Last year was the first year I have had a fake Christmas tree and I HATED it. We still have it for emergency years when the mountains are so full of snow (like last year) that going and cutting one down is impossible. My kid was so upset - bawling - that we couldn't go cut down our tree. It was the first year in his life we didn't go and I honestly think he despises our fake tree. This year we are making the effort to go no matter the weather or the roads..lol. It's tradition and it's obvious that skipping that tradition makes us all unhappy.My husband will not allow a real tree in the house, we put up an artificial one. I so miss the real tree smell. SO.....Yesterday I got some Christmas Tree branches for free from Lowes where they sell Christmas trees. I put up two clusters of real branches. One in the dinning room and one in the living room. Hubby is OK with it, and I have my Christmas Tree smell again:vs_karate:.
We don't decorate until 2 weeks before. Most people around me are already decorating and I think that's too early for my taste. We had a friend who decorated the day after Thanksgiving and he asked us if we had started yet. We said no and he replied with "oh, not gonna do it this year huh?" No..we are just gonna wait a little bit. Just because we don't do it the first of December doesn't mean we aren't going to do it! I honestly have issues with my house being decorated in Christmas for an entire month. I put decorations up two weeks before and typically a day or two after Christmas is over they all come down. The clutter bothers me.Wow, how different ._.
We do not decorate (almost NEVER!) before December 8th. That day is supossed to be some kind of saints day, the virgin day or something like that. I found it is the Immaculate Conception of Mary Day. And we always decorate that day. Is some kind of tradition. Of course, lot of people don't really care (as me xD) but most of it does.
Real Christmas trees like Spruce don't grow in Arkansas, the climate is too warm. In New York we would go to a tree farm and get one, but here there is no such thing. They are shipped from the North and sold already cut and unbelievably expensive. We could cut a small cedar or Lob Lolly pine on our property, but those are not Christmas Trees in my book and don't have the Christmas smell.Last year was the first year I have had a fake Christmas tree and I HATED it. We still have it for emergency years when the mountains are so full of snow (like last year) that going and cutting one down is impossible. My kid was so upset - bawling - that we couldn't go cut down our tree. It was the first year in his life we didn't go and I honestly think he despises our fake tree. This year we are making the effort to go no matter the weather or the roads..lol. It's tradition and it's obvious that skipping that tradition makes us all unhappy.
Here in New Mexico our most popular Christmas tree is a pinon pine. Some people go up higher and get the firs and spruce trees but we don't..I love the pinon pine smell and look. We have a lot of junipers here but I agree - not at all a Christmas tree and the ponderosa pines aren't either. We don't have tree farms out here. I have only seen those on tv. Last year I had to use the glade pine scented candles to help make it feel more Christmas like. It helped but wasn't really the answer. I am glad you were able to get the branches! I love love love the smell of pine.Real Christmas trees like Spruce don't grow in Arkansas, the climate is too warm. In New York we would go to a tree farm and get one, but here there is no such thing. They are shipped from the North and sold already cut and unbelievably expensive. We could cut a small cedar or Lob Lolly pine on our property, but those are not Christmas Trees in my book and don't have the Christmas smell.