I decorated last night. Three years ago I splurged on a Balsam Flip Tree and it is so easy to put up and put away. Hopefully we will get the outside lights up this weekend.
Got the tree today (real one). Must be “Christmas tree day” because HD tree tent was packed. More expensive than last year.
Every year I want an artificial one that is pre-lit because I HATE to put on the lights but have yet to find one that is better than a real one. It already smells like Christmas!
I always love the "kid decorations the most! They go up every year.
Bought ours yesterday at Costco but it is sitting in a bucket of water in the garage until next weekend when D2 comes home for break. H insisted Costco “just hands you a tree” - like they all are the same. Poo on that! I was friendly with the women in charge of the trailer and I walked right in that trailer and picked a tall, heavy one (they are all wrapped) - the bigger the better!! 
She didn’t mind at all.
" I HATE to put on the lights"
Husband’s job.
We went to a tree farm today and cut down a tree. My 22 YO son agreed to go too, sit that was a treat.
No, the lights have to be put on right.
One year I was feeling low and just didn’t do it. Son came home, his friends showed up and they decorated the tree for me. I REALLY loved that but man, that was the worst “lighting job” I’d seen!
(but I didn’t say anything but THANK YOU!)
What are your light “requirements”? I’m curious what makes it right or not right - just an innocent question to everyone!
I do our lights - inside and out. I’d be happy to let someone else do them! My kids still insist on color lights on the tree. I just start at the top, weave in and out a little (so pushed in a little deeper into the tree and several strands later, reach the bottom! What I don’t like is taking them off! (Real tree).
We do colored lights also. My husband spent a small fortune on led lights a couple of years ago. I am not a fan of them, but we have been using them. We only do a few lights outside. We have a couple of bushes by our front door and they will get lights.
Yes, I tend to NOT like the LED lights inside. I just like to use the $3/box of Target type lights.
But mostly I won’t take the time to explore lights so there are probably nicer looking LEDs out there.
@abasket - I hate taking the lights off, so I came up with this scheme. We compost our cut trees, which means the trees have to be dismembered to go into the yard waste bin. I bring in a branch cutter and just chop the branches off the tree… then the lights come off easily. The branch pile and the tree trunk go directly into the bin.
I use 5 strands of white lights and 5 strands colored lights. I put the white on first. I start out trying to be organized from the bottom up and end up moving those strands around everywhere to get it even. Everyone remarks how much they love both types together. It does put out a pretty light. I just use the twinkle lights from Walgreens.
I really dislike the cooler white lights that seem to be the trend outside these days. Are those the LED ones? Not a good look, IMO.
Just made plans with DS to go get our trees on Tuesday evening; I will probably put lights on it Thursday and ornaments on Friday. I use colored LED lights - they don’t get hot so I will enjoy a lit tree until the Epiphany.
Gout78, I feel the same why about the lights. I put them on and put an insane number on a small tree. Love it.
H put some decorations on while I was returning an item. I wish he hadn’t, not because it was a bad job but because it was too difficult to come in half way through. Because we say every year that this tree is our last I have not bought any nice ornaments for too long. Struggling to get it done this year. I break at least 2 every yr too.
I am proud of my mantle. I created a nice thing — vase, greens, tree topper.
I have always done big with xmas tree because of the kids. This year is the first time I won’t have a kid at home. D1 is married with her own apartment. D2 moved out to her own place this year. We are all going away for a week to a beach vacation with my extended family. I thought I would skip having a real tree in the house, but some how it just didn’t feel right. So I ordered a 3 ft artificial table top tree to be delivered this week. I will put up some of my favorite xmas bulbs. It is good to start my own tradition. My tree will go up next weekend and I will take it down after New Year.
D is not coming home for Christmas this year. I see no point in decorating a big tree. We bought a little live tree in a pot for 30 bucks (dwarf Alberta spruce). I put battery-operated LED fairy lights (warm white) on it and after Epiphany, we will plant it somewhere in the yard.
It’s up. All 11 feet of it. Lost only one branch moving it in. Smells great. We use the little white lights. Start at the top with two ladders and pass the lights around. Come about January 10th or so it comes down. We drag it into the back yard where there is a convenient little cliff and push it off. The old trees compost down there. We used to have a single (old Xmas) tree in the middle of the woods with white lights (not too many). It was really pretty to see and people used to stop. I liked seeing it when I drove home. Haven’t done it this year. We threw last years tree off the cliff, so…
I’m currently visiting family in the Midwest and everyone here seems to have trees, outdoor lights and other decorations up. It really is pretty. I feel like a slacker but we had the kids at Thanksgiving and being out of town this weekend we haven’t had any time to decorate.
We originally planned just one tree (artificial) but now that S is coming home he wants a real tree too. So of course we will put one up. Still don’t know when but we have until the 22nd.
Do people on your town decorate their cars too? It seems everyone uses those cute reindeer antlers and noses on their cars, though the elf ears are getting popular too. Last year I saw candy cane car ornaments for the first time. Popular in my part of Texas but my sister in NJ has never seen them.
^^ Some of those here in Ohio. Just on occasion.