1. You won't have to crawl under the stairs to dig out the tree that somehow got buried under a tarp, a stroller, a cooler and a bag of old clothes.
2. You won't have to clean up shards of glass from an old, burnt out light that fell and shattered during the digging.
3. You won't spend precious time "fluffing" the tree branches till they look just right.
4. You won't stab your hand on the hidden wire poking out of the branches.
5. You won't have to light a pine-scented candle to get that woodsy, Christmas tree smell.
6. When the Christmas season is over, you won't have to flatten all the branches, disassemble the tree, package it, and crawl under the stairs to store it for another year.
13 comments:
Great list! There's nothing like a real tree. We switched to a fake tree in our house last year. I must say, the putting up of the tree is a pain, but it is so much easier to take care of. No watering, no dead needles all over the floor, no fire hazzard... But then again, no pine smell. I do miss that.
Deb - I will admit that I don't miss the needles on the floor and the watering. However, my poor thumb, after being stabbed, thinks it would have been safer to crawl beneath the branches with a can of water. ;-)
I'm a real tree kind-a-guy but my wife is a fake tree lover -- we have a fake tree.
But finding a good tree every year, paying for it, securing it for the ride home, and dealing with needles stuck in the carpet like ticks on a hound dog, has a downside too.
We had real trees for about 22 years, with my husband always suggesting we get a fake. I finally gave in, deciding it wasn't the marital battle I wanted to throw myself on the stake for. (The word "battle" being used loosely there.) I did insist on a fake tree with pinecones and grapevines running thru it, and I am gonna try to find a bag this year to put it in, so we don't hafta dismantle and reassemble it again...
Allergic to the real thing... The dust mites in the fake one don't do much for me either! Achoo!
Poor Shauna. :o(
We go back and forth between fake and real. The two fake trees we've had were hand-me-downs and ready for the dump when we got them. We're doing real right now. Next year who knows?
I'll take the fake with lights already in them. Perfect thing to get the job done. Real time saver.
I do miss the smell of real but that is about all for me. I'm getting older and it takes more effort.
While I love the smell of our real tree, I dislike the pine needles all over the floor and nearby furniture, watering (and having to remove slimy hot-wheels cars and various members of our Veggie Tales Nativity Scene from the watering trough of the tree stand almost daily, thanks to Judah).
I would happily trade real trees in for a pre-lit, real-looking fake tree. In fact, I'd be willing to sacrifice 90 cubic feet of storage space in my garage so that I could store the fully decorated, bagged up fake tree for next year to save time in decorating it again next year.
Not wanting to go to the 'hassle' of decorating for Christmas? Yikes, I'm turning into my mother!
Travis - LOL! All good points.
Barb - I like the idea of the pinecones and grapevines. I like the idea of leaving it decorated all year, too. Saves work. I guess I need to think about whether this is a 'battle' worth fighting. ;-)
Lisa - I never thought of the allergy thing. I have the same as you, so maybe I should be thankful my husband insisted on a fake tree one year into our marriage.
Jenster - at least you're flexible about it. I'd like the experience of shopping for a tree with the boys. 'Course it could just be more of a headache. *shrug*
airingon - You and your trees. LOL! How many's this make now?
Becky - LOL! Thank you for putting it in perspective. Perhaps my wounded hand is nothing compared to soggy nativity characters. :-)
I would LOVE to have a real tree. But my family and I have this thing about being able to breathe...! It sucks having allergies.
Had some problems with your tree? LOL...
Ours is shedding something fierce this year, so I rather envy you yours.
Grass is always greener...
For those of you who have fake trees but miss the smell, I have found that a real centre piece for the table gives off a very nice aroma of pine. Just make sure its a healthy one or your still fighting the needles.
Katybug - Allergies DO suck. And blow, wheeze, sneeze, itch, hack, cough, gasp, tear...
Marianne - Too true. I'd probably complain about the baby eating the needles if we had a real tree. :-)
airingon - Good substitute. I'll keep it in mind. Though the baby's climbinb on the table now, so the needles may still be in danger. :-)
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