[pontibeast]

We had artificial trees when I was a kid but since I have been married we do a frasier fir every year. My youngest is going on to college next year and I have planned on going to artificial once they move out. It's a lot easier on the back and they really look nice now. My dad does 3 small table top artificial trees and it is nice to see trees in the different rooms.I will miss the awesome smell of a fresh cut tree though, makes it feel like Christmas.

[prostreet64]

When I was growing up in the 50s and 60s my dad always took my brother and sister and me to find a tree in the 'open range' land that was owned by one of the big paper companies. I carried on the tradition for many years with my own kids until all the land became private and not accessible for Christmas tree hunting. These days my wife and I usually buy a Frasier Fur at Lowe's and they last really well through the holidays. Can't beat the fragrance.

[sdbob]

Always a real tree. We used to try to get Canadian balsam.Now a Frasier fur. The wife and I s first tree had a birds nest in it.Heard that was good luck.Remember exactly where I bought it South side of Pittsburgh.

[SR-71]

I never liked fake trees. When you buy a real one you support the local economy and the motivation for more farmers to plant them. If we don't buy the real ones the farmers won't plant them and there goes the theory of cutting down real trees hurting the environment. More farms that are untillable have been put into production growing trees than left fallow.

[bird72]

The poll should also maybe have an entry choice of one more option.

I really dig awesome blue spruce, noble firs, grands, and more, and the experience of cutting one in the wild raging stuff in late December Montana, and truly am impressed by those of you that do, especially ones with beaming eyed little ones who still believe in Santa,..... but really you need an entry:

I prefer a real tree, but after (XX) years of enduring Christmas, I go for lame, quick, and easy.

[Don Keefe]

After several years of real trees, we have settled on an artificial tree. It looks pretty real, not like the glorified toilet brush we had when I was a kid. Mom was nutty about needles dropping. Thankfully, she still is still around and nuttty as ever...

[Captainofiron]

I have pretty bad allergies, so we have a fake one.
Its a 9 foot narrow tree so it fits just about anywhere

When it was our daughters first Christmas, my wife insisted on a real tree, since it was her first. MAN that was a miserable December, I probably went through 2 bottles of Flonase and Afrin

[John V.]

Whenever anybody says they have a "real" tree, usually to denigrate artificial trees, I would always say, don't you mean "dead"??!! An artificial tree is just as real, unless you are using an imaginary tree.

We have always put up a tree, mostly artificial but a handful of times went with a dead one. My wife went out and bought our first artificial tree a year before we were married at an after Christmas 1/2 price sale. First use was Christmas of 1980, used it about 16-17 years. We have been using an artificial again for the last several years after doing the cut your own at a local farm for a few years and sometimes picking one out at Home Depot.

This year, decided to put a $10 Norfolk Island Pine in a 6" pot from Walmart up on an end table. Was my wife's idea and she says she will plant it, we'll see. She put the same Santa tree topper on it that we bought on a trip to San Diego around 1982 and have used every year since. Actually it is on a dowel rod stuck in the pot, tree too weak to support it. She also strung a battery powered string of lights on it robbed from some other decoration we had. Looks kind of cute. But if we were having any of the family here for the holiday, we would have put the full size tree up so we kinda just got lazy this year.

Merry Christmas to one and all no matter if or how you choose to celebrate it or not!

[bird72]

Tradition is in the eye of the beholder

[tigergto]

Originally Posted by 1969GiPper

Personally I like an old fashion 1950's/1960's tree. An aluminum tree that you use a motorized four color wheel to illuminate. Just put the tree together, put the ornaments on and plug in the color wheel. Before I retired from GM I use to set it up in the office and had the color wheel on a timer. Gifts under the tree had to be made of aluminum (e.g. cylinder heads, etc.) in keeping with the theme. Did it for years.

We had one when I was a child. At the time I thought we had the coolest tree on the block.

[67post3spd]

[QUOTE=1969GiPper;5665270]Personally I like an old fashion 1950's/1960's tree. An aluminum tree that you use a motorized four color wheel to illuminate. Just put the tree together, put the ornaments on and plug in the color wheel. ]

This and Buck Owens' xmas album playing almost nonstop. Great memories.