Originally Posted by PimTac
Best Christmas tree moment.
https://youtu.be/PJW3Jpqjx5s
Yep! Love that movie
Best Christmas tree moment.
https://youtu.be/PJW3Jpqjx5s
Yep! Love that movie
Tell us about your Christmas tree.....
- Thread starter ZZman
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Originally Posted by ARCOgraphite
My parents had one of those great Reynolds (or Alcoa ?) aluminum trees with that rotating color wheel spotlight.
I thought that was pretty cool - in the 1950's through the mid 60's.
My grandma had one. I loved that thing. Good memories.
My parents had one of those great Reynolds (or Alcoa ?) aluminum trees with that rotating color wheel spotlight.
I thought that was pretty cool - in the 1950's through the mid 60's.
My grandma had one. I loved that thing. Good memories.
So the tree thing with all the gifts is a winter solstice event?
It was all magical when we were kids ...
Now that I'm older and know better, looks like like the retailers fully co-opted the Holidays.
The Holidays are what you make of them I suppose.
Not all Bah! Humbug!
Carry on
It was all magical when we were kids ...
Now that I'm older and know better, looks like like the retailers fully co-opted the Holidays.
The Holidays are what you make of them I suppose.
Not all Bah! Humbug!
Carry on
Because I grow them, always a real one for us, and always a Charlie Brown version of fraser fir decorated with special ornaments reflecting memories of decades past. We really embrace the KISS principle as much as possible. Lots of memories of kids and grand kids assisting the tree cutting, setting up, and decorating. Our tree stand was my wife's grandmother's and must be 80+ years old. Can't beat the fragrance of a fresh fir.
![[Linked Image from canr.msu.edu]](https://www.canr.msu.edu/for/uploads/images/About/TRC.jpg "[Linked Image from canr.msu.edu]")
I don't understand why but real Christmas trees don't really have the aroma that they had when I was a child / teenager (90's). I remember as a child / teenager every Christmas our house smelled as if you walked into a Christmas tree farm but it isn't the case anymore. Anyone else feel the same way? My guess is because these days they use so much chemicals / hormones that it doesn't give the trees the deep / stronger aroma.
I love real / live Christmas trees but since they hardly smell anymore thinking about getting an artificial tree.
I love real / live Christmas trees but since they hardly smell anymore thinking about getting an artificial tree.
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Artificial, ~7'; adorned with ornaments we get each year that tell the story of the growth of our family. We used to go get a real tree each year when my daughters were younger but now that the novelties have worn off we've elected for the ease and convenience of the fake tree.
Originally Posted by diyjake
I don't understand why but real Christmas trees don't really have the aroma that they had when I was a child / teenager (90's). I remember as a child / teenager every Christmas our house smelled as if you walked into a Christmas tree farm but it isn't the case anymore. Anyone else feel the same way? My guess is because these days they use so much chemicals / hormones that it doesn't give the trees the deep / stronger aroma.
I love real / live Christmas trees but since they hardly smell anymore thinking about getting an artificial tree.
Are trees sprayed for bugs ?
I agree that trees 20 years ago had a strong pine smell.
I don't understand why but real Christmas trees don't really have the aroma that they had when I was a child / teenager (90's). I remember as a child / teenager every Christmas our house smelled as if you walked into a Christmas tree farm but it isn't the case anymore. Anyone else feel the same way? My guess is because these days they use so much chemicals / hormones that it doesn't give the trees the deep / stronger aroma.
I love real / live Christmas trees but since they hardly smell anymore thinking about getting an artificial tree.
Are trees sprayed for bugs ?
I agree that trees 20 years ago had a strong pine smell.
Chemical use on Christmas trees is minuscule compared to most other agriculture endeavors. Any application cuts in to profit, so the least amount used is best for the grower. Herbicide use is usually confined to the 3 foot wide strip the trees are growing on vs. blanket applications to the entire acreage. Weed control herbicides are only used for the first 2 to 4 years of the tree's growth cycle of about 7 to 10 years and the areas between the tree strips remain in sod, not bare ground. Growers use IPM methods and only apply insecticides or fungicides if a pest reaches a threshold level. Christmas trees have been developed through traditional genetic selection to resist pests on their own and species are matched to the available soil types to reduce the use of fertilizer. The trees sequester carbon, prevent erosion, and provide wildlife habitat. There are exceptions to my description above and it is not an ideal organic system by any means, but it's certainly not high input like most food and feed crops.
If anything, today's popular fir trees should smell better than the Scots pine of earlier years. The only thing I can think of to reduce fragrance is if you get a tree that was cut in early November to be shipped to Florida for use in late December. I thought Twinkies tasted better 5 decades ago too. Maybe our perception and recollections change as we age.
If anything, today's popular fir trees should smell better than the Scots pine of earlier years. The only thing I can think of to reduce fragrance is if you get a tree that was cut in early November to be shipped to Florida for use in late December. I thought Twinkies tasted better 5 decades ago too. Maybe our perception and recollections change as we age.
at 63 my sense of smell taste and hearing all dulled by a TONNE!
... is this the effect of Marriage?
... is this the effect of Marriage?
I haven't put up a tree since the late '80s. Back then my wife insisted on a real one, and it did smell great and looked great -- but we had carpet, and the needles were annoying. And little Arizona the red tabby kitten thought batting at the lowest-hanging decorations was a cat's most sacred duty.
As for trees when I was a kid, yes, we used to go out to the big grocery/home store, Schwegmann's (a precursor to Walmart), and pick one up in early to mid-December. Dad and Mom would set it up in the dining area of our place, on a tiled floor with no heat sources nearby, and mount it in a stand with sugar water in the bowl to nourish it. For some reason we used big Christmas lights -- I guess they were outdoor lights? We switched them off when we went to bed. I can still see the reflections of those multi-colored lights in the curved glass of my Timex Electric watch when I was 13. Our cat Rusty, also a red tabby, his first year slid in underneath the tree and curled up around the base; oddly, he didn't give us much trouble about the decorations.
The tree would be drying out and shedding needles by the 27th. We usually kept it up until my brother and I went back to school in early January.
As for trees when I was a kid, yes, we used to go out to the big grocery/home store, Schwegmann's (a precursor to Walmart), and pick one up in early to mid-December. Dad and Mom would set it up in the dining area of our place, on a tiled floor with no heat sources nearby, and mount it in a stand with sugar water in the bowl to nourish it. For some reason we used big Christmas lights -- I guess they were outdoor lights? We switched them off when we went to bed. I can still see the reflections of those multi-colored lights in the curved glass of my Timex Electric watch when I was 13. Our cat Rusty, also a red tabby, his first year slid in underneath the tree and curled up around the base; oddly, he didn't give us much trouble about the decorations.
The tree would be drying out and shedding needles by the 27th. We usually kept it up until my brother and I went back to school in early January.
Originally Posted by ZZman
Originally Posted by ARCOgraphite
My parents had one of those great Reynolds (or Alcoa ?) aluminum trees with that rotating color wheel spotlight.
I thought that was pretty cool - in the 1950's through the mid 60's.
My grandma had one. I loved that thing. Good memories.
I used to see them at the department stores. They never appealed much to me, and it was a good thing, as my parents would never have gone for one.
Originally Posted by ARCOgraphite
My parents had one of those great Reynolds (or Alcoa ?) aluminum trees with that rotating color wheel spotlight.
I thought that was pretty cool - in the 1950's through the mid 60's.
My grandma had one. I loved that thing. Good memories.
I used to see them at the department stores. They never appealed much to me, and it was a good thing, as my parents would never have gone for one.
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