When I was growing up our tree was usually a cedar tree, which grew in abundance in the area surrounding out house. Dad, or the boys, just walked out until they found one of the desired size and symmetry. As to specifics, I recall only one year, when I followed my oldest brother as he walked through the snow to choose a tree that grew between our house and the state road. This would have been either 1933 or 1934, when we lived in that first house on Hwy No. 8.
For decorating the tree, the store-bought items we had were red and green roping [garlands] and icicles [tinsel]. We may have had some commercial ornaments too; I’m not sure, but we also made decorations. In the weeks before Christmas, we made chain links out of strips of colored construction paper, pasting them together to make a chain, or chains, long enough to drape around the tree. We also drew, or traced Christmas symbols on light cardboard [another use for shoe box material]. Then we colored them with crayons, or pasted colored construction paper over them, or perhaps decorated them to our individual inclinations. The angel or Christmas tree on top of the tree was usually home made also.
We did not keep the trees up too long. It was put up a couple of days before Christmas and was taken down a day or two afterward. As I recall, cedar trees were bad for dropping their needles, and required a sweep-up of the fallen tree needles each morning. Perhaps that was why they didn’t stay up very long.
In my own household after marriage, we had to buy a tree from the local lot, and usually bought a pine or fir tree. Years later we bought an artificial tree. Everyone in the family wanted one but me, so we bought one. Later the other family members decided they liked a real tree better, but we continued to use the artificial tree, until Melvin set a heavy box on top of the box containing the tree and smashed it flat. I think that was thoughtless rather than deliberate – really. I bought another artificial tree because I had discovered I preferred the no-mess, no-watering feature of the artificial tree. We continued using that tree until after Melvin’s death.
We put the tree up a week before Christmas, Melvin putting up the tree and all of us taking part in the decoration. On New Year’s Day, I took off all the decorations and packed them away, and Melvin carried the tree out to the curb for the local pick-up.
After our children were grown, living elsewhere and if none could come home for Christmas, we didn’t put up a tree. That first year, none of our family would be home, at work we got to talking about ‘have you put up your tree yet?’ I said I wasn’t going to put up a tree. All were appalled and one of the women said I was going to have a tree, and she was coming to my house and put it up herself. She never did understand, but I finally managed to convince her that this was my choice, and so be it. A few times, I did set out a tiny table top tree, but not always.
In our present world, many families don’t live in the same area, and they can’t always get together. That was the circumstance of our lives. I refused to be sad about it and accepted it as the way it was, though I admit that first Christmas with only the two of us did seem a bit strange. But when you can’t sail into the wind, what do you do? You chart another course.
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