Posted on 12/08/2016 8:25:01 PM PST by Yaelle
Ok, we are surprising someone tomorrow with a Christmas tree. We are Jewish so pretty clueless as to how this works. Got a beautiful tree about 6 feet, best watering stand we could find, even got millions of little lights all up around it (thanks, YouTube!). But it needs something around the base. Thought I could just grab a tree skirt, but this tree has an enormous stand, diameter maybe 2.5 feet. The skirts only have a small hole for the trunk.
What can we put under the tree that would fit? So many Christians here who put up trees every year, I know someone will have an idea. Should we get Christmas blankets and bunch them around the base? Or would that look sloppy? Please do not suggest lifting the whole thing up to put a regular skirt under it, because that is not happening before tomorrow. The base is full of water.
Thanks for helping our surprise with this finishing touch!
We have some spare sheets we can use.
Yeah. What is up with that watering the tree thing? The instructions say you can use a pitcher. Fail. I had to sit under the tree with the pitcher and a little cup and pour each cup and attempt to get it into the base. There isn’t much room to pour.
But that tree smelled wonderful.
set tree and stand on a wooden platform cover with a skirt decorate below
For a ‘real’ tree, a sheet works. It also helps collect many of the dead needles that will fall out. That makes the clean-up afterward a bit easier.
Watch the Seinfield show on Festivus. Festivus is for the rest of us. Instead of cutting down a living tree or using a China made plastic one, we use an unadorned simple aluminum pole which symbolizes strength. At the meal time we have the Airing of Grievances (which have been building up all year) Ceremony (like who has been leaving the toilet seat in the up position, who didn’t turn on the exhaust fan in the bathroom and who doesn’t rinse their plate after supper). This will be a change the whole family will get into in no time.
If you do that, you can't water the tree and all the needles will dry up, fall off, and the tree become a FIRE HAZARD!
Yes, Michael's has felt and tree skirts too. :-)
What about decorations? Did you get any, or do the people have them already ?
Walmart sells tree skirts that will fit it if you are so inclined to get one. We’ve purchased a few over the years and most of them have the dimensions quite obviously displayed on the package. You’ll probably have a hard time finding one that’s too small (at least that’s been my experience).
The ones we have are probably 5 feet in diameter and weren’t all that expensive, but are generally bigger than I would prefer for the space. If you get one that’s too big you just pull it into place and muck around with it until you are happy with how it looks by tucking in the extra where it isn’t noticeable.
I’m going to stop typing now, because that last sentence could be construed in too many ways I’m not real comfortable with ;)
A tree MUST be watered!
Also, put a penny and a couple of spoon fulls of sugar into the water !
I always trim up the bottom boughs...Makes room for smaller presents and allows me to climb under the tree to add water to the base...Usually use a white, red or green sheet and sprinkle glitter on it...
I can’t believe all these great ideas! I love you all.
I use a red table cloth. It’s just the right shade of Christmas red. I just drape it around the bottom of the tree. Looks great.
Last year I bought a commercial funnel attached to a 3 foot piece of stiff plastic tubing. You thread it down through the branches into the water reservoir. Now I can water the tree standing up, not crawling under it. It includes a dipstick so you can measure your water level, too. Handiest gadget I ever bought!
When a fir tree is cut off, the needles dry out very quickly...Without adding water frequently the needles will be all over the floor...Not only are they a bear to get out of the carpet, but they can turn brown before Christmas arrives and more susceptible if a flame gets too close...And even if you don't see many needles hitting the floor while it's standing there, when you go to remove the tree from your house after Christmas, you will leave a good portion of the tree on your floor all the way to the door...
Ok, that was wild! Awesome! I enjoyed it. Thanks.
I only wish Hillary was in the audience. That would seize her up permanently!
Oh WOW....where did you buy that thing?
C'mon...Aren't you going to tell us why???
The skirts I was seeing have maybe a 3 or so inch hole in the center, like it would go around the actual trunk. But this base is huge. At least 2 feet diameter. But these ideas with fake snow and sheets and stuff, we will do that before the surprise.
Christmas Tree Watering Funnel
Mine is a clear plastic funnel and tube. Looks like they've gotten fancier this year.
We always used a white sheet kind of bunched up it looked like snow!!!
All you need to do is peel back the sheet, pour the water in a VOILA!, put the sheet back in place. Oy Vey!
Thanks. I know it needs water, and the directions said to use a pitcher to fill it. Ha. I tried that and just soaked the floor. You have to crouch under there with a pitcher and a little cup to fill it up. One freepers above fixed a great system with a tube and a funnel.
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