Zot! A quick bolt of lightning was all it took!(Okay, maybe more like an extension cord and a three-prong plug, but hey, same diff.)
"It... is.... ALIVE!" I shouted to the heavens, wearing a labcoat and my hair askew.
My new artificial Christmas fir, which I've been fondly thinking of as "Frankentree," was ablaze with light.
You can see its neck bolts here...
I'm actually quite impressed at the quality of some artificial trees these days. I mean, when I was a kid, I remember our fake tree.It started out a longish mop handle with feet. Then it was laden with green pipecleaners with color-coded tips. Then those green pipecleaners came together to form one big pipecleaner. A giant, mega pipecleaner, if you will.
On steroids.
And where it was bare, we wrapped other, lesser pipecleaners, so you wouldn't notice the color coding.
It was class.
Now, the artificial trees come prelit, in three sections, and they unfold like furry umbrellas.
What's more, I found that while it lacked the over-the-river-and-through-the-woods fun of acquisition, it did not try to attack me while I was tightening it into the stand.
It also has not started leaning, in an attempt to sneak off to other parts of the house. I actually feel comfortable trusting this one to my vintage ShinyBrite ornaments. I hope it won't betray my trust.
This would be the first year where I didn't end up crying a little under the Christmas tree because I didn't have enough upper body strength to really get it in the stand, or because it waited until I looked away to sag leftward, or-- my favorite ploy-- it spit off two family heirloom ornaments like they were tobacco.Shards do not say Christmas to me.
Anyway, with the tree up and decorated, I was free to play around with some other decorations. It's daunting, I must say. But I hit the front of the house with garland swags and red bows. I filled the bowl in the diningroom with purple sparkly ornaments...
And I swagged up the livingroom. This one has velvet roses, fir branches and ribbon printed in peakcock feathers...
I like how the light from the tree fell on this nice furry stocking a lovely family friend gave me last year...
I also liked how these mercury glass ornaments seem like high rise skyscrapers in this shot.
I've been plopping poinsettias here and there to tie things together, like on this sidetable... Still needs some work but you'll get the gist...
And pink poinsettias with perky plates punctuate the place over the stove!
So, that's where it stands for now at my house. There's much more decorating to come before I can put my feet up over a completed job!How are you all faring with your decorating? (If you're already done, please soften the blow for us non-finished folks, 'kay?)
- Oh, and in case you missed last Treasure Box Wednesday, where some garage sales became music to the ears (Victorian decorating sheet music, that is) click here!
Hope to see you this coming Wednesday, friends! (And don't wear yourselves out too much in the meantime, all right?)
16 comments:
Your tree looks great! You forgot to mention one thing that was the clincher for my husband....no more needles all over the floor. He was always afraid that the vacuum was going to be ruined. Of course, you haven't gotten to that point (ha ha) yet, but you will see what a difference it makes when you take the tree down after the holidays. No more Charlie Brown trees at our house..those are the types that we always seemed to pick out of the woods.
Your tree is lovely..as all your decorations are. Just beautiful.
p.s. I always enjoy my visits to your blog..
Love your tree! I'm sure it won't betray you :)
Andrea- Ah yes, the needles! Just getting it into the house would leave at least SOME needles-- and I do keep expecting them. I also haven't had to climb underneath to water it. A second bonus!
CC- I'm awfully glad! I enjoy the discussions we all have here, too.
Vintage Treasures- Thank you, I feel significantly more confident in it myself. :) It's been a full day, and it hasn't tried to get out of the stand once.
Yes, something about the yearly wrestle with the tree and stand that we all miss. Oh, I'm curious. Where does that door go?
We ended up with one of those sneeky trees this year. When I take my eyes off it it tries to head out the sliding doors and onto the pool deck. The four cats swear they have nothing to do with this situation. Could it be the new and very unstable tree stand?
Lucy and Dick- Ah, that door goes to the entryway hallway, but then I can also get through to it through the diningroom-- so I just temporarily close off that corner at Christmas. It gives me some extra room.
Linda- The cats may be in collusion with the tree, it's hard to say. It is true that the newer tree stands aren't always so sturdy and reliable. Or else maybe this year you have a Triffid instead of a tree. :)
An added bonus....if my cats DO decide to climb the tree there is less risk that they will knock it over if it is artificial. Plus, they won't drink the yukky water!
Gorgeous! I've long been a fan of the artificial tree, though mine is more of the pipecleanerish variety. Still, there is something to be said for the sentimental value of that big pipecleaner, just as long as it keeps holding up the Shiny-brites.
Gorgeous! I've long been a fan of the artificial tree, though mine is more of the pipecleanerish variety. Still, there is something to be said for the sentimental value of that big pipecleaner, just as long as it keeps holding up the Shiny-brites.
Feathered Nest- Yes, it sure does seem the fake tree was built to work with the laws of physics-- I love that it stands stable and strong! :)
Melanie-Ah, it sounds like you have quite a vintage artificial tree! I love how those look. They have a nostalgia all their own.
Your decorations look nice and I love the purple birds and balls in bowls!
We have a 2-piece prelit tree. It's small and it fits in my storage box with having to take it apart. I'm having problems getting it shaped properly this year. Maybe the cat has been sleeping up there while I'm gone.
I'm not usually a fan of Frankentrees, though they have certainly come a long, long way from the pipecleaners of our childhood! I like the tall and narrow shape of yours, as well as its inability to drop needles. And it DOES show off your Shiny Brites to delightful effect.
I've done just a little decorating here at the Nest this year. My pendulum has swung back from overdecorating the last year or two, but it still looks nice if someone drops by.
: )
Reforming Geek- Ah, I was wondering if the trees didn't take on interesting shapes over years of use. Here's hoping it bends back into some semblance of treeness.
Greg- Frankentree really was purchased for practical purposes-- in that I can manage it myself-- but I'm actually liking this one, too. It being tall and skinny works ideally for that spot in the room. Some years I've gotten overzealous in choosing a real tree, and it's been so chunky, it's been like trying to fit John Candy into a lunchbox.
Sounds like you're all done in your decorating festivities-- I'm sure it's lovely, even if it isn't as extravagant as some years.
I now am burdened with the image of John Candy's eyes, blinking out from a Christmas-themed lunchbox [metal, of course!], a la Barbara Eden's eyes blinking in the bottle for I Dream of Jeannie.....
Thanks so ever much.
It's looking very festive, I must say, and I like the "pink poinsettias with perky plates punctuate the place" ;)
We have ours all finished. Well, except for the balloons. Yes we have bunches of large balloons on the ceiling for the 'old fashioned' finishing touch!
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