11/29/09

Dreaming of a White Christmas?








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When I was young my family would go to a tree farm near our Northern CA home and cut our own so Christmas time always smelled like pine trees but these days we have an artificial white tree that is full of bright vintage ornaments. Last year I pruned the large pine tree in our front yard to make a wreath for our porch so we still got a little whiff whenever we'd come home. This is how our tree looked last year.

If you're a tree putter upper, do you have an artificial one or go au natural? See you tomorrow with more!

xoxo,
Rachel

37 comments:

Mandi Johnson said...

We have an artificial tree and I have no idea where we will put it this year! Oh dear.

Carol Anne said...

I just have a mini tree. Last year the apartment we lived in only had space left for a mini tree. Our apartment this year probably could hold a big one but we don't really want to spend the money on one yet. I want a white one soooo bad but for some reason my husband doesn't care for white ones :( too sad!

jackiek said...

i got a pink one this year that i am totally in love with :) its my first year not going with a real one... and only got a fake one because i wont be spending christmas at home this year!

purplemonkey732.blogspot.com

michelle johnston said...

i definitely go with artificial. growing up, we always had a fake tree because my mom is allergic. my first christmas away from home, i decided to try a real tree...big mistake. i was vacuuming pine needles well into april. literally. :]

ps, i agree with elsie. your decor posts are always sooooo dreamy :]

Lindsay said...

My hubby is kind of a Chevy Chase a la National Lampoon Christmas Vacation so we go natural. I love it though, the smell is amazing, and he takes care of it so I don't have to worry about needs and such! :)

Michelle said...

I live in Nor Cal so I get the live trees. I love the smell and wish it was always up longer. I do decorate fake trees at the Christmas store and its just not the same. A lot less sappier and way more dusty.

corinne said...

we have a white one, andddd we go to the forest and chop one down :) best of both worlds!

Kat said...

I like artificial ones because we don't get decent sized real trees here in Oz. My sister likes real trees so we alternate each year. The real ones are always not that bushy but. We are waiting for my sister to get home from overseas so we can put our tree up. Only one more week!

Leslie said...

Just got home from picking out an 8ft. Frasier fir...she's a beauty! I'm a fresh tree purist, but someday when I have a bigger home I hope to have more than one tree...maybe a white tinsel tree like yours? (P.S. Martha Stewart's Christmas issue has a feature story on tinsel trees...check it out!)

Katherine said...

this year we each have our own little tinsel tree--each is a different color! henry and i have decorated ours already, but i think we will have to do josh's for him! he is a bit of a scrooge. :)

AJ said...

I love christmas trees! I made a cardboard one a couple years ago, and we still use it! Saves a lot of space and I'm totally in love with it :D
(see it here: http://twitpic.com/rctll)

Dawn said...

Real for me, I live at the shore so after our tree is done with us, we get to give her back to nature! Yep, we put our tree's in the dunes to help with the beach rebuilding, I love the idea of the tree going from the woods to our home to the ocean!

Jacque said...

We have an artificial tree because I don't have the heart to cut down a beautiful pine tree or even buy one that is pre cut. I think artificial trees are more economical because you only have to purchase it once and it lasts a long time. But I must agree with you that the smell of pine is lovely. Some christmas tree scented candles might do the trick though!!

Suzanne said...

growing up we always had a real tree, i loved the smell but hated all the needles on the floor. i do remember my grandma always had a white fake tree that sat on the end table next to her couch. when i moved out on my own i always had a fake green tree - last year we gave it to some friends who didn't have one at all, and then we went out to buy a new fake one - it's white and reminds me of my grandma's - i love it! (i just use pine scented candles to get the nice scent ;) i put it up last weekend and posted a couple pics on my blog too!

Anonymous said...

This was my first year putting up a tree and I went with an artificial white too! My husband is in Iraq for the holidays so I'm taking advantage and having a girly Christmas, i.e. the tree is decorated in pink and black! I have a pic on my blog!

Emily Falconbridge said...

3 christmases in america with real trees was so nice! now we're back in hottyhot aus, it's an artificial hand-me-down from my mother. i'll miss the smell...but not all those needles needing to be swept up each day!

AshleyAnn said...

Natural...we love the process of picking it out, cutting it down together, sipping the cider at the tree farm, watering it daily...the smell...it is more of an event not just a tree for us. I love the look of the artificial whites ones more, but just couldn't trade it for all the fun we have as a family each year getting our real one. The boys have a big ole' ugly fake green one upstairs that they have free reign in decorating. It is hideous, but beautiful at the same time!

ricebabies said...

I have a fakie now, but I use to go natural. Nothing beats the smell of the whole house filling up with a good tree.

me said...

We use a fake tree but hope to do a real tree next year when our little boy is a little more able to keep his hands to himself. I love the look of white trees with colorful ornaments but in order to do that I'd have to completely restock all our Christmas stash and we just don't have that kind of money. So for now we have a green tree and use lots of red and gold.

Audie said...

We have a cute little artificial tree that we've put up for the last few years but I decided this Christmas that I wanted us to have a real one. Nothing giant probably, 3 or 4 feet, I've missed the wonderful pine smell that would permeate the house. Happy Holidays!

suzy said...

I love my artificial tree. No vacuuming.
:)
x

metamorphosis said...

Always hte real thing straight from the forest! This year we will even have two. One outside of our house (already up) and one inside (will be put up och the 23rd)

metamorphosis said...

Oh, by the way!

I love hove you´ve choosen an artificial tree that don´t try to look lika a real one - much more prettier the way you´ve done it!

So I vote for a real tree that smells of pine, looses some of its needles on the floor and all that, OR a really atrificial one!

Lauren @The Little Things We Do.... said...

real tree for sure.

i love the outing of going to cut it down :).

Anonymous said...

I have many childhood memories of pine scented xmas trees filling the house....such bliss... however when we first bought our tree we were in a pine-less area so artifical it is.... I do a stick tree for the table each year also...too cute. I would love a white or purple tree though.... FUN!!

Unknown said...

def artificial with the lights already in the branches :D SOOO easy!

Love or Nothing said...

we definitely go natural! my dad is big into cutting down our own tree. we always have a chain saw and plenty of rope since our trees end up being about 10+ feet tall! so much fun to decorate :)

Elaine VanDRiver said...

We go the artificial route, but we're not doing one this year since we'll be out of town.

Still looking forward to hear about your family's decision to go ROTC.

Congrats on the beautiful Ruby. She is gorgeous!

geek details said...

Artificial and prelit. I have several small ones we put around the house and one large one that is also going up.

I tried a real tree a couple times but they always died quickly and were yucky by Christmas time or I had to put them up late and didn't get to enjoy them. I'd rather have my fake ones that I fold up and store away lol

Anonymous said...

Artificial for the reasons being I can put it up any time, don't have to wait for my husband to do so and the fallen pine needles drove me crazy!!!!
Yes, pine smells nice but I haven't missed it yet.

buffy sunshine said...

fakey fakerson all the way baby! i leave the ornaments on the trees (all 4 of them) and get my husband to stand them in the attic all year until christmas. my life is CA-RAZY!

Lexi said...

au natural all the way! Although, when you get to calculating it up it sure is cheaper to go the artificial route, and there is no mess involved...hmm..
why do we do "real"?! ha!
Tradition I guess!

smauge said...

We're plastic! But it's all about the ornaments Rachel, it's all about the ornaments...

Sarah Rhodes said...

It's our first Christmas as married people! Yesterday we went on a date to a cute tree farm here outside of Nashville and cut our own tree, had some cider, and then came home and decorated it. Our house smells lovely now :) I'd be tempted to do artificial if I didn't totally love the smell of evergreen.

Emily said...

we bought an artificial tree for the first time this year, he's cute & will do the job. Main reason was to save money since we can use him for years to come.

Happy Decorating!
~Emily

pamela said...

these photos are just what i needed to put me in the decorating spirit!! thanks so much and congrats on your beautiful baby girl. she's just perfect!

Chickything said...

Mine is a faux white tree just like yours but with black and plum decors. I a not a fan of real trees. Your home is very lovely, by the way.