Where to Put the Christmas Tree? What Would You Do?

Updated on December 01, 2008
B.B. asks from Fort Worth, TX
5 answers

My husband and I always have the same discussion every year...where to put the tree. I love having it downstairs in the family room, it is not visible from any windows that face the front of the house. He wants it upstairs in the media room where it is visible from the street. I like the idea of people driving by looking at lights and being able to see our tree but then I cannot enjoy it b/c it would be in a room that we are not in a lot of the time. Our main family room is downstairs. If we move it upstairs then everyone has to go up to open presents. My M-I-L who is 92 (no that is not a typo LOL) cannot easily make it upstairs. The other complaint that I have is that if the tree goes upstairs then there are not much Christmas decorations downstairs. I want to honor my husband's request to put it upstairs but then I feel like I get the short end of the stick. What would you suggest? Oh..and he will not let me purchase a tree and just put minimal decorations on it for the upstairs window. We have lived in this house for 4 years and still cannot find a solution that makes everyone happy. Any advice would be helpful. TIA!

UPDATE: I found a lady that is giving away 3 trees that she has extra and I could go and get one FOR FREE! SO I made arrangements to pick it up. I informed my husband of my great find and he told me not to go and get it. So now what? I found a great solution and he isnot wanting me to get another tree and have to go through the hassle of putting up 2 trees and storing 2 trees. What do you ladies think?

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R.E.

answers from Dallas on

I would put it where the family can enjoy it. To me that's more important than people driving by. You can always decorate outside or get another tree to put in the window if he really wants people to see it. If he doesn't want to spend a lot of money on a new tree, plan to buy one after Christmas and get plenty of decorations to make that just as pretty. We have a small tree in our playroom upstairs with the kid's character ornaments, one in our formal living room where we'll do the presents that has my nice ornaments, and one in our family room that has the ornaments the kids have made just for us to enjoy.

1 mom found this helpful
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N.T.

answers from Dallas on

I like the idea of having the tree in the family room where you can enjoy it. Why not put a Christmas wreath with little white lights in the upstairs window? That way, it would be visible from the street and everyone is happy!

Merry Christmas!!!

1 mom found this helpful
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A.C.

answers from Dallas on

Sorry that you're not in agreement...it's hard to have the whole "happy holiday" sentiment when you don't agree on what that means! I dealt with that until this year: my husband is from England and claimed that all this "stuff" was silly and totally American....until our son is old enough to do stuff. Now he's gone crazy: we've had pictures with Santa, he's hurrying me out the door to get my hair cut so we can have family portraits for the Christmas cards, he's got lights on the bushes and house, gone shopping on his own to "study up" on the "good" trees, etc. We've gone to the downtown parade and tree lighting, we're going to ICE and the Polar Express later...All I asked for was for him to take the wreath out of the attic without whining! But I swear before this year, he was a total scrooge.
What we always did (and I would do especially if you have access to a free tree!) is have more than one tree. When I was growing up, we had a lovely tree with the white lights, beautiful crystal or red ornaments, etc in the front room. In our family room, we had the 20 year old, 5-6 foot artificial "Charlie Brown tree" from when I was very small which held the sentimental but not so beautiful ornaments, colored blinking lights, etc. We threw FITS when mom threw that tree out while I was off to college! In the kitchen, mom even had what we jokingly called the Christmas fern (don't know what it was, but it was live and stayed all year) which she would decorate in chili pepper lights, little crawfish, red beans, or rice ornaments, with cotton tufts and dried out spanish moss (we lived in Louisiana obviously). This live "fern" we then turned into a mardi gras tree, a 4th of July tree, a halloween and Thanksgiving tree...
I understand the looking pretty thing, and that's where a pretty tree upstairs would be nice. But as for the cozy hanging out around the house, ESPECIALLY for an elderly family member, I'm all about the simple tree with landmark ornaments like "first christmas", "first home", or handmade stuff. Maybe the "pretty" stuff upstairs and some simple but happy things downstairs would show your husband you're respecting his wishes, but still have your own desires too. If that doesn't work, I'd be all "DUDE-your MOM is 92!" Hope y'all can compromise and enjoy the holidays!

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

R.A.

answers from Dallas on

I think the tree is for you and your family to enjoy. Not for people to drive by to enjoy. If he wants people to enjoy something at your house, put lights outside for people to see. Just my two cents.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.G.

answers from Dallas on

I just saw your update which looks like it goes with what I was going to say. Our big nice tree is downstairs, but my sister gave me her old, small tree that we put upstairs in the front room window. I just went to big lots and got a lot of really pretty ornaments for a very cheap price. You could even wait until the day after Christmas and not decorate it until next year if you want to save. Good luck with it.

1 mom found this helpful
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