We spent all day Friday at my in-laws, and Tim went hunting with his dad and my dad. No deer, though. My mother-in-law and I put out most of her Christmas decorations, which was fun. So, on Saturday, I hood-winked Tim into staying away from the golf course (he was not happy about that), and helping me get out all of our Christmas tree, lights and decorations.
He started unpacking the tree (yes, we have an artificial tree) and the first branch he pulled down, broke and fell off the tree. Well. He said he could try to fix it. Since it was a plastic piece that broke and not a metal one that was welded, he said the only thing he could do was *duct tape* it back to the frame. Um, how about we go shopping for a new tree ?! Actually, it was his idea, and even though I hated to spend the money, I agreed. What I realized later on was that he had an ulterior motive – he wanted to buy a pre-lit tree so that he could get out of his yearly duty of stringing the lights on the Christmas tree!!! See, I have always thought it would be “fun” and “sweet” and “memorable” for both of us to decorate our tree together. Tim, on the other hand, thinks it is not any of those things and has absolutely no interest in it. So, shortly after we got married, we arrived at a compromise – he’d put the tree together and put on the lights and I would do the ornaments and decorations. Now, with the pre-lit tree, he has just shirked all of his Christmas duties. 
We looked at a couple of stores and finally found one we both liked at Target – a 7 1/2 foot prelit tree with white lights and a fragrance module. The fragrance thing is scented oil that really does smell just like a fresh cut tree. I love it but it is strong and Tim says it is too overpowering. So, right now, I plug it in for about an hour a day, then he makes me unplug it and put it in the garage! 🙄
Tim and Beau put up the outdoor lights yesterday, then we got the tree up last night, and also watched our alma mater win their final regular-season game on TV. They will now play for the conference championship, and if they win, they’ll go to the Liberty Bowl. Woot-Woot!
I’m finishing the rest of the decorations this afternoon, including my Snow Village. In the mean time, here’s the tree:
Regular “Auto” mode on my camera:
And one in “Candlelight” mode on my camera:
Lastly, how about a Question of the Day:
Do you have a real or artificial tree at your house? Is it already up or when will you put it up?
P.S. I seem to be having trouble figuring out the best way to take a photo of this thing lit up! Leave me a comment and let me know what settings you put your camera on to take the best picture of a lit Christmas tree. What mode or settings or … whatever! Thanks!!!!
I didn’t really much care for my pictures of our trees either. Our trees are not prelit HOWEVER, we don’t take the lights off when we take the tree down. The bigger tree has strands between each section that just unplug from the other section. So, I guess that we have a “pre-lit’ tree.
We’ve always had an artficial tree. When I was a kid I wanted a real one, until I was in high school and I helped decorate my favorite teacher’s home Christmas tree, which was very real. Sticky and prickly, and you couldn’t bend the branches to suit you! Thus ended my desire to ever have a real tree. 😉
Like you, we have a 7 1/2 foot pre-lit tree, though we don’t have the built-in fragrance. My mom and I put it up and decorated it last night (the men in the house have never participated in the holiday decorating, which is fine with us — they don’t know how to do it right. *g*)
Maybe tomorrow I’ll have to put a picture of our tree on my blog. You can stop by and see it. 🙂
Well, when we get around to putting up a tree, it’s artifical. (I’m allergic to the real thing!)
The way our house it set up, the tree would be in Vader’s play zone, so we haven’t put the big one up since we’ve had him. I have a little one that sits on the entertainment center and since we have to ship almost all of our presents, it works really well!
We have a 2-foot artificial tree (we live in an apartment), but we haven’t put it up since we got the cats. They would knock it over and destroy it so we don’t even try. We don’t really have room for one anyway.
We’ll have a real tree – my husband absolutely REFUSES to buy an artificial one. I can’t convince him. I like real trees too, but I’d like to be able to put a tree up Thanksgiving weekend. It’s still too early to buy a real tree and not be worried that it’s going to be a crispy critter by Christmas. I grew up with real trees but several years ago my mom decided to get an artificial one. My brother and I fought her but in the end you just get used to it. She does spend hours “fluffing” the branches. She has the most beautiful Christmas tree anybody has ever seen. My only serious reservation about going artificial is that I really, really don’t want a prelit tree. I KNOW that I would get tired of the lights and want to change up the details. Plus, there aren’t enough lights on those prelit things for my taste (just like my mom – she has 10 strands of lights on her tree). And finally – what happens if the lights go out and they can’t be fixed? Buy a whole new tree? Anyway, we’ll get ours this year probably about 3 weeks before Christmas. Huzzah!
That’s a lovely tree and looks very tall too. This is the first time I’ve heard of a fragrance module. Interesting!
We used to have a miniature tree with fiber optics (so it was like a pre-lit tree too). But the large fiber optic tree is quite expensive so we got a typicial big artificial tree a few years ago. We put it up a few weeks ago because my son wanted to put his early Christmas gifts under it. We’ve never had a real tree before. It’s not common here.
Have a nice monday morning!
I have an artificial tree too, but you knew that! I usually put it up Thanksgiving weekend but since we’ve been out of town it hasn’t gotten done yet. I noticed on the drive home today that tons of people already had decorations up and now I want mine up and done! But I’ll have no help this year since we won’t see the kids til Christmas and that’s too long to wait.
I have taken some pretty fair pictures (I think) of my tree lit but have no idea what I used; I’ll try it after it’s up and let you know….of course now they won’t turn out 🙂
I broke down and bought a prelit tree last year, after being teased by Mike about my Charlie Brown tree – which was actually a very spindly tree but it was supposed to be one of those narrow ones. I guess it was pathetic. If we had the room, he might insist on a fresh cut one every year. I do love the prelit one.
I think your pictures look good.
nice Tree !
we have a very decorated neighborhood ! You’d love it.
We have lights out on bushes, supposed to snow Thursday.
We have a real wreath on the front door.
We have an artificial that is older than my daughter who will turn 13 in December. I would love to have a pre lit artificial but I just can’t stand to spend the money on it and I can’t stand the thought of giving up the current tree. Check out my tree when you get a chance – it’s a santa tree. http://www.lifeandtimesofasinglemom.blogspot.com
Patt is allergic to real trees so we have the artifical tree and it is prelit. Have to admit didn’t like the idea of having an artifical tree in the beginning, but I’m loving it now. Friday morning Patt had a to do list before he got out and enjoyed the nice weater and of course getting my Christmas decorations out of storage was #2…#1 change my oil in my car or I’m paying someone to do it…haha
Love the new tree!
I love your tree! The second picture is my favorite – it looks so soft. I really need to put up my tree this year… 😀
Add A Comment