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rnmomof2

How tall is too tall?

RNmomof2 zone 5
10 years ago

I have been wanting a new slim Christmas tree for a few years but am too cheap to spend the $$$ for a new one. We need a 9 foot tree and they are not cheap. My DD and i were in Target today and they had a display tree left up on a stand. They told me that the tree was still available fully decorated. We said we would take the tree. I was concerned that the tree was not 9 feet tall--that it was shorter than that. It was difficult to tell sitting up on the display. One gal says "Oh no, I have that tree it is great, it's 9 ft...."

Fast forward a few hours. We arrive to pick up the tree and ornaments. After it's loaded in our van we go inside to pay. I question what the description is that rings up "10 1/2 foot spruce". What????

We get it home and stick the sections together in the garage. This tree is huge. We measure. No lying. 10 1/2 feet. We move furniture in the great room and stick it opposite the current tree. Our ceilings starting at the back wall at 10 feet and slope up to the second floor in the middle of the house.

The tree where we usually put it is maybe 6 to 9 inches shorter than the ceiling. Is this too close? We are teasing with our girls that this is just like when you used to go get a live tree and it was always taller than the ceiling. They have always had an artificial tree so don't really get that concept.

How much "breathing room " does the tree need? We can put it someplace else in the room but the current location is where it goes per DD2!

Comments (8)

  • justgotabme
    10 years ago

    Can you take a picture of it? It's hard to tell without seeing it in place.

  • joaniepoanie
    10 years ago

    My guess is as long as the tree topper doesn't touch the ceiling you are good to go.

  • Fun2BHere
    10 years ago

    I agree with Joanie. If you can decorate the tree and still have an inch between the top of the tree and the ceiling, I think the tree fits perfectly!

  • romy718
    10 years ago

    I experienced the same scenario a few years ago when I bought a tree for our LR with 18 ft ceilings.. We had plenty of space between the top of the tree & the ceiling but it looked unattractively tall. I ended up removing the top section & rearranging all the branches upward on the "new" top section & it was perfect. I'm assuming this tree won't go up in your great room until next year.
    Another option if it is too tall is to get some wire cutters & trim it.

  • nhb22
    10 years ago

    After having a fresh tree every ear or my 56 years of life, my DH and I think we are ready for artificial.

    It's always pain to get our 9' trees put up and lights strung, but this years tree takes the cake! Starting with a fresh tree that stopped drinking after the first day and ending with tiny black spiders falling off of the limbs this morning. Thankfully, they were dying. We will take the tree down tomorrow once we are sure there are no more living creatures inside of it.

    I went to Frontgate to find the tree that my brother-in-law and sister bought 4 years ago at $800. At the time, I thought they were crazy. Now I am beginning to see that they made a smart move. My sister passéd away last spring, and my BIL was able to put the tree up himself this year. He stores it fully put together in a bag. He had his daughter help him bring it up from the basement when she was home for Thanksgiving and then he decorated it the next week.

    So, anyway, Frontgates 9' Frasier Firs are now $999. Still willing to pay that price, but they are sold out of white lights. Does anyone familiar with Frontgate know if they sell the trees year round so that I can be n the lookout for them to come back in stock. Or do I have to wait until next season to buy one?

  • maggiepie11
    10 years ago

    We had a vaulted ceiling in our last house and when we bought our tree my brain was only processing "high ceiling" but the reality is the sides if the room had lower ceilings and the tree couldn't go right in the middle. It was fine though. We had to bend down the very top branch to prevent scratching the ceiling and the joke every year was "rubbin' is racin'" from days of thunder. :)

    I think it looked fine though we added a giant red bow the following year to mask the top. Lol. Don't have that pic handy though.

  • nhb22
    10 years ago

    Pretty tree, maggiepie11.

  • RNmomof2 zone 5
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks everyone for your input. After living with it, I think it is going back. DH and DD2 feel that it is too tall and thin and that it looks awkward! We also realized that one circle of lights doesn't work and can't be repaired. It was not obvious when decorated to the hilt in the store.

    We are all tall and used to ducking our heads for clearance. The tree appears to be doing the same thing. We will let it live somewhere where it can stand tall.

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