Our Christmas tree
I'm usually too lazy to get the tripod out when I take pictures, but I drug it out last night like a responsible picture-taking person.
I know it looks a bit like I slapped a filter on it, but that's actually straight out of the camera. Whee!
This is our second Christmas with wood floors instead of carpet, and I gotta say, I really dig the way the light reflects off the floors.
Carpet just doesn't have quite the same effect.
In case the wonky top didn't tip you off...this is a real tree. 😉 I haven't had the motivation to put the topper on, and also we have no garland because last year ours fell apart (it served us for 19 years!) and I haven't found any replacement garland I like.
So, it's an imperfect tree. But I think it's beautiful anyway.
Ha! I didn't even notice the wonky top. I figured it was a real tree because I've never seen an artificial one that full 🙂 It's a beautiful tree for sure!
My reaction was the same. I just noticed the fullness and knew it was a real tree.
Imperfection is part of the beauty of Christmas trees! My tree currently has about 90% of the ornaments on the front bottom portion. My youngest, who is 2, has been having so much joy this year decorating the tree, I just leave things as is so she can enjoy her own work 🙂
Loved the tree! & I imagine Christmas Cards in the making for next year offerings with said photos! & I can use the candle wax remover tip from jars...& I resolved the chill seeping in from 15 feet of window length & 5 ft high with high grade thick clear plastic panels. Concrete wall below window is thin insulation. I added a royal blue length of tarp along the 15 ft length 2 feet high of concrete, and insulation with thumb tacks! & then wedged in behind the defunct radiator span, sheets of styrofoam against the tarp. Heat is radiate out from a ceramic pole (colored white) from floor to ceiling.
Building management calls it being efficient! Not So! Room temperature rose about 4 degrees Celsius -- !2 deg F. Cost was about $60 Cdn. Seems, the cost was low; the solution took time to germinate in my mind. Meaning, the getting too is as important as the doing, I suppose. We'll see what the hydro bill looks like for January 2017. Could be a nice surprise.
Best for the Holidays'.
Richard Zorniak
from: Wet, mildish Vancouver BC.
Imperfect trees are always the best! 🙂
I think all Christmas trees are beautiful no matter what their shape. This one included.
I'm with you on the garland! I have been searching for years for one I like. This year, I almost made a dried orange one, but time got away from me. And I'm not sure how dried oranges would fare on my artificial tree. Maybe next year! Merry Christmas!
Ha! I noticed it straight away, and just knew there would be a story. Mine died last year, so I just made a big bow. I saved it and used it again this year, though it feels a bit sacrilegious. My garland is dying a slow death too. I am keeping an eye out at estate sales, looking for something that has withstood the test of time and still has life and beauty left in it and doesn't cost much. I like the idea of giving new life to things that have served others well. Merry Christmas!
Congrats for making a new garland. A joy to know some folk are fashioning craft-like items from hand!
Joy
Very nice tree this year! If I was within driving range I'd ask to come over for a picture in front of it as we didn't do any decorations (including a tree) this year. It's just too difficult with a toddler. I did consider going the Emmet Otter route and cutting a Christmas branch but we never bothered.
Also yes, hardwood floors are pretty awesome. It's one investment in my house I never regret.
I wish you lived closer because I would totally take a photo of your little family for you. 🙂
My mother took some ribbon that she had and made large bows to place all of the tree instead of garland. Looks just as nice!
Carmella at assortmentblog.com posted a bunch of inspiration photos the other day -- I love the idea of a garland made of pompoms and straws -- so cute. We don't have a tree yet. That might have to become today's project or the kids might go into full revolt mode!
Sonia and Zoe would definitely have staged a mutiny by this point if we hadn't gotten a tree. 😉
Kristen, I love your tree and the reflection of the lights! Merry Christmas to you and your family.
I think it's beautiful. I've never had a real tree before (I'm from Australia, it's not something we do there being that it's usually over 100 degrees around Christmas!) but I'd love the idea of having one now I live in the States 🙂
Oh, Christmas must be so weird for you now! You can, like, legitimately sing all those songs about cold and snow at Christmas now.
Haha, it is! We used to sing "Dashing through the sand, in a rusty Holden ute, over the dunes we go, Christmastime is beaut!" (A lot of Australian slang in there!)
Fantastic! I hadn't heard that one from my Aussie friend.
That is one gorgeous tree! I've never had a real tree myself; I like that the plastic ones are reusable. It's about $85 one time and hopefully we'll get at least ten years out of ours. 🙂 Mr. Picky Pincher, on the other hand, has never had a plastic tree, so our new plastic tree was a bit of a shock to him. "What do you mean the house won't smell like pine??" 🙂
Artificial trees are definitely cheaper over the long haul. And maybe one day down the road when we're empty nesters and Mr. FG has really had it with carrying a tree into the house, we'll go that route. But for now, the kids really like to get a real tree each year.
Now that I'm in a house with some storage, I went the artificial tree route. I bought a high-quality, prelit one. It's so easy to get out every year and looks quite nice. It also means I'm free to travel *and* have a tree if I want. It should last at least 20 years.
Use fresh pine swags or a wreath to get the house smelling like pine.
Somewhere we found pine scented wax ornaments. Hung a few in the tree, and it smelled pretty close to fresh. Not identical, but gave us a pretty fragrance in our artificial tree and we were able to travel without coming home to needles everywhere. Win all around.
Our garland is strung popcorn. The story is that my parents' first Christmas they were too poor to buy ornaments, so they made them from paper and strung popcorn. It has become a frugal family tradition. This year our one year old has eaten half way around the bottom string.
That made me laugh! Merry Christmas!
Oh! This is so lovely! I agree, the lights on the floor are so beautiful. ✨
Yes! Yes! Tree looks beautiful with reflection from hardwood floor which looks beautiful to view with tired eyes'. I imagine lit candles (white or vanilla colored) would help, too, -- they do so on my mini iron, black-colored, candelabra.
Richard W. Zorniak
Vancouver BC
Richard, I love your comments. They are always gentle and artistic!
I am not far from you, in Victoria, BC. 🙂
We love getting real trees. We've usually had, and currently have, the six to seven foot size, even in our house that we live in now, which has a cathedral ceiling in the living area. However, we have had a 13 ft. tree and an 11 ft. tree before -- wow, that was work, but it was beautiful. We try to buy a little late in the game -- I don't like to decorate early, and the prices start dropping as it gets closer to Christmas, although the selection is less varied. In the old days, we cut one off of private property, with permission, of course.
I like your tree, Kristen, and it does look good to see the reflection on your floors.
There are lots of good ideas out there for making a garland, but I bought mine at after Christmas sales, and honestly, for many years I didn't even have one. One of the simplest I've seen is pretty double-sided ribbon gently twisted as it's wrapped around the tree. When the tree is taken down, just unwind the ribbon, straighten then roll it, and you are ready for next year.
Challenge your kids to make a garland. That should be fun for them and you'll have a one-of-a-kind garland.
As an aside, we once went all country-style and hand-crafted on our tree, and we hung candies, decorated cookies and popcorn garlands on the tree. It was really cute, but we somehow forgot we had a dog.....
We are a divided household. I prefer the ease of the artificial tree and DH likes the real one. Needless to say, we have an artificial one I got on clearance for $7, and I get a smaller, real one in a pot for DH. Your tree is lovely!
It's simply lovely! I would put my two cents in and recommend some popcorn garland even though it lasts just this year. It's a simple natural garland that would suit the rest of the decor. After Christmas you can put the tree outside before mulching it to feed some local birds.
No tree at our house this year because we're not there ;:)
But usually we buy a real one--I love the smell of a real tree!
Stunning! Love the reflection on the wood floors, too. I miss a real tree, but with the 7 cats - yes, I know - it was a cat-astrophe waiting to happen. One year, our tree had cat-head sized holes throughout; they'd climb the trunk and poke out their heads. Anyway, none of them seem to give the artifical tree much thought, beyone knocking off a low-hanging ornament. Merry Christmas!
We used to always get a real Fraser fir, but our ekdest is allergic. Last year we bought one on sale and, I have to say, I like it just as much. I don't miss the scent much and I definitely don't miss the needles everywhere.
I bought our garland on Christmas clearance in 2003. It is just long strings of red beads but it is just the right red, it is shiny and super durable. It was a great buy. I will be so sad when they break.
Our boys are old enough to decorate a tree properly and yet still be excited to see all of their ornaments. It is the ideal balance. This range of ages, 14, 11 and 8, is amazing. Things are just so much easier but still so fun.
Merry Christmas!
Forget the garland. Less is definitely more
Maybe this is the year of the wonky tree. Mine is 9 ft tall and has no shape. It is wide but straight up and down. It may be the worse tree we have ever had. I hope to get lights on it tomorrow and well, It may not get decorated. That's OK too. It's pretty much for me so I like the lights anyway. meds have me wonky too so forgive the crooked typing.
The tree is lovely! TFS
One of my favorite childhood memories is of decorating the tree each year. We always did a real tree, and sometimes we'd even cut one ourselves.
Hubby wanted a fake tree this year, and I put my foot down (nicely, of course). We don' always have a tree, but when we do, it's a real one 🙂
Very pretty! I love the look and smell of a real tree - we treat ourselves to one every year. Maybe not frugal, but so beautiful and tree farming and recycling (as opposed to tossing plastic and metal trees in a landfill) will always be a better choice to me!