Poll: How many Christmas trees in your house?

[freebird5825]

Zero. I'm an atheist (born Jewish), so Christmas means nothing to me and never meant anything to me. It's someone else's holiday when everything is closed except movie theaters and kosher delis in Jewish neighborhoods.

...and Chinese restaurants

 

[EastWest Gal]

We went artificial when I was 11 and never looked back. DH has major allergies, so a tree in the house--nope, can't happen. Plus, the idea of the whole country and all of Europe and who knows where else cutting down so many trees each year--a waste of usable land to grow trees only to be cut down and then thrown away, well, that doesn't appeal. I was supposed to be home and off this year, so I was going to decorate with Dickens houses and a toy train we have, but...I look forward to a pretty Christmas house next year.

In the apartment I'm staying while I'm working, I bought a swag that looks nice on the coffee table and a candle in a jar for scent. It's been just 3 of us for years. We're pretty much agnostics but always did enjoy the presents and the stockings and the Santa thing, and it is a good excuse for the family to do things together and stop working on projects for one day, and share a special meal. I usually make ham (Turkey ham), but this year I'm making slow cooked smoky flavored oven baby back ribs--Yum!

 

[RE2Boys]

Two, one in family room and one in front of living room window. The one in family room will come down Jan 7, The living room tree gets re-decorated as a "snowman tree" with white lights and only snowman ornaments. Use it as a seasonal decorations, usually comes down about the time I tap our maple trees for sap/making maple syrup, start the next season.

 

[freebird5825]

Here's my little tree, a live one in a pot. Minimalist decoration this year.


No teddy bears were harmed in the filming of this production.

 

[martyp]

1 live tree.

Artificial trees? I don't get it. Live trees are totally sustainable agriculture and get recycled after the holiday season.

Nostalgia - I always cherish the memory of driving out to the tree farms in Connecticut in the winter snow; cutting down the tree; hauling it back to the house; and trying to jam the huge tree through the front door. Sometimes we needed a bit of a running start.

I am also non-religious but I do get a genuine emotional uplift at this time of year when the days start to get longer. I have no problem conflating a solstice celebration with western secular Christmas traditions. If early Christians could co-op pagan traditions I can do the reverse.

The lights and decorations come down on New Years day.

 

[FIREd]

Only one tree (artificial, 3'-tall, tabletop tree). Before downsizing to an apartment, we used to have a 7'-tall artificial tree in our house.

 

[Major Tom]

When I moved to the Bay Area from Los Angeles, I needed to downsize, so the artificial tree and boxes of ornaments, lights etc were sent to a thrift store.

However, there is a stocking hanging on my bed-post which has been there since last Christmas. I never got around to taking it down! Last night, I stuffed it with gifts for my SO. The other indication that it is Christmas is 2 strings of LED lights draped around my window.

 

[Idnar7]

None. Not to sound Scrooge-like, but we actually put our old artificial tree out in today's garbage. We do the indoor Christmas decorations, just no tree. No family visitors and we are in the middle of a remodel.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

One REAL cut tree. We make a fairly big deal on the tree every year since we have been collecting ornaments from our travels. Instead of setting out useless doodads all year long, we hang useless doodads from a tree for one month out of the year. It's nice to be reminded of various good times. I don't think we have two ornaments alike and we can remember where almost every single one came from.

Fa-ra-ra-ra-ra!!

 

[aaronc879]

I've never put up a tree in my own home. I'm single with no kids. When I go to my parents house in the morning they will have 1 small artificial tree. I've never see or even heard of anyone having more than one tree.

 

[aja8888]

...........the idea of the whole country and all of Europe and who knows where else cutting down so many trees each year--a waste of usable land to grow trees only to be cut down and then thrown away, well, that doesn't appeal.

On the other hand, the land is being used for revenue generation and the trees are used for a purpose. Most of these tree farms are on private land. Kind of like growing forests to cut and make timber for building purposes. So I don't see it as a waste.

It also provides local jobs rather than ones in the artificial Christmas tree factory in China.

 

[unclemick]

1 - artificial handmade German two footer with wood decorations - came with the new wife.

0 - plus the big kahuna Blue Spruce tree (6-8 ft) in the front yard when I was single - did outdoor lights and star on top. I had trouble with the ground level yard reindeer, spiral trees and candy cane cause the Golden Retriever would pee on them and wipe sections of lights giving a odd look.

heh heh heh -

 

[Closet_Gamer]

One real tree and two small fake ones that the kids like to decorate.

Most years we use a fake tree so we don't need to worry about it while we're traveling, but we're staying home this year so we could go real. I really prefer the real tree. (Although we've used the fake one for coming up on 15 years...huge money saver!)

Merry Xmas everyone!

 

[Options]

Zero. I'm an atheist (born Jewish), so Christmas means nothing to me and never meant anything to me. It's someone else's holiday when everything is closed except movie theaters and kosher delis in Jewish neighborhoods.

Zero here as well. Not Jewish, but certainly atheist, and always go to the movies with my Jewish friends on Christmas if I don't get dragged home to NorCal.


And oh yes, thank goodness for the Chinese restaurants!

 

[Sarah in SC]

No tree for us either. We used to do it when we lived on a city street but now we are out in the country and just can't be bothered.
I don't mind Christmas, I guess, but it isn't a big deal for us. Meh.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum

 

[Hermit]

Can't take back my vote. But DD just arrived with a small tree, lights for around the living area, and a boat-load of presents. Had to move the printer, but we made room. So now I have one! Ya gotta love kid!

 

[Walt34]

Just one, about 18" tall on a table downstairs. When we're done, unplug, put the trash bag over it and back on the shelf it goes.

 

[WhoDaresWins]

I have 3 small table-top trees plus white lights on a very large potted palm (the lights stay on all year round). I have a large poinsetta in a cachepot on the sideboard and my most cherished Christmas item: an Italian Nativity bought by my father in the 1960's. It sits on my long rustic dining table: baby Jesus, Joseph, Mary, 3 angels, 3 wisemen, a donkey, a camel and a sheep.

 

[Rosie]

Does a potted rosemary bush count?

 

[scrabbler1]

Another good place to go if one doesn't observe Christmas is, as Jewish friends of mine often went, was Atlantic City (casinos). No crowds ever, and it is always open.

 

[FUEGO]

2 trees. 7.5 ft artificial and 2.5 ft artificial. That's a lot for a mixed atheist and nominally Buddhist household. DW's Buddhist family loves Christmas (they were sponsored to come to America by a Christian church, and introduced to Christmas that way). It's fun for the kids and there is zero religion to it for all of us. Just the trees, presents and tons of food (spring rolls, pad thai, thin sliced steak, papaya salad, you know the traditional Christmas fixings).

For us, our Christmas Eve dinner was 3 for $10 pizzas from the nearby pizza joint. Plus free cinnamon rolls from the buffet that closed early at 3 pm. They were tossing out the cinnamon rolls right as I begged them away.

We just opened some gifts for the kids tonight. Cross stitching kits for the girls and a wooden train set for the 2 year old boy. I didn't think about how old-fashioned the gifts were until they all opened them. It's about time to bust out some board games for family game time soon!

 

[Moemg]

One tree ! A real tree that is slightly curved but otherwise perfect !

 

[NW-Bound]

Just one.... only "rich" people have more than one tree, we're middle class.

No tree. We are too poor.

I used to have a 7' artificial tree that I bought before having our first born. When the kids got to middle teenage years and didn't bother to help us decorate the tree, we thought that if they didn't care then we shouldn't bother either.

So, the tree stayed on a shelf in the garage until 3 or 4 years ago, when I decided that we would never set it up. Put it out on the curb, in its original box. Somebody picked it up, and I was glad the tree got used.

 

[youbet]

Just one.... only "rich" people have more than one tree, we're middle class.

Comments like that will get you coal in your stocking.

 

[Katsmeow]

Not religious here, but love the secular celebration of Christmas with no religion to it. We do have a tree which one of our cats found fascinating. We have only the one tree (decorated by my daughter) but we have outside lights (we have a service that puts up our lights each year and then stores them for the rest of the year). We had Christmas stockings that we opened today (Christmas Eve) and we will have fun with presents and Christmas dinner tomorrow.