We've been in this home for coming up on twenty years and even though we've added on a room that is now our living room, there's no way I can fit a tree in that small, but cozy, room.
So the tree (and a small tree it must be . . . although this year it turned out to be smaller than usual) remains in the kitchen perched upon the top of a cabinet.
This miniature version of a tree is okay with me as I'm not particularly fond of decorating the tree (and taking it down!) anymore, so the smaller the tree, the less time it takes. Our daughter still hassles us a smidge nearly every year about when are we going to again get "a real tree" (i.e., regular sized one that stands on the floor) because that's what she grew up with, but I don't think it's ever gonna happen. Unless we move to a bigger house. And I know that's never gonna happen, because we've got too darn much stuff to ever move! Besides, we're firmly entrenched here and love it.
Anywho, back to Christmas tree placement.
Where does the tree reside in your home? Is it in a convenient place, or does it halfway block a doorway? Or main entrance? (Oops.) Or take the space where the dog's bed usually is? Does its placement keep you from accessing the kitchen sink? (Now there's an idea . . . ) I'm assuming it doesn't block the view of the TV/DVD screen? Do you have to rearrange furniture to fit it in? Does hubby's favorite chair get relegated to the garage during the holiday season? (Let's hope not.) I'm curious. Is it a problem making room for your tree or do you have the ideal spot for it?
33 comments:
We usually have it in the same corner, regardless of how many time my mother comes over and rearranges my furniture (when she gets bored of doing her own). To left of the fireplace, not in the way of any foot traffic....and a perfect spot for the cats to take a nap.
We quit doing the "big" tree when "The Boy" moved out 14 years ago. I have a Norfolk Pine in a pot that I run some star lights around and a small decorative pine tree (fake) that I put a few ornaments on. I'm doing less and less every year (and liking THAT more and more!!)
Mine goes in front of the door, so everyone has to use the back door when entering or leaving. I have no room for the tree. Maybe next year I'll get a real tree and put it on the deck. Hope you have a great day!
Sue
My Christmas tree has a place in my mind. And I barely have space for it there...Thanks to the Boyz, any tree would be taken down in the middle of the night and strewn about the house. I enjoy my parents' tree, which is always in the same place, but getting smaller and smaller each year. Which is very nice, as I am the one to put it up and take it down... :)
I have to find a new place for it every year. I rearrange my livingroom regularly and usually have to hide small pieces of furniture in other rooms so that the tree fits in the livingroom. We did have it in the kitchen one year, but that didn't work out so well.
Thanks for the kick in the bum to start doing some figuring and go looking for a tree.
Rhonda
Carolyn - Sounds like you're got a good spot. Don't move . . . you might not be so lucky in the next house!
P.S. Waiting to hear the latest report on Outside Kitty.
Sue - I like your way of thinking! Regardless of not having a "real," traditional tree, I'd bet dollars to donuts your home looks like something out of a magazine decorated for the holidays!
Anonymous Sue - I think a lot of people do that . . . put the tree in front of the least used door, often in the living room. I had all kinds of plans for putting a decorated tree for the birds out on our deck this year . . . but the way things are going, I'm kinda doubting it's gonna happen. Sigh.
Susan - We had a demented Cocker Spaniel (she had been a sickly little puppy and we were coerced into taking her) for the first 14 years we were married. (Obviously, you can tell she recovered from her shakey start in life!) I've always put popcorn strings on the tree and the rasty little dog insisted on pulling them off so she could munch on them. She pulled the tree over twice doing that so I can understand your reluctance to tempt your Boyz.
Rhonda - That's the problem . . . so often you have to move a piece (or pieces) of furniture plumb out of a room to fit the tree in. I supposed I could get a full-sized tree in our living room if I took out one upholstered chair. Which would really limit the seating in there. And the tree would hang out into the doorway from the kitchen to the rest of the house which would really be a bother. Just not easy, is it? ;o}
De likes to decorate the trees and I like the way they look. So here goes...
The "main" tree is upstairs in our master bedroom. This is the biggest one (all are artificial) and it sits in front of a window that faces the road some 250 feet away. We have a family tradition that every one get to pick out one new ornament every year, and take them with them when they leave and have their own family tree. This is the tree that everyone's 'special' ornaments go on. Even though all three are out of the house, this is still "base camp" for two of the three and they hang there ornaments here.
When the kids were young there was a "kids" tree, that had all the hand made ornaments from school and such, and anything else they wanted like popcorn strings and other sundry items. It was in an upstairs family room. When the kids got old enough to loose interest it faded away.
But... There is De's tree. It sits downstairs in the living room in front of the bay window and requires a minor furniture rearrangement. It has a theme to it, and the last few years is been decorated with glass ornaments with the safer LED old fashion style lights. All blue this year.
Recently there is another tree. My son and I have amassed a reasonable collection of sci-fi and comic book character ornaments. Last year all those when on a garage sale silver tree, but it was not really up to the task. This year we found a black tree for the 'Sci-Fi' tree. It will likely go up this weekend, and likely will also be in the master bedroom.
Three trees it a bit unusual I know, but that's our tradition and we're stickin' to it! I can see a "tree" post coming on my blog soon.
Mark - Oh, yes! Please do make a "tree" post accompanied by pictures!
Mama Pea,
We stopped putting up a regular sized tree a few years back, as we only spend a weekend here or there at either house. I do have to admit that I miss them at both places but don't miss taking them down. I have miniature one on my desk & will put up a 3 foot one at the country house next weekend. Only a (fake) wreath on the door at the city house. Maybe when I retire, I'll have time to take out all the garland, window candles (electric), the sit around the house stuff, etc., once again. But, I suspect will not happen. I still love looking at the tree all lit up with all the other lights off on Christmas Eve ... memories are good though right?
Mama Pea,
I love a fresh cut Christmas tree. However, last year we purchased one of those fake things, it's about 6 foot tall. This year, I don't feel like pulling the darn thing out of the garage......so I think were going to pickup a little one in a clay pot, this way we can have it again next year. Decorate it a little bit, and be merry :-)
Thanksgiving was nice and quiet, and I'm hoping Christmas will be the same. This will be the first year without my dad, and we (my sister and I) are try to take care of mom and get her the medical help she needs....she has developed dementia. And it's getting worse.
Do you still have snow on the ground? So far we had snow, it was 5 inches and only lasted a couple of days. Who knows maybe the winter won't be so bad this year.
Hi Mama Pea,
I live in a small-ish house (about 800 square feet) but there's a nice big window in the small living room. I've put big trees right in front of the window and also small ones in pots (live trees). I have ornaments for both! But a few years ago it all went downhill & I do very little decorating and no tree. Although going into stores that are selling potted pines makes me want one, so we'll see. Anyway, where the tree goes is out of the way of foot traffic and my cats never tried to attack it! And I liked that people walking past my house could see it all lit up. Cheers!
We barely have room for our tree. We usually dig out an old coffee table and put a shorter tree on top of it so we can put the presents under the coffee table so we aren't tripping over them. We also have to put our one and only chair up in our son's bedroom because that is the only place we can fit a tree. He's never very happy to have this chair making his small room even smaller but it's only for a few weeks so he'll have to deal with it.
My son and his wife are going to take their kids and spend Christmas up north with her family, so I've been pondering the Christmas tree thing as well. I love that your daughter wants that "real" tree; funny how our memories of growing up mean so much to us as adults. Actually it's Dan who keeps asking about our tree! He's a Christmas kid at heart. I was kinda looking forward to not having to mess with all the Christmas decorations this year, plus putting a tree up means having to move something out of the living room. But I like your solution!
Our tree always stayed in the den when the kids were young because that was the room they were in most often. Then it moved to the living room when they got older. One year I had a brilliant idea to put it in the corner of the kitchen. Never again. The table became the dumping ground for wrapping paper, boxes, gifts, etc. and then that all had to be cleaned up to even have breakfast! Even though the kids are older, we still get a real tree, though.
DFW - Sometimes I think memories are what make Christmas so special.
Gosh, I can perfectly understand your not wanting to put a lot of effort into decorating when you're not in one house full time. Don't count on retirement to give you more time. Ha! You know what they say . . . the more time you have, the more ways you find to fill it. 'Tis true!
Sandy - I know some of the artificial trees are so real looking, but I don't think we'll ever stop getting a real tree. (I mean, we live in the middle of an evergreen forest, for goodness sake!) Tree or no tree, the Christmas spirit is in your heart, right?
I'm glad you have your sister to help with your mom. Dementia . . . such a horrible disease.
Boy, we are really lacking in snow so far this year. And after the tons and tons of it we had last year! Still only a bare covering on the ground. Even the blades of grass are still sticking up through it. Could we be going back to the relatively snowless winters of a few years past?? I hope not.
Mollie - Yes, I do love it when folks who live in town put their tree in the window where everyone can see it. It makes drives through the streets seem so very festive, warm and cozy. Are you sure you don't want to put up a big tree this year again?
Sparkless - Makes one long for a BIG house, doesn't it? I see so many retired couples (just the two of them) building these gigantic homes (3,000-5,000 sq. ft. . . . I'm not kidding), but besides the cost and ridiculousness for two people, who would want to try to keep them clean? (Maybe when you're in that category you just call a cleaning service!) But I do know what you mean about feeling a little cramped now and then. My remodeled kitchen is a dream with plenty of room, but our living room is very small. Hence, the tree in the kitchen!
Leigh - We all go through different phases of our lives and I think should be free to make different choices. I have a dear friend who raised six children and all the stress around Christmas that involved. I know she was a very good, loving mother (still is), but she says Christmas time about did her in and now that she's by herself since her husband passed away, she chooses to avoid any and all decorating around the holidays. And is happy that way. My hubby is the same as Dan . . . always eager to get the tree up and house decorated. (By whom though? Moi!)
J Yale - The traveling Christmas tree! Yes, things do evolve as children grow and change. I know some folks who don't put up a tree anymore, but I'm not sure I would feel like it was Christmas if we didn't.
Oh, what a question to ponder! Tramp 1 offered to climb up into the attic and get the artificial tree down. But he hasn't been feeling great - a sinus thing - and by the time he gets home from work at night, that is the last thing I want him to do. And yesterday our dear Chucky dog had unexpected surgery and wow, do we have our hands full now. They gave us meds to sedate him and we will be using them! We are still tired from having company over Thanksgiving, too. So, I don't know what we will do - tree or no tree... We sometimes go up into the mountains and cut one - but the only place to put it inside is in the family room and it is just too warm in there with the wood stove. We do have a pine tree outside in a large pot - it should have been planted this past summer as it is getting awfully big. We might just put lights on it and call it good. I would like some lights outside - but not on the front of the house - I want them out back where we can enjoy them. Getting smarter here every day!
2 Tramps - Gosh, with all you've got going on, I'd vote for putting lights on the potted pine tree outside, somewhere you can see it and enjoy it.
Hope both your hubby and Chucky get to feeling much better soon!
We have a very narrow fake tree that works great for us. Goes in the corner of the living room. With our allergies we gave up on real trees, plus they're so expensive... Easy to store too!
Oh I think your little tree is adorable! I will post about mine in a couple days...yep actually put one up even though I don't have any kids for Christmas this year lol.
http://caffeinatedhomestead.weebly.com/blog
We've been either cutting down a live tree from our own property, or buying a tree from the Christmas tree farmer for the last 8 years - until this year. We bought a pre-lit 9' artificial tree and LOVE it! Sooooooo easy to put up. Our home has a beautiful high archway surrounding our front door and with our front door, sidelights and paladian window above all glass, it displays the twinkling lights beautifully. We just don't use our 'real' front door during the holiday season - which is no problem since we live in the country and everybody who visits, uses our kitchen side door anyway. It'd actually be strange to actually use our front door as a 'front' door! :) Fun question!
P.S. I LOVE your little tree! Size doesn't matter - it's as Dickens says "I will honor Christmas in my heart....."! A favorite quote of mine.
Nancy po - I've seen a couple of trees such as you describe, and they actually looked really good as they were set up. Trees up here are not too expensive (yet!) because we live in an evergreen forest, but I have heard they can be very expensive in some areas.
Stephanie - Christmas is for everyone, not just kids! ;o) Glad you are putting up a tree to make the house seem festive for yourself. That added to the aroma of your baked goodies . . . wonderful!
Lisa - I know you need such a big tree to adequately fill that perfect spot in your house that an artificial tree makes sense. Finding such a good sized tree, then getting it in and in a stand must have been a real chore. Plus, if you had to buy a fresh one every year, that could get expensive!
Yes, we're very happy with our little tree. I don't think we'll ever go back to a big one in our little abode. :o)
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