My Christmas Tree Art

Hey everyone,

not sure if this counts , but....


at my house growing up, we would choose real trees, cut them down, and then adorn them with ornaments that we collected over many years. the result was a very special tree that meant alot to us personally, but was a bit of a mess visually.

That all changed XMAS 2007. I decided i was going to make my own tree, and have it be the kind of christmas tree i've always wanted to have. there would be a patter and overarching design to it, no random ornaments would be accepted. i purchased a 200 dollar fake tree, and many many lighs and ornaments.


by 2008, i had perfected it. it has 470 lights (though some are burned out now, i'm trying to fix that!!!) , 150 ornaments, and an awesome star. i took some photos yesterday and am going to try and upload them to the site to show everyone. i've left it up since november and i am just going to keep it as a permanent work of art in my living room. the christmas lights have been burning without interuption since november 08 (though again, some have gone out, i need to work on it). every time i look at it, i am filled with christmas cheer... and thats a kind of cheer i am sure we could all use year round-- i've just found the way to make it possible


cant wait to post the pics and get your guys reaction

EDIT: i did allow three specially placed ornaments that did not fit the overall design theme. one is a cardinal ( a kind of red bird) one my mom got me, another is a little silver angel she got me, which lives near the star on the top, and the last one is a little (non fuctioning, decorative) mitten my mom made me out of this cool fabric. they all live towards the top arranged in a triangle shape

THE PICS ARE NOW UPLOADED. if you have nothing constructive to say, please refrain from comment. also, if you want to drop me a note with suggestions of compliments, feel free to

also I have 9 clip on poinsetta blossums, some in a red tone, others in a darker burgandy color

i wish ....
1) all the lights were working
2) i had taken the photo at night to better show off all the lights and the lights reflecting off the silver balls

but anyway, thats one shot, and i made an album with more pics in it

oooh guess what the best part was? at christmas time, i took empty boxs, picked out really nice wrapping paper, and wrapped up a boat load of fake presents. it was awesome looking

well we had a seperate tree at my moms house with real presents, but you can never buy enough real presents to make it look as cool as you can make it look when you're just wrapping random cardboard boxs


what do you think of my tree? (keeping in mind what i said about not all of the lights working right now)

yup, though i am depressed by the lights going out. you guys have no idea how long it took me to space the lights correctly, much less the ornaments (over 5 hours of work, no joke..everything on the tree was specially placed because im OCD like that). to take the lights off to fix them is going to be a huge headache. but yes, i'm leaving it up. its great

EDIT:

once i get the lights fixed i'll take new photos. you guys should see it all lit up at night with 470 lights! its great. (actually there are more lights than that technically, as there are lights inside the metal star on top )

Thanks jacob! thats just what i was going for. i wanted a really classy looking tree

FYI:

Some time in the next few weeks I'll be redecorating my tree for XMAS 2K9. I already have a plan as to what changes I'll make, but I'm worried it might be expensive this year... All my lights are dead and I buy this fancy kind of Xmas light (with faceted bulbs) that costs a bundle... Oh well, 'tis the season...

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to let everyone know I purchased supplies for my tree art yesterday! I plan on decorating on Wensday and hopefully uploading hte pics before XMAS EVE!


Newly purchased for the tree this year:

1: Replacement faceted white bulbs, 70 count (It sucks, I wanted more faceted ones but my mom wouldn't buy them for me since I let my old ones burn out by leaving them on all year)
2) 350 count mini white lights, as a replacement for some of my faceted whites
3) 140 mini colored LEDs
4) 300 regular mini colored lights
5) 14 ornament set "First Frost" featuring tear drop shape bulbs, in frosted white, silver , and gun metal
6) 18 shiney gold balls, to compliment my frosted gold balls from last year
7) Wooden oak leaf my mom got me for my tree: )

Combined with existing tree decorations, this should make for a very striking appearence

I plan to:

Remove ALL fancy red balls, and replace them with shiny gold ones.

Leave the poinsettias up

Rewire/light the tree. White lights on the outside, and then the trunk and branches covered in colored lights so it looks like the tree has a radioactive glowing core. The colored lights will shine out from the interior, and the light will reflect off the gold
Can't wait to hear some feedback on my tree, once I get the photos up!: )

Um, are you saying my Xmas Tree Art is invisible? I don't get it...

Thanks so much, Chris. I worked really hard on it so it's always nice to get such a throughtful compliment.

My tree is now redecorated and I'm taking photos soon. I'll admit, it is a busier design this year. So we'll have to wait and see if you care for it. Good news is that the colored lights are on a seperate line from the whites, so I can take a photo showing the tree with and without color.

And while the tree is in some ways less special for leaving it up, it's also been a source of great comfort and cheer having it around. So it's a trade off.