It’s odd. I really used to like the Christmas tree when I was a kid, but now I find them annoying in so many ways. They’re a pain in the ass to bring inside, they drop needles everywhere, and I’m always worried the cats will eat the ornaments. They’re always lopsided and the stand never works well. The fake ones are ugly and hard to set up.
Am I just becoming a Grinch, or does everyone grow up to hate Christmas trees?
There are stands on the market that eliminate some of the problems you’re talking about. Unless you acquire a tree that has a butt larger than the stand opening, like we did this year.
Since this is our last xmas in Alaska, we decided to get a tall tree for our vaulted ceiling area. We managed to lug home a nine and a half footer that was fairly waterlogged, and had a bitch of a time getting it up the steep stairs. As soon as I looked at the stand opening, I had a sinking feeling. Sure enough, the tree butt was a half inch wider. After operating with a circular saw and a chisel, we finally got it into the stand, but now, two weeks later, it’s stopped drinking water and has dried out to the point where I don’t want to plug in the lights anymore. Sigh. The branches are sagging, and it’s looking a bit sad, but should last to Christmas day.
I still wouldn’t have anything else, though, as the problems this year are my own fault.
There’s a big difference between experiencing Christmas and being responsible for making it happen. I think it’s natural to like it less when you have to set it up and then clean it up later.
I don’t hate Christmas trees, but I don’t love them either.
This year I have a three-foot Charlie Brown tree placed on an end table, and I’m good with that. It’s decorated with lights and garlands and nothing else except for two very special (and fortunately unbreakable) ornaments that we hang at the very top, in an attempt to keep them from attracting the notice of the cats (so far so good).
Big trees are a pain in the ass, for all of the abovementioned reasons. They’re even MORE of a pain in the ass if you have cats, and I swear that last year, I was STILL sweeping up pine needles in June. I have hardwood floors, and the little bastards collect in every crevice.
We’ll be ripping out and replacing the carpet as part of the selling prep. 
I hate them because they are killed for a couple weeks’ use and then discarded. I see the displays of trees for sale in the city and they just look like corpses to me.
I don’t like using real trees at all. Fake trees are okay. The old aluminium trees with the color wheels were the best. That’s the kind we had when I was a child. Anyone else remember these?
But I didn’t even put up my work tree this year. Christmas affects me differently now. I don’t handle it very well. January 1st, I’ll be fine again.
Surely you don’t think you can defeat pine needles just by ripping up the carpet? Hell, you can’t even defeat them by moving! Your new home will have not only the previous owners’ pine needles, but the ones that hitched a ride with *your *stuff!
I haven’t put up my tree this year. It is such a pain in the butt to assemble and string up all the lights–last year, it stood in a half-assembled state for a week. My husband’s so busy at work that he can’t help me, either…not even on the weekends. If I can’t do it in one evening, I don’t want to do it. Then once New Year’s Day comes around, it’s an instant sign of your sloth if you haven’t taken the damn thing down. Also, we’re going to the in-laws’ out of state, so we won’t even be home on Christmas. Bah Humbug.
Sort of like chickens, in that regard. Or carrots. Christmas tree lots are full of farmed trees, grown for the purpose. It’s not like they’re destroying rainforests.
True. I just think of trees as longer-lived and more permanent than chickens or carrots, so it seems really wasteful to me.
You know, I think I might start to like them better if they grew them to look like this.
I’ve had two cats and neither of them has ever paid attention to the Christmas trees. 
I love Xmas trees. I’m getting over my disdain for fake ones, and now think they’re much more practical, but we still get a new one every year. It’s a family ritual and those are important. Plus, our old trees go back in our North Forty to become shelter for little critters and (eventually) compost or logs for outdoor fires.
I’m with you on the needles, though.
After 20 years of hauling home a real tree, this year I bought a 4 ft. pre-lit tabletop artificial tree at Target for $29. I loved the real trees, but as it’s only me and Mr. Salinqmind at home now (with a brief visit from our college age daughter), and as no one really cared one way or the other, I said the hell with it and got a fake. And you know what? I was really surprised - the thing looks darned GOOD! (I can’t think of any better way to announce, “Hey world, I’m MIDDLE-AGED!” than getting an artificial tree…next step, a garish, sparkly Christmas sweatshirt with kitties and teddy bears on it…(deep sigh)…)
If left to my own devices, I would hang up a great big Martha Stewart-type wreath as a Christmas focal point, or as in my bachelorette days, decorate a Norfolk pine with pretty miniature ornaments and lights.
(off to check uglychristmaslights.com - want to see if my neighbor’s “Mexican massage parlor” motif cracked the top 20 this year.)
This might be my last year for a 6-ft tree. It’s taken me three days to decorate it, and even though it looks good, and I love getting all the “special” ornaments out - it’s still a huge pain in the ass. I just was NOT motivated.
A few years ago I got a small table top tree, and it was so much better! I used all the “specials” and it only took an hour or so to assemble and disassemble.
I still can’t stand fake trees, though.
But I’m looking at my lit up tree right now, and it looks really good at night. Sigh.
Seriously? You put a large smelly climbable object covered in sparkly things in the room, and the cats paid it no mind? I mean, I believe you, but I’m at least as confused as you are.
