Christmas???

[Pburgh]

Stormy, I was actually thinking the same thing. It's supposed to be fairly nice here in the Burgh this weekend and I'd like to get the outside decorated before it gets "bone chilling cold".

[JCT777]

Whenever my wife tells me too!

LOL! Same here - which is usually the first week of December.

OG - That was a wonderful thing that your husband and your mother did for you! I would have kept the tree up until February too.

[Pro-Storm]

We have this old silver tinsel type tree from the 60's complete with 4 color, rotating floor light. It was ours from my childhood and it actually made through all these years!! Gonna start on Thanksgiving night....if I'm not too full!! :behappy:

[mf_dolphin]

It's just not Christmas without a real tree! We usually put ours up the first week of December. Sometimes it's a little hard to get going especially when it's in the 80's lol

[Lindaloo]

Same here MF. I remember one Christmas Eve it was 86 degrees and humid. It is just NOT Christmas when you are burning up trying to shop.

[Lake Effect1]

I AM SO READY FOR X-MAS!!! but I guess I better take down halloween stuff 1st!!

[firefighter16]

I'm in turkey mode. I don't even start x-mas shopping till after turkey day and the tree goes up right before the shopping starts. Got to have a real one for all the presents. The smell of a good Balsm brings back memories of x-mas past everytime.

[Guest]

I love real Christmas trees - but don't have one for the simple fact of fire safety. I am very paranoid. I use an artificial tree past down to me from my parents its close to 30 years old - keep saying I'm going to retired it and get a new one - but i put it up - decorate it and it looks like its brand new.....so I just continue to use it - call me cheapskate LOL.

As for shopping - I started that back in July. My immediate family has 22 members and we buy for all the them - then my hubby's has 12 members in it...so financially the only way I can do it is....start early - LOL.

What I can't wait for is the Christmas music - I love it - can listen to is all day from the day after Thanksgiving until after Christmas day.

[ColdFront77]

For years we (my family, when living in Massachusetts) had a tall, fake tree. My parents and I got a smaller, fake tree for our smaller house here in Florida three years ago, several months after we moved here in 2000.

We usually have it up by early to mid December.

[Guest]

I can't wait to get our tree. Dustin will be so excited. I'm sure he'll want to tear it down. My mom suggested I use some fishing line and tack the tree to the ceiling to avoid disaster with Dustin, LOL. We'll probably get out tree the day after Thanksgiving. Then I'll be gung-ho on decorating. Chad, be prepared for light hanging. 2.5 weeks to go! Yea!
...Jennifer...

[opera ghost]

*grins* From a cat-mom a few tips and tricks on keeping your tree in one piece through chirstmas through pets and small children. (A general FYI- Most parents figgure out most of these pretty quick- but it never hurts to remind the general public)

1) Stick to real if you can manage it. Kids and cats can easily remove the lower brances of an artificial tree if they get frisky. Sebastian loved to remove his favorite branch, drag it under my bed and attack it in the middle of the night when it spooked him. I'm still missing 4 lower branches after 3 years and 2 moves.

2) Fishing line or rubber bands for the lowest row of ornaments- and never use anything breakable on any branch that can be reached on two feet at full extention- even if the kid/cat is only moving on 4- it's amazing what determination will do. My cat has a 3 foot range straight up when hunting ornaments.

3) Ball ornaments that have that great metal cap with the loop- it doens't matter how much fishing line you use- they're just going to detach the bulb from the cap. I had a lovely bandaged foot one december morning- Sebastian brought me his latest kill- I stepped on it- it shattered and gashed my foot badly.

4) Stick the tree in a corner if you have one. Lean the tree towards the corner slightly on it's base. Unless you get "Home Improvement" on the ceiling- fishing line isn't going to hold the tree up from a determined miscreant.... If you still want to try I suggest a cup hook securely screwed into a ceiling support if you have one available- and the heaviest fishing line you can manage. Sebastian's only 13 pounds but he managed to get 2 trees on the ground- the third we got smart.

5) Kids and cats will eat anything. Up to and including the tree if they feel so inclined. They'll also climb anything. Just a reminder

It all seems like common sense... until you have a kid/pet. My first christmas with a cat was total chaos

[Corona]

The next several weeks are going to fly by so start early we did.
Half-done with the Christmas shopping already. The radio started playing the tunes. A sprig of holly here, some red berries there

[stormy]

well we got most of the stuff done this weekend, had to make new bows for the mantel and door ways. but the lights r hung outside and the candy canes in the ground, i have 5 reindeer but with us being gone during thanksgiving, the kids around here like todo weird stuff to the reindeer, so i will put them out when we get home. this week i will finish up. i have most of my shopping done, i started in june and sooooo now i will be able to enjoy the holidays and my kids.. i have aot of crafts for them todo. yes guys i am excited, the best time of year.