Christmas Trees

Dec 22, 2019, 7:45 PM

Artificial Christmas trees and commercial trees were not available when I was a young lad. Our trees were "farm grown", not by design, but because of bird droppings on fence lines and under power and telephone lines. The farmers were all too glad to have people cut the trees, particularly those that were growing in the fence line, The only restriction was that the tree be cut at the top of the fence. Most of the trees were the common cedar.Usually the trees were so close together, many did not have a good shape so we had to be selective in the one we chose.

Decorating the tree was a family affair. The first item on the tree was the Angel, placed at the highest point on the tree. Those living in town and those in the rural area who had a Delco System had lights on their trees. A string of lights contained twelve large size colored bulbs. The bulbs were wired in series and when one bulb went out, all bulbs on that string went out. We had to keep a lot of bulbs on hand because the bulbs did not last long. And when they did go out,locating the bad bulb was a hit and miss affair.

Red and green rope like strands of tinsel and other materials were strung around the tree. Usually there were various objects and ornaments placed on the tree. The last items to go in the tree were short sections of tinsel and this job was usually reserved for the children. All we had to do was grab a few strands of tinsel and throw it at the tree, hopefully, in some degree of uniformity.

One year my Dad could not find a decent looking cedar tree but he did find a small pine tree that had a good shape. What it lacked in height it made up for it it's spread. We called it our "little fat pine Christmas tree". That little pine had a wonderful smell and that smell will remain with me until the day I die.

Years passed and one day my wife and I decided to get an artificial tree. We used that tree about two times and decided we enjoyed the smell of a real tree and have had a real tree ever since. The Angel that used to sit at the top of the tree is now gone and has been replaced by a star. Ornaments galore adorn the tree, some giver to us by friends and family and others we have collected on trips all around the world. Each one has a story.

I would not attempt to count the lights or ornaments on the present tree but am deeply thankful those many lights are not wired in series. As I sit and gaze at that tree, the beauty of the many colors of lights and trinkets, I am reminded of past Christmases, how things have changed, family members no longer with us, cherished memories tht sustain me and those things that are truly important. And then I see my grandchildren and my great grandchildren with the same visions I had at their age and that is one of the true joys of Christmas.

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would place the trunk in a metal bucket filled with dirt and rocks to steady it. An old sheet was the tree blanket.

The real fear in those days was fire from the tree lights, as they usually got hot, as did the wiring, so the lights were never lit unless we were in the room, and the trees usually were left up about a week. He or my Mother watered the tree daily, trying to keep it from getting too dry. Almost all lights in those days were multi-colored, so you kept a variety of extras on hand.

The first time I saw all white lights was during my military service in Germany from 1969-1971, a method of decorating I adopted after I returned to the states in late 1972. And now instead of a typical tree, I use a ten-foot, white coconut palm tree with 1800 white lights on the fronds as the main tree with several smaller, regular trees scattered about for accents. lol.

Christmas Trees

JOE..Wonderful story of past, present & future Christmas Joys, Thru Bright Trees!

One of my best memories was walking all over the next

Re: One of my best memories was walking all over the next

We had cedar trees every year, also, and my Dad

All these posts refresh memories of my own experiences with

Re: Christmas Trees

Re: Christmas Trees

Re: Christmas Trees

Yes, still accepting them.

Re: Christmas Trees

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