Goodbye Christmas Tree
Owner: Notti Cabirian
Place: Charlotte, NC
CTOTD: 12/31/09
Some might argue this is less of a Christmas tree picture and more of a wedding cake picture. To them I would say, "Shut the %#*& up!"...or maybe I would be more sarcastic in my approach and say, "Wow your powers of perception are godlike!"
Or perhaps I would just explain that it's my sentimental way of saying goodbye to the Christmas tree and hello to the wedding cake. It's been a good run for the wonderful Christmas trees and I can only hope the holidaytree lovers will stay through the year to see you again next year.
For now I say, stay around for the awesome wedding cakes and the upcoming spring/summer holidays.
Happy New Year!!
The Candyland Tree
If Candyland had a Christmas celebration, this would be it's centerpiece. This tree is found somewhere along Orchard Road in Singapore. If your wondering why I didn't include it in my Singapore thread (located here) it's because I wasn't really sure if it was really a tree. Now I don't mean if it's a real tree. Obviously I have plenty of fake trees on this blog. What I'm saying is; I'm not sure if it has the base of a tree, real or plastic. Or if it's just a giant cone structure.
Obviously it's cool looking so I wanted to include it somewhere. Because of that, it gets the honor of being featured in my CTOTD Archive.
Tree Owner: Stevie (steviep187 from flickr.com)
Place: South Carolina, USA
CTOTD: 12/29/09
I wanted to include this tree because it's the only (so far) HDR picture I have on this site. The letters stand for High Dynamic Range Imaging and it obviously produces photo quality unlike what most are used to. I think it's quite spartacular!
Another quick tree shot taken by me. I liked the use of gold and ribbon on this one. I would say the name of the chain but I haven't consulted my lawyers yet on whether or not that's legal.
Last Minute
Tree Owner: Motts
Place: North Aurora, IL
CTOTD: 12/27/09
Thanks Motts for giving me a sprecial after Christmas, Christmas tree :-)
Tree Owner: Jason & Kelly
Place: Overland, MO
CTOTD: 12/26/09
This tree was one of the first trees I took a picture of when I first started this site. It was pretty hard finding trees at first and I was thrilled when I went over to my neighbors' apartment and saw this beaut sitting "right next door".
I particularly liked the top of the tree.
Tree Owner: Hikin'Mike
Place: Atwater, CA
CTOTD: Merry Christmas 2009
The first time I saw this tree I couldn't help but think of Charlie Brown's Christmas tree after he decorated it all up. What, you don't remember? When he put on the string of pink lights and surrounded the tree with little manger people?
Anyway, I asked good ole' Mike why he chose this tree. He responded:
"I chose something 2.5' because we didn't have much space and I can't lift heavy things too well. We also tried to plant it after Christmas."
Unfortunately it didn't survive :-(
Though I love the thought. Getting a small tree means: saving money, less hassle, and then adding a tree to the environment. It's a win win!
Tree Owner: Anne-Marie (eg2006 from flickr)
Where: Portland, OR
CTOTD: 12/24/09
Another beautiful tree from our favorite tree dresser, Anne-Marie. Here is what she has to say about this tree, "I am especially fond of this tree. I just liked how that picture turned out. the ornaments on that one were a mixture of new and old and my favorite touch was probably the real candy canes."
When it comes to rainbow decorating, Anne-Marie doesn't stop at the tree.
"I try to decorate the rest of the house to go along with the theme of the tree" She explains. Since this particular year is a multicolored tree, the tabletop will be likewise.
I think it's the perfect touch.
Where: Denver, CO
CTOTD: 12/23/09
What a cute picture. Jason says, "Our tree is bigger and better than our tiny apartment!"
Oh come now, your apartment can't be that bad when it has a fireplace?
Tree Maker: maggz from flickr.com
Place: Tillicoultry, Scotland
CTOTD: 12/22/09
This tree is so intricate and detailed that at first I was sure it was made out of very thin wood. Not so, as Janet says; "The craft is called Pergamano. It's created by scoring patterns on parchment paper and some of the patterns are punched and cut out so that it looks like lacework."
If you didn't think this piece of work was beautiful enough. There's more to it as Janet shows and explains,
Yes indeed it does! Much thanks to you Janet for sharing the wonderful gift from your talented friend.
Tree Owner: A French Restaurant
Place: Creve Coeur, MO
CTOTD: 12/21/09
This is another tree from my place of work. I feel so lucky to share the same room with these distinguished trees. I named it Miss Scarlet (yes, from the game Clue) because if she were a Christmas tree this is what she would look like.
Kind of makes me wonder what I will look like when I'm reincarnated into a Christmas tree.
Place: San Diego, CA
CTOTD: 12/20/09
Hwy35lvr remembers, "It was a very rainy day in San Diego when I finally finished this tree."
I'm sure the anticipation of sparkles to blast away the gloom was a good motivator :-)
You might get an argument from Anne-Marie if you call this tree gorgeous, "It's fake. That's why I don't like it quite as much. Though I do love the purple."
Hum, it's sounding like she's a tree snob. But before you go blaming her understand it's not her fault, "I'm a "real" tree nut since I live in the Pacific Northwest where there are Christmas tree farms everywhere."
Alright, we'll accept that. Now how about this whole purple thing?
"The solid purple balls on that tree are vintage shiny brites. If you know anything about vintage ornaments, it's that the color purple is greatly coveted and rare."
She goes on, "My heart skips a beat when I find one, especially if it's one with stripes, mica, or a scene!"
When ornaments dazzle like that it's not hard to see why.
CTOTD: 12/18/09
Yours truly took this picture. That's right, little 'ole me. This tree was in the event room at the French cafe where I work. Usually stores and restaurants don't have the fanciest trees but this one turned out to be an exception. Decked out with different shades of gold I was compelled to name it the "L'arbre d'or", which means "tree of gold" in French.
I hope you think it's as eye-catching as I did.
Little Ball Of Joy
Tree Owner: Leigh
Place: Lake Bluff, IL
CTOTD: 12/17/09
Leigh says,"I picked this 5' balsam because it was in my budget. It's decorated with a combination of ornaments from family hand-me-downs and things I've picked up on my various travels."
Thanks for the cute picture but please go out and get a tree topper. It's practically reaching out for one :-)
Place: Salem, Oregon
CTOTD: 12/16/09
Think that's a fat Christmas tree? Ol-Zeke agrees, "This was the biggest tree I've ever had. I had to repaint the door jambs after I got it inside because the tree was so wide it scraped paint off."
To give you an idea on how large the tree was, " The ceiling in that room was nine feet tall and the windows in the front were about seven feet wide total. The tree was wider."
The tree wasn't the only festive green in the house. The other "...holiday decorations were fresh greenery from my and the neighbors plants.." which were displayed wonderfully on the fireplace mantle.
"I have moved out of that house but the Christmas I had the fatty tree lives on in my memory."
Thanks for sharing your phat tree story Ol-Zeke (pun in tended).
Tree Owner: Echo
Place: State of Jefferson, USA (Look it up in case you are confused. I did.)
It may not look like anything out of the ordinary but Echo claims, "I love my tree. But the ornaments on it are mostly junk the kids turned into treasures: old juice can lids (with hot glue and lace added on), photos, and laminated hand print projects from school. Memories."
Awww, that deer is adorable! Even if his antlers are dragging on the ground.
She adds, "Other than the homemade decorations we also hang the green pickle glass ornament. I hide it so that the first person to find it gets a gift."
Go ahead and try to find the pickle ornament in the above picture.
Can't find it? That's cause it's not there. Haha, gotcha.
Well if you thought the pickle jar tradition was weird enough, too bad! She goes on to tell you what happens after the holiday season,
"We leave the tree up a long time and then burn it in the backyard. The campfire that ensues is a family tradition too."
They then dance merrily around the tree wearing wolf skins. Afterwords they thank Odin for another glorious winter solstice. Ok, I made that last part up.
wow you made that up? I was really into it.
ReplyDeleteIs that the tree burning, or is that Austin?
ReplyDeletePlainolebob - I didn't make up the whole story! Just the part about worshipping Odin :-)
ReplyDeleteI have moved out of that house, but the Xmas I had the fatty tree lives on in my memory. Xmas in that house was always a joyous occasion, and the holiday decorations were fresh greenery from the plants around the house, with some from neighbors.
ReplyDeleteAwww, thanks Ol-Zeke for your photo and story. That tree is the widest I've seen so far!
ReplyDeleteI think it's funny that you picked the fatty tree and my tree to burn do close together. Ol-Zeke's wife, the one with arms spread wide and joyful smile was my sister-in-law. This is a good job on the blog. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHaha, yeah. Surprised me when I first heard that.
ReplyDeleteJust an FYI: The pickle on the tree is an old German tradition. It was the last ornament to be placed on the tree (at one time, a real pickle!), and the child who found it was supposed to have good luck in the coming year.
ReplyDeleteThe Pergamano tree is cool! I want one of those in our house. I can only imagine how much time and effort goes into producing one of those out of parchment paper. Wow.
ReplyDeleteI agree Babette!
ReplyDelete