunday as we call it).
Picking out a tree for the 102 Ladies (as we like to call ourselves) is quite an event. With fun roommates like mine, even the very mundane becomes very exciting.
Last year, Colleen picked up antler headbands for us to wear while tree shopping. Mary made me some jingle bell ornaments, Colleen fashioned a Rudolph nose for herself and Mary decided to dress up like a Christmas tree (tinsel and all!) We borrowed my dad’s van and drove down the street to the local farm. Heads turned with a few stares, but I guess that is what happens when you walk next to a human Christmas tree.
We usually browse the rows of trees until we see the perfect one (preferably on the smaller side so we can carry it into the house).
Once we get the tree in the house, but before we even attempt the lights and ornaments, we blare Christmas music to get us in the mood (and avoid tangled-lights crankiness).
Colleen has a tradition of naming the tree every year. Felix Navidad, Stuart Von Tannenbaum, Joyex Noel (but Joy for short), and this year we are naming the tree after Mary, since this is her last 102 Christmas (because she is getting married in the Spring!)
What about your Christmas tree? When do you put it up? White lights or color? Do you make picking out the tree a special family event?
Comments
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Posted by Danielle M. on Thursday, Dec 9, 2010 6:02 PM (EDT):
real tree, and for the past eight years (when the oldest child started to express an opinion), we alternate between colored and white lights. if the tree is white, my preference, the outside bushes get the colored ones and then we switch the next year. it seems to keep everyone happy. Mostly ribbons and bows oon the bottom half, until we are two year old free and we never seem to be… And pretty ornaments at the top.
Posted by Mary B on Thursday, Dec 9, 2010 6:46 PM (EDT):
No more real trees for us—serious allergies. And fakes capture just as much dust. My DH made a corner shelf unit shaped like a tree. We decorate that. It leaves the kids art, the cards and the creche as the center of the indoor decorations. DH does a nice outdoor display with light up angels etc. It leaves room inside for the people.
Posted by Elizabeth on Thursday, Dec 9, 2010 6:56 PM (EDT):
It was a fake tree for the first 8 years of our married life (it was my grandparents old tree and it helped with our Christmas budget). But this year we went for the real thing because I wanted my children to experience the joy that I had as a child shopping for a real one. If it’s in the budget, then from here on out, it’s gotta be real. It’s brought so much joy to our home. We’ve always done colored lights but Daddy and I won out and this year it’s white lights. (The kids get their colored light fix on their grandparents’ tree on an almost daily basis). We’ve been slowly making our ornaments and hanging them up on our tree. We don’t do fancy, we do kiddie cute around here and we always will.
One tradition I fondly remember growing up is light watching. All the kids would lay under the tree and try to pick out shapes and scenes that the colored blinking lights would cast on the ceiling.
We are a real tree, colored lights only family. We buy our tree from the local Boy Scout Troop. A Fraser fir is great because the needles don’t drop that fast. Our tree trimming is usually the week before Christmas. My husband likes to put it up the day before Christmas Eve, and when my kids were little that was when we did it. I find that too chaotic, and now that the kids are older we all insist it be done earlier. This year he started watching Christmas movies 2 weeks before Thanksgiving. But he is pouting because we are decorating too early! :p
Posted by quarter life grace on Friday, Dec 10, 2010 9:39 AM (EDT):
What a fun tradition—love the names you’ve given your trees! Instead of a tree this year, we got a beautiful, large nativity to be the focus of our holiday decorating
Posted by Alison on Friday, Dec 10, 2010 11:01 AM (EDT):
We once cut down our own tree at a tree farm after a big snow storm. When we got home to put it up, we realized it was double trunked (how we missed that I don’t know). It would not fit into the tree stand. We ended up cutting one trunk off and then tying it back on because the tree looked horrible. Not only that…we had a puddle of water on the floor from the snow on the tree that melted in the house. We now pick out a precut tree and it is delivered to our door!
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