MetaChat - I bought a christmas tree for 32 bucks

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01 December 2009

I bought a christmas tree for 32 bucks We bought a Christmas tree last night. It's about six and half feet. It looked taller and fuller in the lot. In my house it is skinny and not so tall. →[More:]I want to put this tree in my TV room and buy a 8-footer for the living room. My husband will not agree with this idea of spending around eighty dollars for another tree (tree plus new stand.) I wanted to buy a sixty dollar tree last night and he said no. I should have insisted or kept looking at other lots. I said I would never have a skimpy tree again and this year I have a skimpy tree. I need a grand tree. I am going to come up with a plan to get the tree I want.

I know. I'm nuts.

post by: LoriFLA at: 11:17 | 25 comments

forgot more inside.

posted by LoriFLA 01 December | 11:17

You're not nuts. You should get the tree you want. You work - you're allowed to spend your money on things that make you happy!

posted by Miko 01 December | 11:20

Where do trees come from, down there? Are there farms around the South?

posted by danf 01 December | 11:22

idea: Is there someone you could offer the skimpy tree to? When I was young(er) and broke(r), a Christmas tree was a little bit of a budget problem for me. I always got one, but there were times when $30 really pinched. Do you know any recent college graduates, interns, young nonprofiteers? Or any chance you could take it to work, or to a rehab center or recovery unit where people might be in a long-term environment and want a little cheer?

posted by Miko 01 December | 11:22

Yes, get another tree, otherwise it will be bugging you all holidays. That would suck.

posted by gaspode 01 December | 11:25

Those are my thoughts exactly, Miko! I am going to get my tree. I'm hoping this will do smoothly. I'll update.

danf, I think North Carolina. I bought it at Home Depot.

Miko, that is a beautiful idea but my husband would scoff. He is not a jerk in the least, but he will think I'm crazy for wanting to get rid of this tree. This isn't going to be easy.

posted by LoriFLA 01 December | 11:26

Ha, I did it. I talked with my husband. I'm going to buy another tree. He wants me to return the tree. I have never tried to return a Christmas tree and I'm not going to do it now. We will have two trees, or I will donate the small one.

Thanks for listening to my story.

posted by LoriFLA 01 December | 11:35

North Carolina has a booming Christmas Tree farming industry.

Glad you got your tree!

posted by Stewriffic 01 December | 11:55

I returned a tree once! To the Home Depot, as a matter of fact. Two days after we got it, the needles started falling off, so we took it back. The manager was a little nonplussed--I think it was the first tree return he ever dealt with--but he just kind of chuckled good-naturedly and let us pick out another one. So, yes, you can totally return the tree if you want.

But I vote for two trees. We always have a big one in the family room and a smaller one in the living room. (The small one we decorate with gingerbread men and candy canes. It smells awesome.)

posted by jrossi4r 01 December | 12:51

We may get a tree tomorrow. It will have to be small and live on top of my dresser because there is no room in our flat for anything that takes up floorspace. *Sigh*

posted by Specklet 01 December | 13:30

Hmmm...maybe I should look for one of those small, potted trees for MY room. I must admit that this christmas is daunting. First one since the split and all.

Lori, for what it's worth, I think it's great that you got the tree you wanted!

posted by richat 01 December | 14:09

I must admit that this christmas is daunting.

Do it UP, richat. Don't give yourself short shrift - indulge and start some new traditions that you've always wanted.

posted by Miko 01 December | 14:27

Are you kidding, richat? Your kids get to have TWO Christmases. How cool is that?

posted by essexjan 01 December | 14:48

Yeah richat - your gals get TWO Christmases and you get to make yours whatever you want!

Maybe they would like to help decorate?

posted by gomichild 01 December | 15:01

I now have an 8.5-9 foot tree in my living room and the other is in a bedroom we use as a TV/computer room. Wee. I'm happy and the kids love it. We really don't have the room either. The big tree looks out of proportion next to the furniture but I don't care because it's big and all of my ornaments will fit on it.

richat, you and the girls could pick out new ornaments if you don't have some already.

posted by LoriFLA 01 December | 16:08

hmmm...seems I'm not looking at this from the wisest of perspectives!

yeah, you guys are right. I think, this year, that I'll be going over to the ex's a bit. I should really not be all sulky though, because my mom & step-dad, and perhaps my brother (one of my favourite people in the world) will be coming up to see the new place the weekend BEFORE Christmas. Plus, my mom's bring her golden doodle, Piper, and I'll be boarding him while she's in Florida for a few months. So, that's cool too.

YES, LET'S ALL BUY THE TREES WE WANT AND CHRISTMAS THE SHIT OUTTA THIS YEAR!

posted by richat 01 December | 16:14

I'M GONNA BUY AN 8 FOOT TREE. never mind the 6 foot ceilings!

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 01 December | 16:35

We have 12 foot ceilings but we found out that Victorians tended to have small trees on tables. So in the quest for historical accuracy, we're getting a 3-4 foot tree. Plus, I'm not tying a tree to the roof of the Fit.

posted by octothorpe 01 December | 16:57

CHRISTMAS THE SHIT OUTTA 2009! I'm down.

I used to always have a Victorian-style tree. A 6-footer still feels extravagant to me.

What I've always wanted is one of those super-sparse, spindly trees I see in my family's old photos from the 1940s. What the heck kind of trees were those? They look elegant to me, in this age of the bushy full perfectly cone-shaped tree, and the space between branches really lets you see the ornaments.

posted by Miko 01 December | 17:28

We used to have trees like that when I was a kid, Miko! They were definitely easy to decorate. I am not sure what they are.

Eons ago I lived in a converted auto factory, with 20-ft ceilings, and used to get MONSTER trees that I mostly covered in lights and tinsel (because who has THAT many ornaments?). It was great fun, but I eventually ran out of friends willing to risk life and limb helping me haul that big a tree up the stairs (I was on the 4th floor).

posted by BoringPostcards 01 December | 18:06

Lori, I bet Home Depot would accept a returned tree if you took a crying kid along. Just a thought.

posted by mudpuppie 01 December | 19:06

I think those trees are Norfolk Pines. My oldest bro and his family always get that type.

posted by deborah 01 December | 20:12

Lori, I bet Home Depot would accept a returned tree if you took a crying kid along. Just a thought.

This is why we're friends.

posted by BoringPostcards 01 December | 20:39

Miko, those two photos show Christmas trees as I have always known them - perhaps they're the standard British type of tree?

posted by altolinguistic 02 December | 03:59

@richat: The first Christmas I spent away from home at 25 I spent getting drunk at a friend's house after which we went naked hot-tubbing.

I am all for creating new traditions!

posted by TrishaLynn 02 December | 10:04

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