According to my parents tradition, it was always put up on or after St. Nicholas Day which is on December 6th. My mom would drag the tree and all the holiday decorations up out of the basement and then my mother, my little brother and little sister, and I would put the tree and decorations up. We never did the lights outside the house or nailed stockings to the fireplace or decorate any other part of the house. All the decorations was in the living room. My mom kept the same tree they got since the early 1980's and we've only used the same ornaments that she's had since who knows when, used the same garlands, and always had a miniature nativity scene set up where she'd place the baby Jesus figure only on Christmas Eve. We'd have church to go to on Christmas Eve and when we got home they'd somehow always get the presents under the tree by then where we'd get to our presents that night. The tree and all the decorations would be taken down then by or before January 6 which is the Epiphany holiday for those who follow religious traditions.

I started putting up a Christmas tree when I started having kids, got a plastic tree I could reuse and simple round glass bulbs, a few strings of colored lights, and a tree skirt. Nothing goes on the top, I don't do the star or angel or anything else. I put it up around the 2nd week of December or up where I can have my kids be around it a few times. Then the day after Christmas or the few days after it all goes down and away. I have everything cleaned up and done before the end of the year. If I didn't have kids I wouldn't have a tree up. I find it to be more of a pain in the butt to decorate and a hassle for something that doesn't stay around the whole year.

So, what do you guys do? Live tree or plastic? New ornaments or reuse/make your own? How long is it up, what goes on it/underneath it? Who decorates it and what does it all mean?

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Originally posted by coasterdude84:
Fake tree, and I usually put it up Thanksgiving weekend, everything comes down after Epiphany. I have boxes of ornaments, lights, & garland that I use every year. It's a lot of work, but it's nice to have during the season.

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This, although I have no idea what Epiphany is.

Putting up the fake tree is a tradition in my family, and it's tons of fun. No needles to vacuum, no worries about size, no lack of branches... The branches are much stronger and can hold ornaments, and it always looks nice. Plus, it's just fun to assemble it! I can't understand why people would rather go out in the cold and hunt for a tree, cut it down, drag it back inside, and have to prop it up and keep it watered, trimmed, and healthy.

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and my parents are the type that dont want me to get them anything

so ya i dont really have to do any decorating or any of that stuff if i dont want to

but im ganna put a fake tree up with some lights and ornaments and call it good.

the only gift that will be under it will be my motl secret santa gift i recive lol

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Originally posted by Bugger:
I can't understand why people would rather go out in the cold and hunt for a tree, cut it down, drag it back inside, and have to prop it up and keep it watered, trimmed, and healthy.

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It's a pine because its triangular shape simbolizes the holy trinity and it's a tree because it represents the tree from where Adan and Eva ate the apple and generated the original sin. So the tree it's a reminder that Jesus came to save us.

We used to have this christmas scene under the tree. You know whith the baby Jesus and everyone else involved in the story. But since none of us were religious it felt kinda dumb, so we replaced it with a miniature snowcovered village with lights and decorations and all. My parents were kinda good at that with a lot of miniature train experience

Let's just hope she learned her lesson:

The tree to end all trees (No, really, that's exactly what I'm hoping).