Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with christmastree

Future 15 month old wants something dangling that won't kill her

shortyJBot — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 17:35:49 -0800

Please help to give me ideas for safe Christmas ornaments/baby toys to hang on a tree for a 15 month old, that (individually) aren't too expensive. My sister has just one request for her new daughter for Christmas: ornaments that she can play with next Christmas, when she will be 15 months old.

They are overwhelmed with toys and books and clothes and baby things for her to use now through her first year of life, so I'd like to honor her request instead of adding to the baby pile.

I've only looked at Target so far, but the ornaments are all for ages 3+, and the baby toys would look odd on a tree and are kind of expensive for that sort of thing.

Can you help me think of ideas for baby toys that I can buy or make that would look pretty on a tree and that would be suitable for a 15 month old?

Where can we get a corner Christmas tree?

asnider — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 14:21:28 -0800

Help me find a quarter/corner Christmas tree. My wife and I live in a fairly small home and we have been trying to find an artificial Christmas tree designed to fit in a corner, much like this one from Marks & Spencer.

The problem is that we can't seem to find one like this in Canada (or even online, with a few exceptions that seem to be either permanently sold out or unavailable for shipping to Canada).

Ideally, the tree would be pre-lit with multi-coloured lights (we'd rather it not be pre-lit at all than to have white lights) and between 5 and 6.5 feet tall. We live in Edmonton, AB and would prefer to be able to buy it locally instead of paying for shipping if that is an option.

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree...

acorn1515 — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 07:38:49 -0800

In search of a Christmas tree, near Kew Gardens-Forest Hills in Queens, NY, this week. We're hosting a holiday gathering for friends this Saturday, Dec. 1, and want to have our Christmas tree up and decorated. Our corner bodega won't have their trees until sometime next week, and when we'd driven along Queens Boulevard this weekend, didn't spot any other purveyors of trees out and about yet.

Anyone have any tips on where to pick up a tree some evening this week (hopefully tonight or Tuesday evening) in the vicinity of Kew Gardens-Forest Hills? We've got a car, so just so long as the seller can help with strapping it to our roof, we're plenty game for driving.

Open to suggestions further out on Long Island as well, just hoping someone can provide visual confirmation that the trees are there to be had.

It's beginning to smell a lot like Christmas...

xiaolongbao — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 17:15:21 -0800

I would like to buy a candle that smells like Christmas trees. Suggestions? I am considering this:
Balsam & Cedar - Large Jar Candle from Yankee Candle

but would like more options if possible. What I do not want: something that incorporates other 'holiday' scents like gingerbread or cinnamon. My primary interest is that "evergreen" scent and possibly scents that compliment it well (like cedar).

I am located in NYC (and am okay btw! *goes to check in to the rowboat*) so could shop locally, but online is also fine & dandy. I looked on Etsy but am having trouble with the 'reviews' part, I kind of want to know what the candle smells like and I can only find people who 'liked' the products...help here appreciated.

If you love the scent of evergreen, please let me know your favorite candles. Other ways to make the apartment smell this way, short of bringing in cut boughs are also gratefully accepted. I do love candles, though.

Thank you!

Oh, Christmas Tree or Seasonally Appropriate Alternative...

pointystick — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 08:17:30 -0800

I want to show off my Christmas ornaments. I have a curious cat. Please help me brainstorm solutions! (details & constraints inside) I have a good sized collection of Christmas ornaments. They are mostly sparkly, bright, and cheerful and some are collected from my travels so displaying them is important to me. I also have a cat. PointyCat loves Christmas trees, both real & artificial. He will climb either type to attempt to nestle in the branches. He likes to bat at ornaments. This is not optimal. Keeping ornaments higher on the tree doesn't totally solve the problem.

However, I am not married to the idea of a tree. Obviously, I would like an ornament display solution to be not incredibly difficult or expensive ( <$100US is ideal for a temporary solution, a bit more if the solution can be multi-seasonal). Garlands, shelves, alternate hanging things that aren't fir tree analogues, ways to keep cat away (he doesn't seem to dislike bitter apple or be deterred aluminum foil), etc - I am eager for suggestions!

Possibly relevant details about my place:
- Tree will have to be in living room area; keeping cat out of there not feasible with my apartment layout.
- Most of my furniture can be moved but for something that stands on the floor, narrower is better than very wide. My Xmas trees are normally on the slimmer side of normal
-My ceilings are 11 ft so tall is great
- I have a blank wall, maybe 8 ft long, that may be useful. Other walls have windows or doors
- Walls are old fashioned plaster. I am allowed to hang things on walls
-With advice, I could explore hanging from ceiling maybe though am inexperienced there
-IKEA, big US box stores, Container Store, hardware stores all nearby.
-Scent of tree not important to me nor is being traditional/religious.

Christmas without a tree

mikesch — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:33:45 -0800

How do I make my house smell like Christmas without a tree? One of my favorite memories growing up was the smell of a Christmas tree in the house during the holidays. For various reasons I don't want a tree (apartment, needles sticking in carpet, fire hazard, dogs), but want my apartment to smell like Christmas. I have a fireplace and am planning to bake a lot, but what can I do to get the Christmas tree scent while I knock back a few eggnogs?

Note: I'm not really interested in general "holiday" spice scents that smell overtly chemical or are overbearing. I want to get as closely as possible to the way a Christmas tree smells.

I know pine scented candles might be the way to go, but are there particular brands I can get? I'm scared of buying something on eBay for fear that it'll be a really bad sickly sweet parody of a pine tree.

'Twas the night before Christmas

Joleta — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 17:56:50 -0800

What happens to leftover Christmas trees? The dead tree kind, not the ones that come in boxes. My husband says I'm wasting my question, but I really want to know what happens to cut-down trees that aren't purchased by Christmas. Does a big truck come around and shred them all up to make wood chips?

How do I care for my new "living Christmas tree"?

wansac — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 09:51:27 -0800

[Plant Filter] How do I care for my new dwarf conifer, a Lawson Cypress also known as "Treasure Island"? I purchased him from my local nursery two days ago, where they were selling small "living Christmas trees" as novelties. It is a very lovely little tree, and I would actually like to keep it potted inside if possible, but I'm not sure if it will be too warm for this species. I also posted this on my Gardenweb account, but I am posting here in search of more information. I can't find any care instructions via Googling; I've tried a couple different search terms and can only find nurseries selling the trees that don't give much information about the plant.

My questions about it are:
-Can I keep it inside year-round, or will this guarantee its untimely death?
-What temperatures can it tolerate?
-Does it need a specific type or size of pot if I don't plant it in the ground?
-What types of soil are best, and should I give it any fertilizer?
-I'm keeping the soil moist, but watering sparingly to avoid root rot; is this the right approach?

My apartment stays very warm even in the winter (usually above 70 degrees F), so I especially need to figure out if it can tolerate this much heat, but I can't find anything online about this. So far it still looks healthy, but its only been two days.

Thanks!

Want a pre-lit tree that is pretty and not expensive.

bfranklin — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 10:26:10 -0800

Can you help me find a pre-lit tree that doesn't look hideous and won't bust the budget? I have 8 foot ceilings, so I'm looking for something in the 7 foot range. Our current tree is artificial, but stringing lights sucks. Most of the pre-lits we've seen are relatively skinny compared to the unlit artificials. I would prefer a little girth. A live tree is not an option due to some severe allergies that my wife has. As far as budget goes, I can probably live with under $400 if the quality is there. Thanks!

Corner tree-threat or menace?

MrMoonPie — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 06:33:30 -0800

Corner Christmas tree--what's wrong with this idea? I live in a small city house, and finding a slim tree can be a challenge. I've seen several artificial trees that are shaped to fit in a corner, but my googling hasn't turned up anyone talking about shaving down a real tree. I'd like to get a nice, full tree, then cut a 90-degree angle in it (maybe not all the way up the trunk) so it will fit in a corner. Why isn't this a fantastic, space-saving idea? Will it look terrible? Will I get sap all over my walls?

Xmas Needle Reduction?

CaptApollo — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 18:41:45 -0800

Genius ways to get the Christmas tree out of the condo building without a bajillion needles everywhere? I loved my very first real christmas tree. Then I went to visit family for six days and it became dry - but not as dry as I feared. Still green, needles not *everywhere* yet.

Has some genius developed a method for getting a tree out of a house/apt/condo with minimal needle explosion? I live in a big condo building, and this will involve several corridors and an elevator.

I think there is some sort of bag number you can pre-position beneath the tree, but I failed to have the foresight to purchase such a gizmo.

Bringing the outside inside (aka: these spoiled cats)

silkygreenbelly — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 23:59:20 -0800

Catfilter: My kitties are loving the Christmas tree. How can I extend their joy all year round? The love sitting/sleeping under it. They love drinking water out of the stand (btw is this bad for them?).

Is there a low maintenance bushy plant, not poisonous to cats (one will occasionally nuzzle and lick/gnaw the leaves) that I could keep inside? Big living room window that faces west-by-northwest. Seattle, WA.

HolidayFilter: Help us top our tree!

a lot is two words — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:35:51 -0800

We've gone and done it. My partner and I bought a beautiful tree for our apartment. We've decked it to the nines, he's used his chaos magic to cast spells preventing the darling cat from disemboweling our holiday house-guest...but something's not quite right. Our tree has no topper! We've looked for inspiration here, here, and even here, but we're still stumped. We're both agnostic, cash drained (from graduate school application fees, yeesh!), and wanting to make a fantastic topper for our first Christmas tree. This is the tree.

We want something creative, non-religious, shiny, colorful...heck, we're open to (almost) anything. If it might inspire you, he's a social neuroscientist, and I'm an anthropologist studying emergent media, identity, and cognition.

Brain? Cat on a rocketship? Let's make it happen!

What's wrong with our Christmas tree?

killy willy — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:55:08 -0800

Is that the fire crackling? Nope, it's the Christmas tree! We bought a Douglas fir on Saturday and tonight it has started making faint crackling sounds. Like Rice Krispies (tm). The tree is not on fire, it has plenty of water and it's not the lights making the sounds. What is it? Is the tree going to asplode? Or is it just a hive of insects that will take over my home once they're done with the tree? Please hope me!

Early Bird Xmas Tree

stewiethegreat — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 23:26:37 -0800

Are there any u-cut Christmas tree lots already open in SF/Northern Cal area? We're going to be out of town for the second half of December, through about a week in to January, but we still want to set up a Christmas tree, and take it down before we leave. I know, whatever. It's fun. :)

Are there any tree farms open now? We could probably get one from an online merchant, but a lot of the fun for us is going out to get the tree and bringing it home.

We live in Oakland, but are willing to drive up to two hours-ish to find a tree. Because it's fun. :) Thanks!

Christmas Tree debate?

msshe — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 18:26:00 -0800

Christmas Tree debate - Can this tree be used/saved? Cut over a week ago, left propped up by the back porch (roof protection only--basically outside). I don't believe it is viable, or safe, to put up, much less decorate... family members disagree (NY state... its been 30-48 or so all week and dry. The tree hasn't been watered or unbaled. I'm afraid it will be a fire risk even if we cut the base and water it at this point, even if it looks healthy. I feel terrible about this tree, but we've all been sick and my 71 yr old mum got the tree before I arrived and I'd love any useful information anyone can share. Thanks much... msshe

Help me build a christmas tree

jacalata — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 03:50:28 -0800

I'd like to make my own cheapass christmas tree. I'm having a couple friends visit for two days at christmas, then we're all going on holiday. I'd rather not spend the money on a tree (fake or not), but I would like to make an effort at decorating for them. I do happen to have a stack of old newspaper. What's the best approximation of a tree I can build? I'm open to suggestions of other cheap material, but I'm not planning on spending more than a couple of dollars (ie; green garbage bags to get the colour effect). I'm looking for something less hardcore than this but better than this. Finally, I don't have much space - I can probably manage something 2 foot across at the widest point.

What Christmas train should I get?

madajb — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 11:25:01 -0800

Which Christmas train should I get? I'm looking to get a train for the Christmas Tree this year and have a few questions about them.

First is gauge: HO seems to have the most accesories and the like, but think it might be too small in relation to the tree and a big pile of presents. Seems like it would get "lost".
O seems a good sized train, but I'm afraid it might take too much space around the tree for the track.
I think Lionel is making Standard again. Would this be a good choice since it's "classic"?

Second would be manufacturer: I'd like a quality train that will stand the test of time. (That is, no easily broken plastic bits). Accuracy isn't super important, as I'm not a model guy, but good detail is important.
Basically I'd like "Wow, that's a nice train" not "You know, the 1946 Challenger was a 2-8-2, not a 2-6-0"

Third is an actual set recomendation: A box that contains an engine, a few cars and some track would be nice. No Disney themed or Polar Express, please. Bonus points for something "neat" like smoke or clanging bells.

Safe Christmas illumination

Dr. Zira — Fri, 17 Dec 2004 13:50:30 -0800

How many strands of Christmas tree lights (100 lights/strand) can I safely plug into a single outlet and/or connect to each other?

Christmas trees made out of bamboo?

rushmc — Thu, 18 Dec 2003 06:52:40 -0800

When I lived in the Philippines, we had a Christmas tree assembled out of bamboo. Every year I search online for a source for these, but this year, as previously, I've come up empty. Does anyone know who sells them? It was my understanding at the time that they were very common (there), but now all trace of them seems to have vanished.

O Tannenbaum

feelinglistless — Wed, 17 Dec 2003 10:17:24 -0800

Christmas trees. Real or artificial? Or rather is it worth paying a high price for an artificial tree that looks very real rather than a relatively low price a real tree that looks, well, real?