I have many vintage decorations and ornaments but some of my favorites are my bottle brush trees.  Some of them are new made to look old, but some, like these two, are from the fifties. I just love their mercury glass ornaments and mica glitter.  

These snowmen have seen better days, but they still make me smile as I bring them out each year, cracks, chips and all.

  Over the years I have been lucky enough to  collect a lot of vintage glass ornaments.

This mica frosted one was one of my Mother’s ornaments when she had her first tree with my Dad. 

Only two survived the 58 years they have been married. I hope I can keep them around a lot longer as well as the rest of these memories I pull out each year to enjoy on my tree.  

It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air.  ~W.T. Ellis

 Visit Colorado Lady to enjoy Vintage Thingies Thursday 

 and because we love the scent and feel of a real Christmas tree, we went and cut one down, put it up and decorated it too!   

   We have all been given advice on the many ways to take care of  Christmas trees, so if you are like me  you will probably be surprised how many of those rules aren’t necessary, so here’s a quick list of things to do when you’re picking out and bringing your tree home.

Before buying the tree, give it a shake or grab a branch of needles and slide your hand towards yourself.  Brown needles are ok to drop, but if green needles are dropping, then the tree isn’t very fresh.

 If it has been more than 6 hours since cutting it down, or if you bought a pre-cut tree, you will need to cut one inch off the bottom of the trunk because it heals over and won’t take water.

Make the cut straight across the trunk.  Don’t cut the tree at an angle or a V shape, or whittle away the edges to fit into your stand because the outside edges draw up the water most efficiently.

If you are planning on waiting before putting it in it’s stand, put it in a bucket of  water and keep it somewhere cool until you are ready to bring it in the house.

Place the tree in a stand with adequate water capacity.  Be careful because some stands allow there to be water in the stand without the tree being submerged and the bottom of the trunk needs to always be in water to prevent healing over.

Only give the tree plain water.  There is no need for aspirin or any of the other concoctions we have been told about.  Plain water works best.  Water temperature doesn’t matter either.

Don’t put it near any kind of heat source when picking your location.

Use miniature lights that produce less heat, this helps prevent your tree from drying out.

Your tree should last 4 to 5 weeks if you keep it watered and don’t let the water level go below the trunk.

Remember ~ real trees are a renewable, recyclable resource.  They are farmed like a crop so no need for guilt when deciding on a real tree. 

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2. For more info about real Christmas trees, visit The national Christmas Tree Associaiton at http://www.christmastree.org/

3. You can locate a tree recycling program by logging onto www.realchristmastrees.org

To learn many myths about real Christmas trees visit http://www.christmastree.org/myths.cfm

It is difficult to realize how great a part of all that is cheerful and delightful in the recollections of our own life is associated with trees.  ~Wilson Flagg

Click below to visit Susan at A Southern Daydreamer

Went for our Christmas tree today.  Although the weather was bleak, we had fun. 

 This year we went to a new place. 

   After scouring every field, we finally agreed on a Frasier Fir.  She is a beauty! 

We had it bailed and put on the car, then wandered in to the barn. My son and his wife found a beautiful tree inside.  The barn was interesting.  Mr. Kody told us it had been built in 1947 by his father without any drawings.  Just built it as he went.

  Needless to say it has stood the test of time and is still standing as well as housing these trees for sale.  It was a magnificent barn.

The whole day was fun filled and productive.  Family time spent well with my husband, son, and my other son and his wife, oh yes and their dog Fred. 

Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree.  In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.  ~Larry Wilde

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