Must be a weird time of day to take pics. My camera isn't cooperating either. It wants to use the flash, and I don't. Tried using the flash, but it makes the tree look harsh, and as tho it isn't lit (it is)? Will try to add pics of the other trees over the weekend.

Great thread. Can't wait to see everyone's trees!

This is one of my favorite threads! Here's our, a Fraser Fir:

I just now noticed Kitty is in my photo napping on the chair to the right. :)

Beautiful trees so far.

Our tree won't go up for another week or so (we leave it up until Epiphany) but here is last year's tree:

Just took this today. Decided not to stress out about decorating this year so I didn't cram it full of ornaments like usual.

I always leave the bottom 3rd mostly undone becuase of there's always been a toddler and preschooler running around de-decorating the tree. Each year I look for more plastic balls for the kids to hang and bump. This year is the best so far becuase we just had fun.

Stars totally crooked but I like it. Quirky and always slightly off our mark as usual!

Great trees everyone!!

I love seeing the trees! Beautiful!

I've got 3.

This is our Memory Tree, the main one. There is no theme except all the ornaments were collected over our lifetime, so there is everything from Raggedy Ann to Star Trek and everything in between.

Close up of the weird mix of ornaments:

I started a pink flamingo tree several years ago when I found the tree and HAD to have it.

And my pencil cactus gets the finest southwestern decorations.

I bet it's fun decorating the Memory Tree, each one bring back all kinds of thoughts of good times or other. Pink Flamingo tree?! That's an eye-opener for sure - fun. And what a cute idea to decorate the cactus. :)

Here's mine!

This tree is 10' and in our foyer this year. It is very natural and not at all manicured except for the few branches that I trimmed. Should have cut off more. The front looks like it has two arms reaching out. I think it's also a Frazier.

I love all types of ornaments, but especially Santas.

And tin soldiers

Mangers and Angels

This is my daughters first Christmas ornament from 30 years ago.

I put blue lights on a fig tree in the study because my DH grew up with them and I wanted to surprise him. They look better in person.

The fig in the living room also has lights.

Here's ours. It's 12 ft tall. Getting our tree into the house is always an adventure every year. I think ours is a frazier, too.

There are more pics with closeups of the decorations on my tree post on my blog. Photobucket has been acting funny for me lately so I haven't been using it as much. I've been grabbing pics for my blog directly from my computer.

susie, I love your lights! How do you get them to follow the arc of the arch?

using a staple gun, very carefully!

MY DH would have my head if I stapled into our woodwork. However, I plan to staple ribbon to the top of one of our doors (will not show), so that I can pin our Christmas cards up for display.

My arches like my walls are not wood, but rather plaster/knock down and painted, columns are wood no need for staples there, dh did the job, and tiny holes left behind, fill in with paint.

This is awful. Let me preface this by saying this is last year's tree, BUT the tree now is similar to it except it has a lot more red sprays on it to make it stand out a bit.

Right now I'm wrapping gifts on the game table in the tree area and it's a mess! So I can't take a picture yet. :)

newhomebuilder, I really like the natural-ness of your tree! I like the "arms" reaching out :) Every year I go on a hunt to find a natural, not-too-manicured tree like I remember from my childhood. It used to be really easy since guys would just bring trees from their woodlots into the city and sell them (I'm in Maine)... but in the last 10 years or so everyone seems to only have the super pinched ones. We had a couple of cut-your-own places that left a small section "natural" but those have also disappeared. Plus, my DD and DH don't like the really open, natural trees as much as I do. So we compromise. But yours is LOVELY. I love the natural tips, not chopped stubs. very pretty!

Here's ours. I have an animal ornament collection for each grandchild. Every year I buy them a few and ass their initials and dates to them. I might just give them the ornaments when they turn 10. This yea I just put on the 3 who are coming. Elephant, monkey and zebra. The other 2 kids have a giraffe and a lion. Didn't have room for theirs, so will have to get a larger tree next year.

Here's a couple more pictures.

Mantel, it's been straightened out since I took the picture. lol

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Some of my Old World Santa collection:

Miss Kitty, Lizzie, taking refuge in a garland because she was sick that day.

Poor baby. :( Love all of your white.

staceyneil - Thank you for the compliment. The tree lot is just down the street and run by two teenagers that go up to their family farm on the TN/NC border and cut the trees for special clients.

denali_2007 - Please re-read what you wrote! Oh my, you really gave me a good laugh with the "ass their initials."

Here is our main tree lit, excuse the needles we had just finished decorating and had not vacuumed:
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And unlit. I normally do bows on it as well but we decided against them this year.
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This is our kids tree in the music room with all their hand made ornaments:
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And the other side of the music room:
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My newest tree this year for my non-conventional colored dining room (blue and goldish tan), tree is based on an HGTV decorating show:
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And the centerpiece below it, all the blues are closer in color without being matchy, matchy, but look odd colored in this pic:
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My Christmas tree is still outside...frozen in it's bucket. I may have to get the blowdryer out to get it inside...

Stupid weather. It is NOT supposed to be this cold here this time of year.

Our "other tree" that is 60+ years old and belongs to my grandmother who turned 105 last July. She's not into putting the tree up anymore so I put it in my entry :-) She always had blue balls on it. Lots of childhood memories here. Still in original box, the address on the box (from TG&Y) has no zip code, no such thing back then...lol. And we had to replace the color wheel a couple years ago.

Our tree in family room

Front door with two small trees

Newhomebuilder, I am absolutely in love with your snowman standing at the foot of the stairs. Love his big feet. I keep saying I'm not buying any more Christmas stuff, but I'd take one of him in a heartbeat. :)

Lovely trees everyone... it's interesting how they are all so different, but each is beautiful in it's own unique way.

As tacking as those aluminum xmas trees sound, there is just something so cool about seeing them with the color wheels. They are expensive in antique stores.

Beautiful Christmas Trees! These photos make me smile:)
Every year we select a Frazier Fir from a local tree farm. I put the lights on and the kids decorate it.
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The flash is on in this photo:
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I just reread the "ass their initials"...I am still laughing!

sandra_zone6 - I love your chandelier tree! I have the perfect chandelier, but I wonder if it would be too "much" for my dining room since we have the big tree sitting just 3' from the table.

mjsee - That's why we keep our tree in the garage until it's time to bring it inside.

A guy that works with my husband went up in the mountains to cut his own tree at one of those places. They bound it for him, and they brought it home and straight into the house before unbinding. They released the tree, and went to grab the decorations. When they returned, the floor was full of water - melting ice. The guy was up all during the night mopping up the floor.

mimi_2006 - Your tree's are both very special! Love your porch.

rilie - Did you mean my Toy Tin Soldier? I don't have a snowman this year, especially not with big feet. lol The photo that I think you are talking of is not posted on this thread. Is this what you are talking about?

Last years picture.

This years pic with my Riley! I guess the soldiers face does look a little bit like a snowman. ;)

Thanks Newhomebuilder, I've been looking and looking on this thread for the snowman with big feet! It IS a cute soldier with a snowman face :-)

Mimi, I used to envy my cousins' aluminum tree back in the 60s. I thought the color wheel was the coolest thing, lol.

Oakley, your mantel is beautiful!

Here's our Noble fir. Still drinking water at seven days.

Oh, do I remember my childhood silver/white tree with the rotating color wheel, perched ever-so-proudly in front of our picture window!

Thank you to all who posted youe trees. The trees are all special and it's a treat to see how each one is decorated. We always buy Fraser Firs and have been happy with their longevity (we keep it up until the Epiphany too, like mjsee....I actually enjoy it MORE after Christmas!) This year, we did not make the schlep to the tree farm to cut a fresh tree, instead we bought one from a local tree farm, pre-cut.

It seems like among those who prefer fresh trees the Fraser Firs is popular, with good reason:
"The combination of form, needle retention, dark blue-green color, pleasant scent and excellent shipping characteristics has led to Fraser fir being a most popular Christmas tree species. North Carolina produces the majority of Fraser fir Christmas trees. It requires from 7 to 10 years in the field to produce a 6-7 feet tree. "

From: http://www.christmastree.org/trees/fraser.cfm

After seeing another thread about Christmas trees, I was inspired by a poster's use of ribbon and tulle (I think) on their tree. Can't remember who it was, but her/his trees looked fabulous, so much so that I went out and got some ribbon and gave it a shot, as said poster was kind enough to give instructions as to how she used the ribbons. My tree had too much on it to do any type of tulle this year. Maybe I will attempt it next year on one of the trees!

Anyhoo, I think the ribbon is a great addition as it covers the bare spots and softens the overall look:

There are so many outstanding trees on this thread! Happy Holidays!

Wow Work, that is a darn near perfect tree! How did you do the ribbon? I may do that next year.

Thanks Natal! This is the only time of the year I can get my mantel right. lol.

I love the aluminum tree. Brings back many memories of sitting on the floor watching it change colors.

School, you can buy them new again. All retro trees are coming back in style. I'm seriously thinking about getting a small one for next year for another room.

Sorry! Yes I did apparently get the Christmas threads mixed up. Where did I see him the first time??

I thought he had a snowman face also.... either way, he's super cute! And so is Riley (I have a Rilie also, a black lab shepherd mix).

It was the garland thread. :)

I figured you had a rilie, but thought it was a child.

natal - My tree has been drinking about 2 inches of water TWICE a day for the last two weeks. I give it HOT water.

work - I cannot get over how beautiful your tree is! I think we have the same star, too!

Well, got to go water the tree and get to bed.

NHB, I use cool tap water once a day. Our stand holds a couple gallons.

Here is a link that might be useful: Good Tidings Tree Stand

Mimi! I'm so jealous!! I have TWO aluminum trees that I was lucky enough to find in one year, but they're stored away because of the kittens. I knew the kitties would chew and play on any tree, and just felt that the metal trees would be a disaster waiting to happen. *sigh* Next year, one of them is definitely going into my collectible room, where it can sit, undisturbed, kitten-free.

Yours is just lovely with all of the red ornaments! I love the simplicity of it, and it looks just perfect! And it's such a treasure that it's a family heirloom!

Thanks everyone for the compliments on the aluminum tree. I have a granddaughter that's 1 1/2 and I think she needs to experience the color wheel at grandma's house just like I did :-) I'm very fortunate to be the grandmother of a 1 1/2 year old and the granddaughter of a 105 year old at the same time. People look at my green tree and say that's pretty but when they see the silver tree they stand there smiling and remembering their own versions of it. It's a lot of fun for the conversations and memories it evokes.

Here's mine:

Natal - We have had the Swivel Stand for years. Holds 3.5 quarts, so the tree is drinking about 2 quarts a day. I think that the hot water loosens the sap and allows the tree to drink. When i have slipped up and given it cold water, it doesn't drink as much. One day, I may even give Frasier some coffee. :) :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Swivel Stand

OMGoodness charlieinnj, that is one beautiful tree!

Aww, this thread needs to be bumped back to the first page since this is Christmas week.

Here's one of my favorite trees in the living room. It's so cheery looking!

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Since Magaverde is such a mystery and somewhat complex. I have to say I would love to see pictures of his apartment decorated for Christmas. Wouldn't ya'll?

I didn't even decorate for Christmas this year because I am going to my sister's house. This is the first time in my adult life that I haven't.
Normally I get things out of the woods here. Big Magnolia trees grow almost wild here and red berries are everywhere.

....Jane

Jane, yes I'd love to see Mag's tree! I also don't blame you for not putting a tree up if you're going to be away. I'd do the same thing.

I finally got around to taking a picture of my current tree which is a whole like the other picture from last years above. In person I can tell a difference, but not from the pictures.

Someday I want to do a theme tree.
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I love these threads! Thank you for starting it. I must admit that I am literally DYING to see more of schoolhouses house. Have you shared? Would you? It looks historic and I'm a nut.....

I completely agree with you, igloo! Schoolhouse ... please share more!

We finally got our up yesterday. It's a second year with a fake artificial tree. We got it at Costco, and it's a slim 6.5 foot tall tree that fits on one of our end tables. I like that we don't have to move our furniture to accommodate it.

The tree wouldn't be complete without the ballerina ornament that we gave our daughter when she was about 6. Every year we give each kid a "special" ornament, and this was always her favorite. She is 24 now, but I know that she would be disappointed if she came home and the ballerina was not on the tree.

Work IN Progress....I think you may have seen my instructions on the ribbon!! Your tree is gorgeous. You did a great job and the ribbon is beautiful.

Just love everyone's trees!!

Love seeing all the lovely trees. This thread has definitely made me smile! Ours is an eclectic "memory" tree also. Our kids are aged five and nine so we have many ornaments made by them and also let them pick out one or two each year to add to the tree. We also have many that have been given to us and purchased, handed down, etc. It makes for a merry mix! Every year we go get a fresh tree, either a Frasier Fir or a Blue Spruce. The past couple of years we went with Blue Spruce because the branches are sturdier and can hold the heavier ornaments better than the Frasier. But I got really cut up after doing the lights. Back to the Frasier next year!

Our angel was crooked at the time:

And a shot w/ our reading corner that has our advent tree in view:

MY yearly ornament purchase of this year. My Dwight bobblehead. How's this for fun?!

Here he is set back in the tree:

This ornament looks almost just like our Havanese dog, Luke. I had to buy it:

Yoda (We have a strange amount of classic Star Wars and Disney ornaments on the tree):

My Mardi Gras Crawfish I've had for years:

One of our LSU Ornaments:

A really pretty ornament I found this year also. Just white, pearly and lovely:

This is my Sweets Tree in our casual dining room. I created it last year after seeing a larger version in a store while shopping with my mother. I've always loved white trees but we always get a live tree. This is my way of having a fun, white, colorful, themed tree of my own. My DD and I had a lot of fun setting it up this year:

Another shot of it in the room:

My console table I did for the first time this year (On a side note - see that green tree by the red lit one? I didn't realize that my 9 y.o. DS had taken my other two trees, a shorter green one I'd put to the left of the tiered stand and a silver mirrored one I'd put by the red & green trees, and stacked them UNDER the big green one. It'd been like that for two weeks before I caught it! Little sneak!) :

Oh, my DD and DS also have tabletop trees in their rooms on each of their dressers with the tiny ornaments on them just for them. It seems like every time I go in my 5 y.o.'s room, something new is hanging on there. Last night her 3" tall Wizard of Oz Tin Man was hooked on their with the hanger from a new pair of tights we opened. Inventive. I should've taken pictures of them too but didn't think about it and now they're asleep.

I've been wordy. This is an enjoyable thread!

Ah, I knew I should have taken a photo right when the tree was finished. Too late now. The tree is in the corner by the front door this year since there is nowhere else. Wagging tails and greeting puppy hugs by three dogs at the front door have knocked off the lights and cranberry garland on the lower 1/3.The tree skirt is all askew. Apparently Cooper or Bailey have enjoyed several fabric ornaments to death. Tucker just has a wicked wag. Several wooden ornaments that I made had been rescued and placed higher.
I will straighten the tree ( again) later.
Merry Christmas!