Procrastination

[Cole Parker]

I finally bought a tree today. Well, there have been mitigating factors. It's been raining practically nonstop for over a week, and the idea of bringing a sopping, dripping, WET tree into the house didn't appeal. Today's the first time we've seen the sun in SoCal in about forever. So, I used my time wisely and bought a tree.

The good part of this experience is, I got it cheap! Trees in SoCal are expensive, because they have to be shipped in from Washington and Oregon, and perhaps NoCal, but I've never seen any from there. So, a six foot tall Douglas fir usually runs around $60, give or take, and a 6 foot Noble fir can run up to $100.

Shopping the day prior to Christmas Eve seems to have its advantages. I got a beautiful, full, seven and a half foot Nobel with a price tag attached marked $148 for $50. Whoopee!

Now I'm allowing the partner to decorate it. One man can only do so much.

C

PS - Oh, Merry Christmas, everyone!

[Bruin Fisher]

Over here Xmas trees are Norway Spruce, which gives a completely different effect!

Noble Fir, I think, would be much more elegant, and probably wouldn't drop so many needles on the carpet.

[Cole Parker]

Having shorter needles, they are much easier to decorate. And yes, I'd say they look more elegant. It's the taking out the second mortgage to afford them that's the nuisance.

C

[Trab]

I don't do the tree thing at all anymore, but previously I put up the green stranded Chinese wirebound fir. It is 100% drought and heat resistant.

Seriously though, the worst tree EVER for a Xmas tree has to be a Sitka spruce. The needles will poke your eyes out without provocation and their dagger-like points are easily as good as cat claws; they even go through most gloves, unless you have those police stab/slash proof ones.

[Lugnutz]

I have a nice ceramic table top tree my mom made decades ago. I just have to find it..........

[EleCivil]

I've been procrastinating, too. I finally got around to putting up my Bachelor Tree today.

[colinian]

One of the benefits of being university students is that all four of us go home to our respective parents and when there we enjoy their tree and decorations and lights. We don't have to help put any of it up or take it down. Oh, and there's no reason to have a tree at our house in Berkeley. We're not there from the weekend before Christmas to the weekend after New Years. So, why bother decorating?

Colin

[Merkin]

I discovered early on that cats and Christmas trees are incompatible. Wrapped gifts, Christmas stockings, and decorations around the house are also. Makes for a furry but Spartan holiday.

[Mountain Dude]

Having shorter needles, they are much easier to decorate. And yes, I'd say they look more elegant. It's the taking out the second mortgage to afford them that's the nuisance.

C

[dude]

I discovered early on that cats and Christmas trees are incompatible. Wrapped gifts, Christmas stockings, and decorations around the house are also. Makes for a furry but Spartan holiday.

I usually opt for the feline variety of Christmas too!

[JamesSavik]

I have a small ceder tree outside that I decorate. All red and white lights and silvery glittery garland. It really sparkles.

Inside I just have a little artificial tree but the outside one is my favorite.

It grows so slowly that I just have to add a little to the trimmings every year but the smell is awesome and... I never have to buy a tree.

Did I mention... Mississippi is forecast to have a blizzard. We've got a foot of snow on the way.

This NEVER happens.

[Cole Parker]

Mississippi!

You've got to be kidding!

C

[Lugnutz]

We were supposed to get hammered here with one of those "Storms of the century" but only got a inch or two. Haven't got squat for snow this season. Maybe 6" in my area.

[Gee Whillickers]

Everyone's welcome to move here! It's been storming literally since Friday evening and still isn't letting up. Not a lot of snowfall but very windy so lots of blowing snow and temperatures around minus 18 Celcius right now. The roads are horrendous, cars in the ditch everywhere. Come one, come all.

So should I put another frozen dinner in the microwave or what?

[JamesSavik]

Mississippi!

You've got to be kidding!

C

Its a rare weather condition: super-cold cell coming down from Canada hits line of Gulf fed squalls and we're getting at least freezing rain but looks like snow and ice too. Forecast a foot of snow.

the Cats are not excited.

[Lugnutz]

Blame Canada.

[Richard Norway]

For the past few years, David and I have been going to the Lincoln National Forest to cut our own tree. We buy a permit for $ 5.00 and we can cut any species up to 10 feet tall. I can still shudder at the $ 100 to $ 200 trees that we bought in southern California. Now, we have a sunken living room with a cathedral ceiling, so a 10 foot tree is needed in that tall space. We generally get a spruce variety as it's not so full and allows ease of hanging ornaments. The hard part is the leather gloves that I have wear to get the ornaments into and onto the tree. Then again there's the 100 pounds of needles that fall off of our 15 pound tree.

We had snow this year about a week before Christmas. Nathaniel could actually be seen skipping through the back yard with his arms flaying in the snow flurries. It flurried and didn't stray around, but heck, this is southern New Mexico. We usually get some snow every year and last year we had 6 inches on the ground one morning in January. The town couldn't cope and shut itself down for the day.

See, Canada even corrupts us this far south.

Richard

[TalonRider]

Mississippi!

You've got to be kidding!

C

This same front is expected to be in the Philly area Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday to leave us with a few inches of snow.