<p>This year, I ordered a locally-organically-grown tree by email, and picked it up a few days later at the farmer’s in-town house, and I can still breathe, woo-hoo! That has not always been the case when I’ve bought a tree from a lot or from Home Depot. This tree was probably more expensive than one I’d have gotten at Home Depot, but wow, is it worth it! Not just because I can breathe, but also because it’s so fresh.</p>
<p>Too bad I put the flat side toward the sofa rather than the window and didn’t notice until it was partly decorated! It’s still a very beautiful tree, and so fresh! Have I mentioned how fresh it is? It’s very fresh! :D</p>
<p>I’ve never had a real tree and we always had fake ones growing up. When I moved out, I bought a small fake tree (maybe 3ft high), but we stopped putting up any decorations about 6 years ago. I had grand plans to decorate this year, but the fact that my living room is a disaster area at the moment (we’re in the process of painting and had planned to have our newly uncovered hardwoods refinished in December) made us decide to not bother with any decorations.</p>
<p>A few years back a woman I know was speaking snarkily of a friend of hers:</p>
<p>“She always has a PERFECT tree. You know how she does it? She bought an artificial tree, had it professionally decorated, and at the end of the season, she moves it into the garage, puts a sheet over it, and leaves it there full decorated but hidden by the sheet until the next Christmas.”</p>
<p>Frankly, I think this is a WONDERFUL idea, and if I had the space, I’d do it too.</p>
<p>I ended up taking the artificial tree stand to the hardware store to get the correct size of “thingies” that keep it up. More and more disappeared so that we were down to zero. We had a real tree for many years, but DH’s allergies finally dictated an artificial one. After 6 years we kind of have putting it up down pat. It helps that DS is now big enough to do the hauling up and down the stairs, stand on the ladder, etc. </p>
<p>One year we moved on 12/27. There was absolutely no way I could see packing up Christmas things on 12/26. That was the year with no decorations. I purchased a prelit 3 foot tree and stood it up on a pile of moving boxes so at least it looked bigger. Stuffing one little tree into a box the next day was much easier than putting away hundreds of ornaments, etc. I sometimes think we’ll go back to the little tree after the kids are out on their own.</p>
<p>My wife knows a coworker w2ho had a house built with a special closet for her tree. It is on a folling shelf, and all she does is roll it out at Christmas, and return to the closet when she is tired of it.</p>
<p>^^ Imagine a special silo in your living room- one push of a button, and a perfectly decorated tree slowly rises from beneath the floor like a nuclear missile No thanks - I enjoy putting my Radko cats and dogs on my very asymmetric tree!</p>
No thanks - I enjoy putting my Radko cats and dogs on my very asymmetric tree!</p>