Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (118442)
Gainesville, Florida
December 3, 2016 6:36pm CST
I had one goal today, and that was for the kids and I to go out and find a Christmas tree for the house! Last year, we drove around to about 5-6 Christmas tree lots before we found a tree we liked. This year, we got lucky and found a nice tree at the first place we stopped!
I was hoping to get it set up and decorated so I could post a photo, but we spent too much time trying to figure out how to rearrange the living room furniture in order to allow us to put the tree up in the corner where all the windows are! By the time we got everything figured out, and the tree set and trimmed, we decided to go out to eat. By the time we got back, it was time for the college football games to start, so we decided to wait until tomorrow to do all the decorating.
For those of you that celebrate Christmas, have you put up your Christmas tree yet? And do you prefer a real tree or an artificial tree?
For decades, I was a fan of artificial trees, but for about the past five years, I have been buying real trees, and now I seem to like those better!
21 people like this
26 responses
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
4 Dec 16
You made one? You should tell us how.
2 people like this
@JudyEv (325798)
• Rockingham, Australia
4 Dec 16
@JamesHxstatic I might do a post on it but it will have to be a 'before' and 'after' so two posts. But that's okay. I'm a bit short of subjects just at the moment. :)
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
The real Christmas tree does shed, but not as bad as I thought. Well, at least not until we take it down. It sheds quite a bit when we're done with it after the holidays and taking it down the stairs and out of the house. But we usually will wrap it in a big blanket to minimize the shedding as we carry it down the stairs, and then once it's outside I'll shake out the blanket and then take the tree out into the woods behind my house.
4 people like this
@valmnz (17099)
• New Zealand
4 Dec 16
@moffittjc yep, I agree, it's compulsory with kids around.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
@valmnz My kids are both teenagers, but even after they're grown I think I'll probably still put up a Christmas tree and decorate the house.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
I like to get into the holiday spirit, plus I have two kids, so going all out for the Christmas holiday is still a thing I like to do!
3 people like this
@ElusiveButterfly (45939)
• United States
11 Dec 16
My husband bought our tree on Thursday. It is on our porch laying across the box that holds our generator. I was hoping that he would have brought it in and placed it in the tree stand on Friday. However, it still lays out on its side on the cold generator box. LOL.
Before I met my husband, I had used an artificial tree for many years. He refuses to use an artificial tree. They are quite expensive though. This years tree cost $40. I only paid $20 for last years tree.
1 person likes this
@ElusiveButterfly (45939)
• United States
17 Dec 16
@moffittjc I also turn tree to hide the rough side However, when it is displayed in a window there isn't much you can do. When there is a dip in the tree I will put the bigger ornaments in that spot.
1 person likes this
@ElusiveButterfly (45939)
• United States
17 Dec 16
@moffittjc My husband found the tree this year. I was happy not to have to trudge around a lot in the cold to find the perfect tree and cut it down.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
17 Dec 16
@ElusiveButterfly This year, the kids and I rearranged our entire living room so that we could put the tree in the corner that has all the windows. I told them that because of that, we had to search for a tree that would look perfect from all angles. Believe it or not, we found the perfect tree at the very first place we looked!
1 person likes this
@infatuatedbby (95001)
• United States
4 Dec 16
Yay I'm looking forward to seeing your decorated tree!
We have an artificial tree but I'm not sure if my boyfriend wants to put it up! And I sure don't want to but I am setting my little tree up soon :)
My sister bought her tree already she buys a real one :)
2 people like this
@infatuatedbby (95001)
• United States
4 Dec 16
@moffittjc celebrating at my sisters lol!
We want to but we both so lazy to get it out of storage :)
Lol we were so into doing it right after thanksgiving and we were like uh!!!
I have a teeny tiny one Christmas tree I'll take out though
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
@infatuatedbby My kids were looking forward to this weekend for quite a while, because they were quite excited about getting the house decorated from Christmas. But I will tell you, I kinda dreaded this day because I'm the one that usually gets stuck doing all the work! lol
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
Where's your sense of Christmas spirit? You and your bf have a tree but don't want to put it up? C'mon Michelle, it's Christmas time, you gotta put up your tree!
2 people like this
@Drosophila (16573)
• Ireland
4 Dec 16
@moffittjc I do, though I throw the old one out last year need to buy a new one
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
@Drosophila Are you talking about an artificial Christmas tree, or a real one?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
You should buy a tree! Do you normally put up a Christmas tree and decorate for the holiday?
1 person likes this
@DianneN (246838)
• United States
4 Dec 16
I'm with you on having a real tree, even though I don't celebrate. Glad you found a nice one on the first try and have it set up. College football is more important than decorating. You can decorate tomorrow unless you are also into football. Lol!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
During commercials of the football games last night we worked on decorating, so today we got just about everything finished. My daughter still wants to hang some garland, so I will let her handle that. I like your attitude about college football being more important! Do you watch college football, or have a favorite team you root for?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
Oh, I meant to ask you, do you celebrate Christmas since you are Jewish? Most of my Jewish friends do celebrate Christmas, just not the religious parts of it. I guess it really has become a secular holiday, because I've even seen Muslims and Chinese here and around the world who celebrate Christmas.
1 person likes this
@DianneN (246838)
• United States
4 Dec 16
@moffittjc I was only into college football when I went to college and when my kids did. My son went to Cornell, Big Red, and stunk, but the tailgating was fun. My younger son played football for Hamilton College, a small preppy school, but quit.
1 person likes this
@Asylum (47893)
• Manchester, England
4 Dec 16
@moffittjc So you are already for your children to have their own children. I suppose that is only fair because if they are selfish enough to grow up then they should offer you some replacements.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
My parents felt the same way. As soon as my brother and I moved out of their house and into our own homes, they stopped putting up the Christmas tree. Right now I say that I will keep putting up a tree after my kids are grown, but who knows, that may change once I realized how much work it is. But one thing's for sure, as soon as I have grandkids I'm sure I will decorate the house again.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
@Asylum No, no, no! I'm not ready for grandchildren yet! My kids are still too young! I told my daughter she's not even allowed to date anyone until she's 35! haha
1 person likes this
@Bluedoll (16774)
• Canada
11 Dec 16
@moffittjc Yep if you have decorations why not use them. I like the smell of real trees and once in my life we put real candles on one and set fire to the house. No lol. It was beautiful but for a short period of time and once in my life we... but that was then. 
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Dec 16
@Bluedoll Oh goodness, I can't believe you set it on fire! That's funny that you mentioned candles on the tree, because a couple of weeks ago my kids were asking me why we put lights on the tree. I was explaining to them that hundreds of years ago the tradition was to put candles on the trees. Of course, the first thing my son said was, "Didn't all the trees catch on fire?"
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Dec 16
This is the fourth year in a row that I've bought a real tree, and I love it! But we also still put up our artificial tree in another part of the house, because why let that go to waste sitting in a box in storage somewhere when it's still beautiful too?
@AbbyGreenhill (45496)
• United States
4 Dec 16
Fake tree for sure for two reasons: I don't want pine needles and fire.
Our tree has been up for a week.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
I definitely keep my tree well-watered to keep it from drying out! I usually have to water it twice a day to keep the stand full of water. I never realized how much water a tree drinks even after its been cut down!
@AbbyGreenhill (45496)
• United States
4 Dec 16
@moffittjc Yes, they are big drinkers...and we're old and bending down and reaching under there to water a tree isn't how our bodies move at this age LOL
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
@AbbyGreenhill I know exactly what you mean! Yesterday, I had my son water the tree several times, but this morning I got up early before them and I ended up watering the tree myself. It wasn't easy for this guy to get down under there to add water! LOL
@simone10 (54189)
• Louisville, Kentucky
7 Dec 16
@moffittjc So far, Daisy hasn't been in the tree. She does go around it every once in a while and sniffs it but that's it. We have left her and Bella alone while going to the doctor and she did really good, no problems.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
8 Dec 16
@simone10 I remember when I was a kid, when our cats were younger they would get all up in the tree, but each year, as they got older, the tree became less and less appealing to them. Eventually, they just ignored it altogether.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
I could totally understand the need for an artificial tree when you have pets. I remember growing up we had cats and even with an artificial tree the cats went crazy playing in it! Plus, I would hate to find out that a pet chewed on or ate any of parts of the tree and then became sick. So, yes, artificial seems the way to go when you have pets.
1 person likes this
@pgntwo (22408)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
4 Dec 16
A real tree adds a wonderful aroma to the room its in, but buy it too early and it can be messy. Next Saturday we'll probably get ours from the tree farm up on the hills behind us, then decorate it on the Sunday, once it has dried off a little. Other decorations and lights in the house went up yesterday. For t'is the season...
1 person likes this
@pgntwo (22408)
• Derry, Northern Ireland
4 Dec 16
@moffittjc Never look a gift-horse, or a hassle-free opportunity to get the Chrimbo decorations up, in the mouth... 
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
@pgntwo I totally get what you're saying! Trust me, I never look a gift-horse in the mouth!
...or any other horse for that matter! haha
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
I would have preferred to wait until next weekend to buy a Christmas tree--for the same reason you stated--but the way my schedule works out, this was the easiest weekend for me to get all the decorating done.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
4 Dec 16
When I was a kid in 4H after we moved out of the city into the country we had land and had (through 4-H) two thousand baby trees to plant every year. It was a reforstation project in New York. Those trees are now forests, but when they were christmas tree size my parents sold them, cut your own...we had the saws. I was away by then so I missed doing it but I have over the years run into people when they ask where I grew up and I told them along with my maiden name, I have met several who bought Christmas trees from my parents. Here in Canada we usually go to a local wood lot to buy our Christmas tree but we wait until closer to Christmas. Thanks for the memory.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
I went to visit my best friend in the mountains of western Virginia a few years ago, and where he lives is completely surrounded by Christmas tree farms. All up and down the mountains--everywhere you looked--was Christmas trees. I thought it was the most beautiful thing ever! So that's nice you got to experience that as a child!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
I love hearing about the various holiday traditions from people around the world! Some people set up their Christmas trees in November, some in early or mid-December, and some don't put up their tree until Christmas Eve. It's just so fun to see how people celebrate Christmas!
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
10 Dec 16
@moffittjc We all have our traditions, its a wonderful family time.
1 person likes this
@nanette64 (20364)
• Fairfield, Texas
4 Dec 16
I have a 3-ft, pre-lighted tree that I wait to set up until my sister is just about to arrive for a 2-day visit @moffittjc . As soon as she's gone, it's back in the closet. With 16 cats, a real tree would be a nightmare.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
With all those cats, I can definitely understand how it would be difficult to set up a tree! But goodness, how do you keep up with so many cats? Are they all indoor cats, or do you let them roam around outside?
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
@nanette64 At one point when I was a kid, we had three cats living in our house, and I thought that was hard to manage! I can only imagine how it would be to take care of 16 cats!
1 person likes this
@nanette64 (20364)
• Fairfield, Texas
4 Dec 16
@moffittjc Oh yeah, trust me, ornaments don't last long; if you can find them again. And tinsel is extremely dangerous if ingested by them. All my cats are rescues and they are strictly indoors. You should see my food and litter bill every week. Geez!!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
8 Dec 16
I agree the artificial trees are much easier to deal with, which is why I had one for decades. But I love everything about the real trees, now that I've experienced it!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
8 Dec 16
@just4him The aroma of the Christmas tree has completely filled my home. Each evening, when I come home from work and open the front door to the house, the aroma of the tree greets me with its fragrant, relaxing scent!
1 person likes this
@just4him (306236)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
8 Dec 16
@moffittjc I do too. Especially the wonderful natural pine smell.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
We have a real tree in our living room, and our old artificial tree in the den (it's fiber-optic, so each of the ends of the pine needles light up), but my kids each have their own little artificial trees in their bedrooms. They are about 3 feet tall. My daughter's is pink, and my son's is a light blue. They've had those little trees since they were little kids, and they still love putting them up every year! I still laugh at the color of the trees, but they manage to decorate them very nicely in a way that the color of the decorations compliments the color of their trees.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
Does the retirement center put up a big Christmas tree somewhere in the common areas? I would hope they get into the holiday spirit!
2 people like this
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
4 Dec 16
@moffittjc yes they have f0ur trees put u[ n now very christmasy
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
@Hatley Oh, that's nice! I'm glad they get into the spirit of the holidays as well
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Dec 16
Those smaller trees are quite easy to manage! I put up a small 2-foot tree in my office at work. Piece of cake!
@jillybean1222 (6408)
•
15 Dec 16
Oh I have a whole tree story for this year... I'll have to share it. But in short: yes, we have the tree up
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
17 Dec 16
Awesome! I hope to read your tree story when you post it!
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
4 Dec 16
We helped my daughter get a tree last week in Portland for her first Christmas at her house. We will get one by next week, though it is just the two of us. I don't like them up too long. I wonder if your tree was from Oregon? We grow more than anywhere else, some 517,000 trees and ship 90+%.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
Most of the real trees sold in Florida come from North Carolina. I haven't ever seen any from out west (maybe it takes too long or costs too much to ship them), but I have seen trees from New York and Pennsylvania! And then again, I guess it also depends on what type of tree you buy. Most of the trees here are fir trees, although occasionally I see spruce trees for sale.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
@JamesHxstatic Interestingly, I would have thought Colorado would have been a leading producer of Christmas trees, but maybe they can't grow as many trees because of the high elevation of the Rocky Mountains.
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
4 Dec 16
@moffittjc Interesting. I got curious about who grows the most and North Carolina is second behind Oregon.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
In the past I preferred artificial trees due to the ease of putting them up, and then not having to deal with a mess afterward. But I always promised the kids that I would get a real tree someday, and one year I finally did it! And now I won't switch back! They are not as messy as I thought, and they do make the house smell so good! Plus, I think they look so much better than the artificial trees!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118442)
• Gainesville, Florida
4 Dec 16
@paigea I definitely think the real ones look much better, but you are right that there are some pretty amazing artificial trees available now! But the ones that look the most real are terribly expensive, even if you wait until after Christmas when they are on sale for half off.
1 person likes this
@paigea (35692)
• Canada
4 Dec 16
@moffittjc I have always had a real one and always thought they looked better. But for a lot of money there are some gorgeous artificial trees out there!
1 person likes this
