OT: Xmas : real or fake?

[formerlurker]

Not a "holy roller" but it's all fake if you use the term X-mas.

 

[uconnfan68]

Have a puppy this year - first time ever with no tree at all. He will destroy it and everything around it. :/

Cats are MUCH worse.

 

[mussels]

Not a "holy roller" but it's all fake if you use the term X-mas.

Not invented by Madison Ave. Goes back to 16th Century. Xmas - Wikipedia

 

[huskypantz]

Is this about Santa or Xmas in general?

 

[formerlurker]

Not invented by Madison Ave. Goes back to 16th Century. Xmas - Wikipedia

Only give you a dislike because one of the few memories I have of my great Grandmother is her telling me to keep the Christ in Christmas when my handmade card for her said "X-Mas".

I have a few precious memories of her and they are all overwhelmingly vivid and pleasant. She was an amazing woman and when she said that to me I took it as a lesson, not a lecture. I was maybe 5-6 at the time.

My OP wasn't about which came first but I did learn a lot from your link that I never knew. Thank you, Mussels.

 

[Spaceman213J]

If you get a fake one just make sure it's decent. We grew our own before we moved from CT to VA. We got a fake one that has held up for the first seven years, but it's starting to drop needles like a real one. The lights went on it and now we have to string lights on it like we had to years ago. Like most things, it seems you get what you pay for.
I do miss the smell of the freshly cut pine tree though.

 

[storrsroars]

We usually have been in LI for Christmas for past decade or more. Prior to that, we'd been doing real trees, but we had a fake one as a second tree. It got kinda moldy smelling, but when I was throwing it out, I decided to hose down the top third and keep that. That was our tree when we started going away for the week. And now that we haven't gone away past two years, it's still our tree. I put it on a table in front of the bay window and it looks festive enough. Neither wife nor I really feels like all-out decorating much these days anyway.

 

[Waquoit]

This is a case when it's truly all good. Real smells like Christmas and you can make a nice day out of going to get your tree. But the last few years we've been using a fake that was left behind and it's a lot less hassle and looks nice. Plus, the cat loves it.

 

[J187Money]

Cats are MUCH worse.

Our cat never bothered the tree.

 

[Drumguy]

I used to be no way on the fake tree. They are so fake looking! Then I had an bad injury in 2015 that made getting the real tree in and out of the house just about a nightmare (I was ready to leave it stuck in the front door).

2016 I did a ton of research and found Balsam Hill. Online and in their catalogue, their trees LOOKED pretty good. They are really expensive but they have sales, sometimes 40-50% off. So I pulled the trigger and got a 6’ Douglas fir with LED lights.

At first I was mad because it didn’t look real at all. But that’s because you have to fluff the boughs the way you want them and allow them to settle. Once that happens, it really looks very real. You also don’t have the issue you have with real trees where it looks full but then you get it home and there’s a big hole in one place.

I also feel like it’s more sustainable. I’m not taking a tree for a set period of time and then throwing it out, even if the tree is recycled. The LED lights are also more efficient than those you typically find (although you can buy those now, but they’re so expensive).

It’s also now one less thing I’m spending money on at Christmas. I spent it in 2016 and it’s guaranteed for X years (the lights). Live trees around here are pricey so it’s going to have paid for itself in 5 years.

Finally, the worst part of putting up/taking down a tree is putting up the lights. Getting one with lights on it makes it so much more pleasant and you get right to the fun part. It also comes with its own stand so you don’t need to deal with that nonsense or making sure the tree has enough water.

Ditto here. I'm allergic to tree pollen and HATED the needles dropping all over the place at the end of the season. Water spill disasters, poison ivy coming in on trees, little critters - you name it. We bought them at Stews, Jones Tree Farm, Silverman's, etc. and spent $60 to $150/year.

2 years ago, I bought an 8' Balsam Hill balsam fir, this is the 3rd year we have it. No more bugs, pollen, easy to take down and put up - after 40 real trees, no regrets. You do have to fluff it but that's not a big deal. I have the one with lights installed and you just put the 3 pieces together and voila! its ready for ornaments!

Took me 5 minutes to get it set up last weekend!

 

[Steelerone]

Real. They are real and they are spectacular!

That is funny. Jerry would be proud.