by lrkr 16 Replies latest jw friends
Hello everyone.
As a complete Christmas newbie, I'm looking for advice on the selection, decorating, care for, and disposal of a christmas tree. I plan on having the first one in my life this year. I want to buy a real tree (for the scent, and the authenticity of it). Can you all give me some advice on how to select, set up, care for, decorate and then dispose of a tree?
Thank you in advance.
Lrkr- newly minted pagan
When a Christmas tree is cut, over half of its weight is water. With proper care, you can maintain the quality of your displayed trees. Below are a number of tips relating to the care of displayed trees:
Prepared by Dr. Gary Chastagner and Dr. Eric Hinesley
Edited by the Scientific Research Committee of the National Christmas Tree Association
I think Noble Fir is my favorite. It's got the more open branches, but they are stronger, and stay fresher longer. Make sure where ever you get it, they trim a piece off the bottom..................Mrs. Jones article says it all.
You are going to love it my friend
There is always an artificial tree combined with a can of pine scent................
I like to keep mine up longer and not have to clean up the needles.
Pick a color scheme that goes with the room you will put the tree up in. I start with the tree topper, the stringed piece around the tree, then the lights. I ususally have 6 of each ornament and I try to keep the colors equally balanced and shapes around the tree with a couple whimisical ones. Blue, silver, ivory, gold is my scheme. I also have a cover below the tree with a winter scene appliqued in felt. Do some googling to get some ideas.
Blondie
The above is good advice in taking care of a natural tree. Now, to pick one out, I suggest getting one that, when added to the height of the topping you are going to use, will top just below the ceiling (or slightly shorter, if you prefer a smaller tree). The needles should not come off in great quantities when the tree is tapped firmly on the cut surface or shaken moderately vigorously (not abusively, of course). It should be reasonably dense--this is another matter of personal preference.
Keeping the tree cool until you are about to use it, or better yet cutting it at the last minute, will ensure freshness. Of course, it is not impossible that some critters might think it's time to wake up when you bring the tree in (hornets and spiders are not unheard of to be hibernating in these trees). Which problems can be avoided altogether with an artificial tree, but you will not get the real thing (you can get the real appearance, but those trees cost upward of $400).
Now, decorating it is another matter. If you are a newbie to Christmas, chances are you are going to have a wimpy Christmas tree because you will underestimate the number of ornaments and lights needed. And it's rather late in the season to mess up on this. As a reasonable estimate, a 6 foot tree is going to take anywhere from 150 to 300 ornaments to properly decorate (any less will be rather skimpy). And they can't all be the exact same, or the tree will lack personality. I suggest making the majority of them bulbs (glass or acrylic)--perhaps 50-60% of the ornaments. Then put some different shape ornaments, like snowflakes, stars, Santa Clauses, angels, pine cones, plastic wreath shapes, or whatever else you feel like adding. The good ones should be exposed--the plain bulbs can go all the way to the center for 3-D effects.
Now, to light the tree. Pre-lit is easiest, but if the lights are crap or sloppily draped on the tree, it is not really worth it. LEDs cost more upfront, but use much less energy and tend to last longer (for some reason, the green ones seem to go out first). If you do it yourself, plan on at least 600 lights for a 6 foot tree (I have seen ways to use as many as 80 boxes of 50 lights on a 8 foot tree. It has splendid results--but uses huge amounts of electricity and takes huge amounts of time to properly do it.) The lights go up first, then the ornaments, then the tinsel garland (which I recommend).
Colors matter. What I recommend is deciding beforehand if you want a color scheme and then, if so, sticking primarily to it (it matters not if you have an accent that violates it). If you like red and white, I recommend mostly red and white bulbs and garland, and red and white lights (with an occasional splash of gold thrown in for good measure). You might also use red and gold, blue and white, silver and gold, or red/gold/silver. You might also choose to have a tree of poinsettias, stars, angels, bulbs, or just whatever you see fit to put on it.
Most important is, for a 6 foot tree, you are going to need around 200 ornaments. Plan for about 300, since some might be defective, get lost, or break. Put some in the center of the tree, but save the showcase ornaments for the surface for maximum effect while preserving the 3-D effect. You need a minimum of 600 lights, preferably LEDs that save energy and last longer, for a 6 foot tree and about 1,000 for a 8 foot tree. Putting the lights into the center gives a better effect--start at the center of a branch, run the light along the branch, and [optionally] along some or all the greens on the way back (if you run it along all the greens, you will need up to 80 boxes), and then go to the next branch. You will still be able to access the center of the tree with all the lights on this way, plus it will be assured to evenly light the tree. Less than this will result in a sparsely lit or decorated tree; if that's the desired effect, so be it.
I admire your choice to go for the real thing, but if you decide to make your task easier ... check out the beautiful selection of pre-lit artificial trees at your local Home Depot. However, real trees are much cheaper. $30 - $50 compared to $250 for artificial. Good luck!
I have an artificial one (purchased one year on Dec 26), but now I have learned about the environmental impact of it and I wish I hadn't. If I had to do it all over again, I would purchase a really nice tree and plant it in my yard, and decorate that each year. No cutting down trees and no use of petroleum to create a fake one. My tree, wreath, and garlands do drop "needles".
I am pretty minimalistic and picky when it comes to decorations. I've never liked lots of ornaments, tinsel, lights, etc. I have a few pretty ones that go together nicely and one color of non-blinking lights. It looks more natural, because you can really see the branches and lights. Sometimes I don't put any ornaments on at all, just lights.
I don't think I'm the typical Christmas tree owner. Maybe because I was a jw. I don't like ornaments that don't match each other and I never keep ornaments people give me. I think the tradition seems to be to save ornaments for sentimental value, but I don't.
Maybe it's because I think of the holiday as being more of a solstice celebration than anything else. Everything I use has a nature theme.
And I do not like whimsical stuff, things with faces (snowmen, etc.), religious stuff, things that blink, etc. Or -gasp- tinsel! And don't even get me started about those giant inflatable things to put in your yard.
Going to stores at this time of year pretty much hurts my brain.
you are getting way too much advise here....keep it simple
2 liter green soda pop bottle
Red ribbons
Green ribbons
Candle
Tape
Peel label from bottle (or dont... )
Tape ribbons to neck of bottle... use as much ribbon as you have or as littl as you like. You can spiral the ribbons around the bottle or let em hang straight... It's YOUR Cristmas tree, dammit!
Insert candle in opening... If you care to light the candle keep in mind the hazzards that come with open flames near combustable materials.
i though this might help... plus it's conservation at it's best
Hill
I get a real tree every year. Okay, it's a bit messy cleaning up, but that's what the wife is for....
Only kidding, girls, I help clean it up, too.
What I can add is, put the lights on first, before anything else. Plug it in, and see if you need to move the lights to make it more uniform. Then put the balls on. Last, the tinsel, if you use it.
Reverse this process when you take it down.
We were always told to (believe it or not) put an aspirin in the water in the tree stand. It is supposed to help it stay fresher. I don't know if this is an old wives tale or not, but we do it, just in case.
The first few days your tree is up, check your water morning and night. It "drinks" a lot those first few days, because of the fresh cut at the base.
Last, you can call your town and ask where you can drop off your tree after Christmas, and until what date...(very important). Some towns have drop off areas, some towns will actually pick up the tree right in front of your house, on certain days.
Hubert
Aw....Merry First Christmas Tree to you honey! Have you ever watched "A Charlie Brown Christmas" ? Amazon.com: A Charlie Brown Christmas: Ann Altieri, Chris Doran, Sally Dryer, Bill Melendez, Karen Mendelson, Geoffrey Ornste...
If you haven't its well worth watching. Then you will know that no matter what tree you choose, no matter how you decorate it, no matter if the needles fall off or not...it will always be very special to you. Take pics too!
As for cutting trees down, there are farms for Christmas Trees these days...they are specifically grown for that purpose, like CORN...so people as a rule are not going out and deforesting the planet for them. :)
I have a 7-foot pre-lit with fiber optics...artificial tree that I got at Sams Club. I have had it for many years and it always looks gorgeous. It collapses like an umbrella when Im done and is stored easily.
Also, I like to get wired ribbon, which you can get just about anywhere in any colors you are looking for, and wind it around the tree. It makes it look old fashioned.
