2011 New Year's Resolutions!

Are we all ready for 2011?
Got your resolutions all in order?

If so, good for you!
If not, here are some to get you motivated:

"Manage my finances better." - Chemikal (USA)

Photo by Nemo's Great Uncle (flickr.com)
Your first order of business in saving money is to buy as many solid gold piggy banks that your finances will allow.

"I'm doing a 'get off my lazy butt and exercise more in general' type of resolution.
That way I can look better by summertime." - Laura (Texas, USA)

I too like to look good at summer time.
It's right up there with looking good at fall, winter and spring time.





"Mine is to drop 30-50 pounds before my rotation by May.
I wonder if that's even a healthy resolution to have?" - CrazyBob (In my apartment, USA)

Could be doable, but you're not going to get it done sitting around in your apartment.




"I would like to control my candy intake." - Brandy (Missouri USA)
Good, more Dolly Mix for me then!

"Make an amazing friend in college." - 343533 (USA)

Photo by flowcomm (flickr.com)
Amazing friends give amazing hugs.

"Get into pharmacy school." - Neebs9 (USA)

Photo by Martin Haesemeyer
Then you are going to have to learn all of this.

"My goal is to party it up." - MathDebate (Georgia, USA)

Finally, I was waiting for a noble resolution.
Here here!




(These 2011 resolutions are from the members on the www.studentdoctor.net forum. Thank you!
To see the 2010 Resolutions from other forums go to the New Years Resolution Archive.)

The Astor Hall Christmas Tree - New York Public Library

Since today is Christmas Day, I thought I would do a very special "Christmas Tree of the Day". Instead of adding it to the 2010 CTOTD Thread (located here), I will make a special post for a special tree on this special day.

Indeed I shall!
Now I just need to find a tree to write about.

Oh I know, how about this one:

Christmas Tree of Astor Hall

Photographer: vera46 (flickr.com)

Place: New York, NY (USA)

CTOTD: Christmas Day 2010

At the New York Public Library, there stands in the Astor Hall a Christmas tree of exceeding splendor. Now you may be thinking, "The first thing I would do is climb over those ropes and put my grubby little hands all over that tree".

Of course you would, this is what any sane adult man or woman would do. But if you have ever visited the New York Public Library then you would know that it is heavily guarded.
Yup, if you try to do anything that may harm the tree, you will have to face the wrath of Patience and Fortitude.

Merry Patience

Photographer: Vial H

Place: New York, NY (USA)

CTOTD: 12/27/10

In case you weren't aware, Patience and Fortitude are the names of the two stone lions that are perched in front of the library. They may be made out of stone but they mean business. Especially since it was the Christmas tree that gave the lions their pretty wreaths. You see, they will protect him at all costs!
Now that I'm looking upon this festive and merry lion with his beloved wreath, it made me think how unfair it is that the lions were given names with such honor and dignity.
Surely, the Christmas Tree of Astor Hall deserves such an adoration!

Perseverance

Photographer: Heather R Davis

Place: New York, NY (USA)

CTOTD: 12/27/10

When the New York Library lions and janitor overheard that I planned to name the Christmas tree for the very first time, they were ecstatic! They invited me over Christmas Eve to spend a night at the library to brainstorm.
Hoping that the mere sight of the tree would trigger some ideas, we all sat around the tree to think. We came up with some pretty good ideas: Mr. Needles, Mr. Piney, Mr. Lighty....

Half the day was done and so far our best idea had been Mr. Pointy. But suddenly, Fortitude said,"Thinking of a name sure does take a lot of perseverance".
At that moment we were all in the same train of thought and said outloud, "That's it!!"
And indeed that was it. We officially declared the "Christmas Tree of Astor Hall" as Perseverance!
So because of that one magical Christmas Eve of days yore and an uncanny group of friends, a name was given to the New York Library Christmas Tree. Unfortunately though, no one knows because as soon as day broke the morning janitor asked why we were all there and why nothing was cleaned. He quickly called the cops and away we went.

So in the end, the nice janitor that had gotten us in apparently had also gotten himself in trouble and lost his job. The lions had their wreaths taken away and I had my perfect criminal record taken away as well.
But in the end, no one could take the name "Perseverance" away from the Christmas tree.

And isn't that what really matters?

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

It's here everyone!

It may have taken forever but it is finally here!

Merry Christmas!

Photo by Julie Vazquez
May your Christmas Eve and Day be filled with love and....uh..more..love.
Yeah, that sounds from the heart.


Happy Holidays!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas Tree Cats!

As stated yesterday (see here) house cats like to jump into your meticulously decorated Christmas trees for their own kitty enjoyment. I have promised to show you this phenomena and show you I shall.

Specimen #1

Photo by Warren Layton
A classy Christmas tree indeed!

But what's that I see?

I do believe something is peeking at me!

Photo by Warren Layton
Ah HA!
Even trees of the highest caliber are not safe from your pet kitty's climbing needs.

But let's move on for I do believe there is another...

...fine looking tree indeed.
Specimen #2

Photo by Snooglerat (flickr.com)
Oh no...

You better take a closer look.

A very close look:

Photo by Snooglerat (flickr.com)
I'd tell him to make himself comfortable, but it looks like he already has.

The tree owner for the next photo claims...
Specimen #3

Photo by Laura Bittner
...that "Lola (the cat) is waiting for Santa".

But we know the truth. She's really just waiting for the opportune moment to get into those cozy needle filled branches.

But wait!!!!

Just as she was about to jump into the tree, something caught her eye!

Background photo by Laura Bittner
Das ist sum craZY $%#@!!!!!

Christmas LOLZ Cat - Catz in de Twee!

Have you ever put up your Christmas tree only to turn around and find your feline friend halfway up it? Well, I don't own a cat but apparently this is a major problem with people that do own one.
Take a look for yourself:

Background photo by Collin Jackson
Everyone wave at LOLZ Cat!
He wants to tell you, "Dat dis ist jus da beginn! I gots miny ozer frinds in de twees!"

And you'll get to see them all tomorrow so stay tuned.

Black Christmas Tree from Borders - Blackie

As I have stated many times before, I absolutely adore black Christmas trees. But believe it or not, I used to be against them.

Last year my fiancee and I were contemplating which 2 ft Christmas tree we should purchase at Borders Books. The trees were surprisingly decent quality. They were small but the way the branches were placed they didn't look sparse or straggly as some other fake Christmas trees I've see.
They also had many colors to choose from: Blue, Green, Pink, rainbow, red, white...

Photo by Ann Squires
...and black.
I desired the green one but my fiancee lusted for the black one. I of course rolled my eyes at the thought of a black Christmas tree. I had to set him straight,"Look, this isn't Halloween. This is Christmas. If you want to get a black tree to decorate for a future Halloween that's fine. But I'm not having a black Christmas".
(Please accept my apology if that last line forced you to remember the terrible B-rated disaster movie that was Black Christmas.)

Anyways, around the time that we were getting bored with talking to each other, a Borders employee came up to us and said, "Oh you should get the black one! I got one for my apartment and when you are done with putting on all the ornaments and garland it really sparkles!"
So because of this uninvited stranger butting into our conversation to start spewing her unrequested opinion all over us, it looked like we had no choice but to take the black Christmas tree home that day.

After we did so and decorated it, we had fell in love with the little guy. He was so cute and yet so dark. But as it turned out, all he really wanted was to be decorated with Christmas joy so that he could live out his Christmas destiny. (His Christmas destiny, by the way, was to use his little black plastic pine needles to make the room glow with Christmas loveliness...duh! And if you would like to see how he was decorated for Christmas 2009, click here.)

I honestly wasn't too fond of the way the photo turned out from last year. In person it looked ok but the camera made it look a little awkward.
So this year, we positioned the tree limbs a little better and changed the color theme a bit as well.

I personally think the star topper is an improvement from the previous year's green pointy thing.
The other things I've noticed is that the tree looks like it's more "tree shaped" this year and the white garland looks a hell of a lot better than the silver garland from last year.

Let us turn off the lights so that we may see it in it's glowing splendor.

Ah, yes indeed! That is what I call a soft glow of Christmas loveliness.

And that is why I love my little black Christmas tree from Borders.


Epilogue
Next year I do plan on having a larger tree. Perhaps, a 4ft fake white one to put up in the living room. You see, after getting together our gifts to put by the tree, we realized we didn't have enough room to actually put them under the tree. So instead we just piled them next to the tree in a tower that is now larger than Blackie! Only a few of the smaller ones were able to be squeezed underneath.
Hopefully, for Christmas 2011 we will have that 4ft tree to be the official protector of the Christmas presents.

But don't worry. We will still put up cute little Blackie in the bedroom to spread his Christmas joy.

Hallmark Christmas Trees

Thematic Christmas Trees are a special breed to me. These are (in case you don't know) trees with a theme. Learn more about them here.

Basically, a thematic tree is any tree that features one idea or notion throughout the decorations. It's a bit like an obsession or maybe even a compulsion by the owner. In this article, we are going to focus on the "Hallmark Obsession" by featuring Christmas trees that are composed of 75%-100% Hallmark ornaments.

While I'm not going to say that finding Hallmark themed trees are easy to find, I will say that they can be a little bit easier to find than other thematic trees. Of course, It's not hard to see why someone would want to use Hallmark ornaments and only Hallmark ornaments when they look like this:

Photo by Justin Smith
This ornament was made in 1995 by Hallmark and is titled "Wee Little Christmas".
I love how the wee tree lights up.


Let's go ahead and look at another one:

Photo by Robert Goodwin
This one is titled "Toymaker Santa #2" and he came out in 2001. He was part of an ongoing series by the same title.

But enough about ornaments.

Let's get to those Hallmark Christmas Trees!

Photo by Jack English
Wow this one is so classy. Although this Christmas tree was put up in 2006, Jack (tree owner) used Hallmark ornaments that were made by Hallmark earlier:
"This was our gold & silver tree featuring Hallmark Expo ornaments from the early 1990's. The red & gold ribbon completes the look."
I completely agree.

But 2006 wasn't the only year that Jack English put up a lovely Hallmark tree.

Photo by Jack English
I like to think of this Christmas tree as having a more "crafty toy" look. I think Jack would agree with me:
"This year we planned our holiday decorations for all of the young children in the family."
He may have wanted to please the kiddies, but he kept to his morals:
"The tree still only had Hallmark ornaments."

Let's move on to smaller Hallmark trees.

Photo by Pete Hopkins
It may not be as grandiose as the Jack English trees but it definitely deserves a spot due to it's Hallmark heritage.
Oh, and I love the quaint little village underneath it.

Alright, one more...

Photo by Jack English
...Jack English tree for you.
What a cute little setup. I would be honored to have this in my home.
I can imagine this scene being placed in a foyer so that any company would have the honor of witnessing it as soon as they walked through the door.



Got a tree with a theme? Share your photo! Send it to HolidayTrees@gmail.com or make a comment below.

History of White House Christmas Trees - Part 2 (Johnson)

(This article is part 2 of the on going series: "History of White House Christmas Trees". Here is part 1 )

Lyndon B Johnson was vice president from 1961-1963. In 1963 JFK was shot and Johnson suddenly found himself leader of the "Great Powerful Nation of the United States" (later shortened to just "United States"). He had a decent reign that lasted until 1969.

During his time in office the Blue Room Christmas tree was decorated with mostly flowers, seeds, dried fruit and other things children hate to get in their stocking. Claudia Johnson had indeed found a way to be mundane. But there was one year during the Johnson years that was a little different.
That year was 1968 and it featured a White pine that was cut and hauled over from Indianapolis.

(Pictured is tree with Lynda Johnson (Lyndon and Claudia's daughter) with her infant daughter Lucinda.)

Claudia finally deviated from her random dried goods tree to one with a 19th century American and gingerbread theme.

Although she kept the flowers...

(Pictured is Lynda with Lucinda and her son, Patrick.)
'Twas a beautiful tree but poor Patrick never outlived the photo where his mom dressed him in lederhosen.



"History of White House Christmas Trees" will continue to continue!

History of White House Christmas Trees - Part 1

Christmas trees come in all shapes and sizes, but some of the most eye-catching are the larger than life ones. You know, the ones that typically exists only in malls, outdoor festivals, British royal mansions or the Castle of the Supreme Dictator - Otherwise known as the White House.

The White House didn't always have a Christmas Tree and when the tradition began can be disputed. However, it seems that most sources believe that Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901) was the first president to put up an indoor Christmas tree in 1889.

This was before the days of the Blue Room (room where White House Christmas tree is put up today) so the tree was put up in the Yellow Oval Room. (Don't you love how the government color codes everything?)

Anywho, it was First Lady Caroline Harrison who helped decorate the first White House Christmas tree.

Unfortunately, the camera that took this photo exploded soon after. No one was hurt but society had to wait until the 20th century before another camera was made. Because of this tragedy there are no existing photos of her Christmas tree .

It was up to the official White House sketch artist to memorialize the occasion:

'Twas a joyous occasion filled with much gay and festiveness.

But alas, the tradition did not stick after the Harrison reign. Many years had passed before the White House Christmas tree tradition came back.

And so went the years and rulers of the White House:

Grover Cleveland (1885 -1889)

Benjamin Harrison (1889-1893)

Grover Cleveland (again??)

William McKinley (1897 -1901)

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909)

William Howard Taft (1909-1913)

Woodrow Wilson (1913-1921)

Warren G. Harding(1921-1923)

Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929)

and then...

Herbert Hoover (1929-1933)

In wasn't until 1929 that the first "official" White House Christmas Tree would be erected. First Lady Lou Henry Hoover may not have been the first wife to decorate the tree in the White House but it was her idea to start the tradition of having the woman decorate the tree.

However, there still wasn't really a "set" tradition with the White House and it's Christmas tree. It seemed like trees may or may not appear for the festive holiday. They may or may not be in a certain room and the president may or may not care.

It was chaotic. The citizens were getting restless. They simply wanted to know what room the Christmas Tree was going to be in, what color said room would be, who would decorate it and what the theme would be.

Despite numerous promises in the following years by the rulers of the White House:

Franklin D. Roosevelt - "Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air. Imagine how pure the air will be inside the White House if we bring the forest home with us for every Christmas!"

Harry S Truman - "I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it.

I shall advise them to put up a Christmas tree!"

Dwight D Eisenhower - "What counts is not the size of the tree at Christmas - it's the size of the Christmas in the tree!"

No president could really get this tradition idea down nor deliver a suitable White House Christmas tree.

The citizens had had enough. After so much dismay and anarchy, there was a new guy who was ready to step up to the Christmas tree tradition with all it's holiday splendor. This man, was going to finally put an end to the charade and make clear-cut rules about how the Christmas Tree would be decorated, where it would be erected and who would be responsible. This man, was none other than:

John F. Kennedy.

But, he couldn't do it alone.

So in stepped:

Jacqueline Kennedy

They made promises to the American people to define the clear cut traditions for the Christmas tree. But there was still the matter on the theme and style of the Christmas tree. Who would make these important decisions and how?

Well that answer came to the young presidential couple one fine winter morning in 1961. The Christmas tree had been left overnight in the Blue Room undecorated. As Jackie went to the room to look at the Balsam fir she could see that Old Johnny boy had beat her to it. He was hanging up little army men as his ornament as choice.

Jacqueline gave him a look.

Then told him that it didn't fit with her Barbie theme.

Old Johnny Boy shuddered at the thought of a Barbie endowed Christmas tree so he defended his decision with the ole "Support the troops" argument.

But Jackie would have none of it. She defended her decision based on the late First Lady Lou Henry Hoover's politics of having the First Lady decide what goes on the tree.

Old Johnny Boy was defeated and accepted the fate of the tree.

But Jackie girl wasn't done with her clever ideas:

"How about we compromise! Let's hang up both the Barbies AND the army men!"

"wwwahhh??" Johnny replied.

"Let's make the the tree a Thematic Tree! A tree with a theme. That theme can be the Nutcracker."

"You see" an excited Jackie continued, "The little toy soldiers are like your green army men and the fairies and what nots are like my Barbies. It's perfect!"

It was indeed perfect. But it didn't end there. This idea of a "Nutcracker Suite" theme was the basis for all the White House Christmas trees to come. From then on, all Christmas trees in the White House had a theme (Americana, winter wonderland, etc) that was chosen by the First Lady.

This is part of an ongoing series titled "History of White House Christmas Trees".
Click here to check Claudia Johnson's Tree in Part 2.

Trip to Cherry Creek Shopping Center - Mall Christmas Trees

One of my favorite things about Christmas time is the way the malls become dazzled with decorations. Not only is there usually some sort of Christmas village in the center of the mall, but the individual stores typically have a tree or two.

I took a trip to a local mall here in Denver (Cherry Creek Shopping Center) and found trees in all shapes and sizes.

Z Gallerie

I love this tree. So chic...

....though not too shabby.

Nordstrom

Nice Christmas scene with a woodsy feel.

More woodsy.

Brooks Brothers

Simple but cute.



Macy's

So shiny it almost looks juicy.



Macy's

Yeah, Macy's had a lot of great Christmas Trees.
The other day I went back and found more upstairs. They were fancier than these too. I might just have to post an article on Macy's upper level Christmas trees.


See some Christmas trees at your local mall? Send your photos to: HolidayTrees@gmail.com

2010 Christmas Tree of the Day - CTOTD

This is the official second Christmas Tree of the Day Thread (CTOTD - Click Here for the 2009 one). From December 1st thru December 31st you will be getting a picture of a special Christmas tree. So be sure to come here every day to get your Christmas Tree fix! (See the tiny picture of the tree to the left of the page? Click on that to see the official Christmas Tree of the Day - CTOTD).

Goodbye Mr. Tree

Photographer: Andrionni Ribo

Place: Nevada City, CA (USA)

CTOTD: 12/31/10

A lone tree looking out the window as the Christmas Season flies by.
Indeed, tonight is New Year's Eve and it marks the end of the holiday season.
While you are out enjoying your final celebration for the year don't forget to give a nod to the final Christmas tree of the year. It will be a long 11 months before they are to return.
Happy New Year!

Rainbow Glow

Photographer: Valerie Everett

Place: Indianapolis, IN (USA)

CTOTD: 12/30/10

A rainbow tree with a colorful glow.
See more rainbow trees here.

The Great Wolf

Photographer: Claire Schmitt

Place: Williamsburg, VA (USA)

CTOTD: 12/29/10

When walking into the Great Wolf Lodge, you are greeted with Christmas cheer....wolf style!

Pretty

Photographer: Bernhard Suter

Place: New York, NY (USA)

CTOTD: 12/28/10

It's pretty.

CLICK HERE!

To see the very special
Christmas Tree Photos of the Day
for the Christmas Weekend!
December 25th-27th

HDR Dazzle

Photographer: James Brandon

Place: Fort Worth, TX (USA)

CTOTD: 12/24/10

A Christmas tree at First United Methodist Church that dazzles with HDR technology.
Or maybe that's the dazzle of our lord?
Merry Christmas Eve!!

Gentle Glow

Photographer: Kaye Duncan

Place: Portland, OR (USA)

CTOTD: 12/23/10

A nice gentle glow seen at the photographer's sister's house.

Golden Birds

Tree Owner: Steven Tom

Place: New York (USA)

CTOTD: 12/22/10

The tree owner, Steven Tom says, "We put up our Christmas tree over the weekend.It's a 7.5' Venetian fir. Actually, it's not real. We didn't want to deal with the maintenance."
It may be fake but it's gorgeous. Red and gold are always a classy theme for a Christmas tree but I especially like how you have to look up close to see the angelic golden birds:

"It took us hours getting it together and putting on the ornaments."
Time well spent.

T is for...

Tree Owner: James Emery

Place: San Douglasville, GA (USA)

CTOTD: 12/21/10

Sometimes when I'm looking for photos to add to my glorious website, I see things that are topped with a giant "T". A little less than a year ago, I encountered it on a wedding cake (see here) and was quite intrigued. Since then, it seems as though I have encountered it everywhere: roofs, billboards, bumpers of minivans owned by people who can't drive, and now a Christmas tree.
This Christmas tree happens to be a sparkling and handsome tree. The fact that it's fullfilling it's Christmas destiny by guarding the Christmas gifts completes the photo. But still...
What does that "T" stand for?!?!

Awe of the Tree

Tree Owner: Ste Elmore

Place: San Diego, CA (USA)

CTOTD: 12/20/10

Seven of the photographer's eight children awing at the family Christmas tree.

Tree Gnomes

Tree Owner: Kris de Curtis

Place: Italy

CTOTD: 12/17/10

Another beautiful photo by Kris de Curtis.
I can't believe she was able to catch her Christmas tree gnomes in action!
I know whenever I wake up in the middle of the night they run away as soon as I turn on the light :-(

Beautiful Christmas Scene

Tree Owner: Kris de Curtis

Place: Italy

CTOTD: 12/16/10

I usually try to have pictures that only show the tree, but this shot of the living room had such a glowing ambiance that I couldn't bring myself to crop it.
The photographer says,
"It's Christmas time in this wrapping house.
It seems to gives a warm embrace
to everyone who wants to take part in
its cheering feeling."
Ok...
I have no idea what that means but I'm sure it made more sense before it was translated from Italian to English on Dictionary.com.

Universal Studios Christmas Tree

Tree Owner: Katy Warner

Place: Orlando, FL (USA)

CTOTD: 12/15/10

This shot is of a Christmas tree taken at Universal Studios (Orlando, FL).

It may be sparsely decorated but the sheer massiveness of it more than makes up for it.
Oh and the swirly peppermint candies are neat too.

Adult Tree

Tree Owner: aSIMULATOR (flickr.com)

Place: Los Angeles, CA USA

CTOTD: 12/14/10

If you look down at the CTOTD for yesterday, you'll see the "Children Tree" that was put up by this same tree owner.
Well, that makes this tree the "Adult Tree" and it is "Bling, Bling!" (as the tree owner so elegantly put it).

Children Tree

Tree Owner: aSIMULATOR (flickr.com)

Place: Los Angeles, CA USA

CTOTD: 12/13/10

The tree owner says,"This is a little Children Christmas tree, with a lego star and a bunch of their toys underneath"
Apparently, it is customary in their family to have a grown-up tree and a children tree.
See the grown-up tree for tomorrow's CTOTD!

Happy Holidays!

Photographer: Cliff (flickr.com)

Place: Arlington, VA USA

CTOTD: 12/10/10

It may be plain but it has a nice primitive charm about it.
Happy Holidays!

Walt's Tree

Photographer: Justin Smith

Place: Orlando, FL

CTOTD: 12/09/10

Beautiful and classy Christmas tree in the Grand Floridian Spa and Resort (Walt Disney World).

Colette's Snazzy Tree

Photographer: RandayA38 (flickr.com)

Place: Vancouver, Canada

CTOTD: 12/08/10

Randy says,
"This is Colette's tree. At the bottom you can see the stocking she made me. Pretty snazzy."

Slim

Photographer: Samson Loo

Place: Gilbert, AZ USA

CTOTD: 12/07/10

I kind of like slender trees like these. They look elegant and don't take up too much space.
The color scheme and the lights are lovely as well.
Very warm and Christmasy.

Big Red

Photographer: Scott Robinson

Place: Rockville, MD USA

CTOTD: 12/06/10

What a big and red tree! Can you imagine why I named it "Big Red"?

And now for an inverted version of Hal...

Look at it, just staring at you.
A little unsettling don't you think?

The Noble Fir

Owner: Diana

Place: Pennsylvania, USA

CTOTD: 12/03/10

Pretty tree, eh?
Now go ahead and guess what kind of tree it is. Go on...guess...
I'm waiting........

Give up?

Alright, it's an Abies fraseri, also known as the Fraser fir.
Here's a little tidbit about this noble fir:
The Fraser fir has been used as the "Blue Room Christmas Tree" more years than any other tree in the White House.

In case you aren't familiar with the White House's Christmas traditions, I'll tell you that there is a so-called "Blue Room". It is this room that contains the official White House indoor Christmas Tree year to year. What kind and what style mostly depends on the who and why.
Want to learn more? How about you come check back here in a couple days. That will be when I post my article, "Christmas Trees in the White House".
Get ready for some gorgeous trees!

Best Tree in all of Burwood!
Owner: squarepants2004j/auntyhuia (flickr.com)
Place: Sydney, Australia
CTOTD: 12/02/10

The photographer says,
"I think this is the best local Christmas tree I have seen this year. It is so sparkly in the sunlight. I haven't been able to capture just how shiny it really is in the photo. This is in Burwood, NSW (Australia)."

Loch Ness
Owner: zellaby (flickr.com)
Place: United Kingdom
CTOTD: 12/01/10

I know...

I want to take a ride on the red and bubbly Loch Ness too.