Christmas Tree?

[Gilberto de Piento]

What do you do? Fake ones are cheap on Craigslist, or get one for free in the summer?

[EdithKeeler]

Don't put one up.

[EMJ]

A handful of branches in a vase.

[suomalainen]

$40 cut your own tree farm. Every year. It’s the kids!

[7Wannabe5]

Small token artificial tree at my mother's apartment. My BF's property which I visit quite frequently is like a picture-perfect Christmas card. The ground is covered with wintergreen, reindeer lichen, and the woods is full of variety of evergreen trees. After I get over my acute bronchitis and there is a decent snowfall, hopefully around New Year, we are going to go up there and light some deadwood bonfires.

[Italiano]

We have two artificial ones that have lights "built in" both well over ten years old and look real. For my $ since there always at least 50% off which is just goofiness in itself there worth the money.

[KevinW]

Artificial tree, bought at a thrift store in January.

[jacob]

We have a small fiber optic tree we've been hauling around the continent for the past 10 years.

(I'm super allergic to real pine trees, so plastic trees have been a real boon.)

[SavingWithBabies]

We all go to my brother's house. He usually cuts a tree down although it's getting harder as some of the farms near him in Wisconsin have shut down. My mom brings the candles for extra excitement(*).

* This makes heads explode. Yes, it is very risky. There are things you can do to reduce the risk. These include: getting a fresh tree close to Christmas day instead of a month ahead of time, doing a fresh cut on the bottom when putting it into the stand, putting water into the base and refilling it, only lighting them when you're all sitting right there, having a fire extinguisher on hand and ready to go. Still makes heads explode. But they've been doing it for multiple decades so...

[George the original one]

I'm a purist living in the land of Christmas tree farms (western Oregon), so we get one despite wife's allergies. Sometimes home grown, sometimes purchased.

[Jason]

My wife is putting up our fake one right now while watching "Bells of St. Mary" and baking cookies. It's really a perfect scene. Well, except for the fact that I hate Christmas with a fucking passion. Not to mention that Bing Crosby although the most popular entertainer of his generation, the first real crossover artist in American history, was a complete terror in his house. His kids were probably relieved he was out pretending to be Father Fuckin Flanagan as opposed to being himself at home, reminding them what worthless pieces of shit they all were.

[slsdly]

I don't put anything seasonally themed in my home. In part it is because I am usually away over the holidays, but even if I find myself home, I still don't. If I had to put up a tree, it would be an artificial one.

[Kriegsspiel]

I go straight to the coal-filled stocking.

[Gilberto de Piento]

I don't know if renting a live tree is a brilliant innovation or another example of how crazy people are. Maybe both.

[frihet]

I prefer this kind, better cash flow when I install them.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christm ... (oil_well)

On the other hand I snatched a small half a meter variant from the forest last year. It was fun, finding it and stealthy bringing it home. Choose one growing next to several others so no damage to the forest. Not all of them could grow big anyway.

[bryan]

When I was a kid, we would always go pick a tree at a lot. Mostly a hassle that could have been replaced with better rituals. When I got older we got an artificial tree w/ lights built-in. Yet older my grandma no longer had an artificial tree and opted for a mini-artificial tree. Dad found a vintage aluminum tree at a yard sale w/ cycling light projector for a song and he's into kitsch.

[George the original one]

I don't do this, but if I had a house and a family and purist tendencies I would totally do something like this:
https://www.rentxmastree.com/shop/

From the web site:
"Renting a live potted tree for 30 days will cost a little more than that of a cut tree from a tree lot. A delivery charge is added based on location."

Doesn't make financial sense for the customer, so the appeal is solely convenience & environmental.

[SavingWithBabies]

My brother tried growing some fir trees in pots. They both died though. Maybe due to having one on the porch too far above the ground. There is also some blight in the midwest attacking them. But I like this idea in theory and would be tempted to try it. I might try putting the pot into a hole in the ground when not using it as a tree (although you'd have to be able to get it out of the ground at some point in the winter here in the midwest). Seems a bit tricky.