Christmas tree thread !
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vinvac
Well-known member
We put ours up last weekend
Here's ours
Complete with our own little Mrs. Claus.
You can see that we got some snow yesterday, but it's turned to rain now, so it's all slushy here.
Complete with our own little Mrs. Claus.
You can see that we got some snow yesterday, but it's turned to rain now, so it's all slushy here.
hoover1060
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- Apr 9, 2005
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a Mr. Charles Brown
inspired my tree this year...
I am so not in the mood for Christmas this year
inspired my tree this year...
I am so not in the mood for Christmas this year
Out of the attic
And to the table
No Muss
No Fuss
And the cat won't be climing it!
And to the table
No Muss
No Fuss
And the cat won't be climing it!
whirlcool
Well-known member
Vinvac and Glamwales:
What beautiful trees you have! I can see time was spent on that!
We haven't even started our decorating yet. We usually wait until about the 15th.
What beautiful trees you have! I can see time was spent on that!
We haven't even started our decorating yet. We usually wait until about the 15th.
hooverwheelaway
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Here's ours!
Went up after dinner on Thanksgiving.. sort of a tradition for me.
During the day:
Went up after dinner on Thanksgiving.. sort of a tradition for me.
During the day:
hooverwheelaway
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And - its so pretty to watch!
At night:
At night:
lederstiefel1
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- May 18, 2006
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glamwales' tree
Hey Neil!
Up to now I like your tree best - really beautiful! Even the fireplace is so lovely decorated!!!
Compliment!
Second best I like Vinvac's tree!
But that is only my personal taste!
Will be difficult for me/us to outbid these...lol!!!!
Ralf
Hey Neil!
Up to now I like your tree best - really beautiful! Even the fireplace is so lovely decorated!!!
Compliment!
Second best I like Vinvac's tree!
But that is only my personal taste!
Will be difficult for me/us to outbid these...lol!!!!
Ralf
Here in the Netherlands most people do not start with Christmas decorations before Santa Claus has left for Spain on December 6th. However, there is a tendency in shops to pull the Christmas season forward. Recently I visited a garden centre were they had a Christmas department with Santa Claus songs in the background. Weird!
lederstiefel1
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Theo / Mielabor
Hi Theo - I do agree with you so much - in Germany we used to start with X-mas deco not until the Advent-time has started (first of the Advent-Sundays or 1st December, depending which one comes earlier) and my mate and I refused to switch on the electric light chains on the balcony as well as in the windows and candles on the advent-chaplet before Saturday night (1st December) although X-mas cookies and stuff are meanwhile already available from end of September on or even earlier - so weird and sick!
And christmas-trees traditionally will be decorated not until the evening of the 23rd December - but more and more often you find them already from end of November on in many houses...
Ralf
Hi Theo - I do agree with you so much - in Germany we used to start with X-mas deco not until the Advent-time has started (first of the Advent-Sundays or 1st December, depending which one comes earlier) and my mate and I refused to switch on the electric light chains on the balcony as well as in the windows and candles on the advent-chaplet before Saturday night (1st December) although X-mas cookies and stuff are meanwhile already available from end of September on or even earlier - so weird and sick!
And christmas-trees traditionally will be decorated not until the evening of the 23rd December - but more and more often you find them already from end of November on in many houses...
Ralf
Ralf,
When I was a small child, I had a neighbour who came from Germany. She always had a very big Christmas tree and just as you said she decorated it only just before Christmas and the lights were not lit before Christmas Eve. We didn't have such a strict procedure and I was told at that time that it was a German custom to do it that way. She also had presents for Christmas which we found strange and told us that they came from the Christmas Child.
When I was a small child, I had a neighbour who came from Germany. She always had a very big Christmas tree and just as you said she decorated it only just before Christmas and the lights were not lit before Christmas Eve. We didn't have such a strict procedure and I was told at that time that it was a German custom to do it that way. She also had presents for Christmas which we found strange and told us that they came from the Christmas Child.
lederstiefel1
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Theo
Yes - of course the presents all come from the christmas child who drives along in a sledge with Knight Rupert, the helper of Santa Claus, and it walks from house to house and puts the presents onto the present-table in the X-mas chamber (usually the living-room though) for everybody - or if people have an open fire-place will throw them right onto the grid through the chimney like Santa does meanwhile in Britain and the States....
Ralf
Yes - of course the presents all come from the christmas child who drives along in a sledge with Knight Rupert, the helper of Santa Claus, and it walks from house to house and puts the presents onto the present-table in the X-mas chamber (usually the living-room though) for everybody - or if people have an open fire-place will throw them right onto the grid through the chimney like Santa does meanwhile in Britain and the States....
Ralf
A very interesting
Tree
Tree
sparkymarky1973
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- Dec 4, 2007
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- 163
This is ours this year. Last year we used the artificial one but this year we got a real tree.
Mark
Mark
lederstiefel1
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real tree
I've NEVER in my life had an artificial tree and will resist to get one as long as I live! We use to have a "Nordmann-Tanne" (abies normanniania) or "Nobilis-Tanne" (abies procera) and always have real candles in it together with small electric lamps for those times when we are not able to observe the tree.
Sometimes we buy the tree with roots sometimes we buy a cut tree and put it into a post with water in it, to keep it fresh longer and avoid shedding of the needels.
Decoration varies from year to year, depending on our "mood" or taste...
We have copper, red, silver and gilden glas-globes as well as little woodden figures together with bows, glittering garlands and other stuff. A must is also the christmas pyramid for me on a side-table which has a big fan on top that is driven by the warmth of candles at the bottom and brings all stages into a move! It's entirely made from wood with the whole nativity set on three or four platforms (crib, sheperds, holy kings, angels) that runs like a merry-go-round, driven and lit by the candles' light.
Ralf
I've NEVER in my life had an artificial tree and will resist to get one as long as I live! We use to have a "Nordmann-Tanne" (abies normanniania) or "Nobilis-Tanne" (abies procera) and always have real candles in it together with small electric lamps for those times when we are not able to observe the tree.
Sometimes we buy the tree with roots sometimes we buy a cut tree and put it into a post with water in it, to keep it fresh longer and avoid shedding of the needels.
Decoration varies from year to year, depending on our "mood" or taste...
We have copper, red, silver and gilden glas-globes as well as little woodden figures together with bows, glittering garlands and other stuff. A must is also the christmas pyramid for me on a side-table which has a big fan on top that is driven by the warmth of candles at the bottom and brings all stages into a move! It's entirely made from wood with the whole nativity set on three or four platforms (crib, sheperds, holy kings, angels) that runs like a merry-go-round, driven and lit by the candles' light.
Ralf
'Yes - of course the presents all come from the christma
Hi Ralf,
Sorry to interject at this point, but shouldn't it be 'Knecht Ruprecht'? Translated to English 'Knecht' = Serf. I also get a bit confused as there is the tradition of St Nicholas day (1st of December?), where children leave their shoes outside overnight, to find them filled with sweets the next morning. Who exactly is St Nicholas and where does he fit into all this?
Now, the christmas child brings gifts with Knecht Ruprecht's help? So is Knecht Ruprecht the fat bloke in the red suit, i.e. Father Christmas? Does anyone ever see the christmas child(and where), and is it meant to be an incarnation of the Baby Jesus?
From (vague) memory, once upon a time on christmas eve, children had to have their little christmas poem ready for Ruprecht, who, as I understand it, used to be the bloke with the big bag full of gifts and the 'twitch' (Rute). The poem would be carefully rehearsed as it was meant to be a welcome to Ruprecht, who would then decide if the child had been good or bad throughout the year - right? From memory, bad kids were meant to get the twitch and, if really bad, could even end up in Ruprechts bag to be whisked away, never to be seen or heard of again. Of course, Ruprecht would leave a new, good child from his big bag of goodies, in its place.
Now, surely this can't all be a construct of my imagination based on flawed memory? Tell me if I am correct with this? Perhaps different regions in Germany constructed their own folklore around Father Christmas and the Christ Child? Otherwise I will have to sue my parents for pre-christmas anxiety and post-traumatic stress.
Hi Ralf,
Sorry to interject at this point, but shouldn't it be 'Knecht Ruprecht'? Translated to English 'Knecht' = Serf. I also get a bit confused as there is the tradition of St Nicholas day (1st of December?), where children leave their shoes outside overnight, to find them filled with sweets the next morning. Who exactly is St Nicholas and where does he fit into all this?
Now, the christmas child brings gifts with Knecht Ruprecht's help? So is Knecht Ruprecht the fat bloke in the red suit, i.e. Father Christmas? Does anyone ever see the christmas child(and where), and is it meant to be an incarnation of the Baby Jesus?
From (vague) memory, once upon a time on christmas eve, children had to have their little christmas poem ready for Ruprecht, who, as I understand it, used to be the bloke with the big bag full of gifts and the 'twitch' (Rute). The poem would be carefully rehearsed as it was meant to be a welcome to Ruprecht, who would then decide if the child had been good or bad throughout the year - right? From memory, bad kids were meant to get the twitch and, if really bad, could even end up in Ruprechts bag to be whisked away, never to be seen or heard of again. Of course, Ruprecht would leave a new, good child from his big bag of goodies, in its place.
Now, surely this can't all be a construct of my imagination based on flawed memory? Tell me if I am correct with this? Perhaps different regions in Germany constructed their own folklore around Father Christmas and the Christ Child? Otherwise I will have to sue my parents for pre-christmas anxiety and post-traumatic stress.
whirlcool
Well-known member
I'll tell you, nobody does Christmas like the Germans! We have some friends in Germany and a few years ago we spent Christmas with them. We participated in the Christmas Cookie baking as well as decorating the tree on the 23rd and then locking the living room door until the 24th from the kinder.
We also went to the Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremburg and had a wonderful time. Now we can't get thru a Christmas season without some Gluhwein. We picked up quite a few ornaments which we haven't seen here in the U.S. since the 1950s.
Here at home we don't decorate our tree until the 15th of Dec. I was amazed this year that I actually saw stores putting up Christmas stuff immediately after Labor Day!
We also went to the Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremburg and had a wonderful time. Now we can't get thru a Christmas season without some Gluhwein. We picked up quite a few ornaments which we haven't seen here in the U.S. since the 1950s.
Here at home we don't decorate our tree until the 15th of Dec. I was amazed this year that I actually saw stores putting up Christmas stuff immediately after Labor Day!
Santa Claus / Sinterklaas
Although "Sinterklaas" has the same name as Santa Claus, he has nothing to do with Christmas. They have some things in common: they are both dressed in red and they come from far to bring presents for children. Sinterklaas comes from Spain and brings presents at 5 or 6 December and Santa, well I think that most Americans know more of this bloke than I do.
Here is Sinterklaas arriving in Amsterdam on November 18, 2007. See that "Independent Outlet"? That used to be an Electrolux vacuum cleaner shop long ago.
Although "Sinterklaas" has the same name as Santa Claus, he has nothing to do with Christmas. They have some things in common: they are both dressed in red and they come from far to bring presents for children. Sinterklaas comes from Spain and brings presents at 5 or 6 December and Santa, well I think that most Americans know more of this bloke than I do.
Here is Sinterklaas arriving in Amsterdam on November 18, 2007. See that "Independent Outlet"? That used to be an Electrolux vacuum cleaner shop long ago.
