Every year, I’m faced with a dilemma. A kid inside when it comes to all things Christmas, I find my adult self more Scrooge-like when it comes to the mess associated with the focal point of decorations: the Christmas tree. The question that comes up every December: do we pull up the artificial tree from the basement or get a real one?
is a certified farmgirl at heart. She’s happily married to her beach bum Yankee husband of 20 years. She went from career gal to being a creative homeschooling mom for two of her biggest blessings and hasn’t looked back since. Debbie left her lifelong home in the high desert of Northern Nevada 10 years ago and washed up on the shore of America’s hometown, Plymouth, MA, where she and her family are now firmly planted. They spend part of each summer in a tiny, off–grid beach cottage named “The Sea Horse.”
“I found a piece of my farmgirl heart when I discovered MaryJanesFarm. Suddenly, everything I loved just made more sense! I enjoy unwinding at the beach, writing, gardening, and turning yard-sale furniture into ‘Painted Ladies’ I’m passionate about living a creative life and encouraging others to ‘make each day their masterpiece.’”
is a “MaryJane Farmgirl” who lives in a large metropolitan area. She is a lawyer who has worked in both criminal defense and prosecution. She has been a judge, a business woman and a stay-at-home mom. In addition to her law degree, she has a Masters of Theological Studies.
“Mustering up the courage to do the things you dream about,” she says, “is the essence of being a MaryJane Farmgirl.” Learning to live more organically and closer to nature is Rebekah’s current pursuit. She finds strength and encouragement through MaryJane’s writings, life, and products. And MaryJane’s Farmgirl Connection provides her a wealth of knowledge from true-blue farmgirls.
an old-fashioned farmgirl with a pioneer spirit, lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. As a “lifelong learner” in the “Live-Free-or-Die” state, she fiercely values self-reliance, independence, freedom, and fresh mountain air. Married to her childhood sweetheart of 40+ years (a few of them “uphill climbs”), she’s had plenty of time to reinvent herself. From museum curator, restaurant owner, homeschool mom/conference speaker, to post-and-beam house builder and entrepreneur, she’s also a multi-media artist, with an obsession for off-grid living and alternative housing. Cathi owns and operates a 32-room mountain lodge. Her specialty has evolved to include “hermit hospitality” at her rustic cabin in the mountains, where she offers weekend workshops of special interest to women.
“Mountains speak to my soul, and farming is an important part of my heritage. I want to pass on my love of these things to others through my writing. Living in the mountains has its own particular challenges, but I delight in turning them into opportunities from which we can all learn and grow.”
Dori Troutman is the daughter of second generation cattle ranchers in New Mexico. She grew up working and playing on the ranch that her grandparents homesteaded in 1928. That ranch, with the old adobe home, is still in the family today. Dori and her husband always yearned for a ranch of their own. That dream came true when they retired to the beautiful green rolling hills of Tennessee. Truly a cattleman’s paradise!
Dori loves all things farmgirl and actually has known no other life but that. She loves to cook, craft, garden, and help with any and all things on their cattle farm.
describes herself as a goat charmer, chicken whisperer, bee maven, and farmers’ market baker renovating an 1864 farmhouse on an Ohio farm. With a degree in Design, Mary says small-town auctions and country road barn sales "always make my heart skip a beat thinking about what I could create or design out of what I’ve seen.”
Rooted in the countryside, she likes simple things and old ways … gardening, preserving the harvest, cooking, baking, and all things home. While you might find her selling baked goods from the farm’s milkhouse, teaching herself to play the fiddle, or sprucing up a vintage camper named Maizy, you will always find her in an apron!
Mary says, “I’m happiest with the simple country pleasures … an old farmhouse, too many animals, a crackling fire, books to read, and the sound of laughter … these make life just perfect.”
is a budding rural farmgirl living in Palmer, the agricultural seat of Alaska. Alex is a graduate student at Alaska Pacific University pursuing an M.S. in Outdoor and Environmental Education. She lives and works on the university’s 700 acre environmental education center, Spring Creek Farm. When Alex has time outside of school, she loves to rock climb, repurpose found objects, cross-country ski on the hay fields, travel, practice yoga, and cook with new-fangled ingredients.
Alex grew up near the Twin Cities and went to college in Madison, Wisconsin—both places where perfectly painted barns and rolling green farmland are just a short drive away. After college, she taught at a rural middle school in South Korea where she biked past verdant rice paddies and old women selling home-grown produce from sidewalk stoops. She was introduced to MaryJanesFarm after returning, and found in it what she’d been searching for—a group of incredible women living their lives in ways that benefit their families, their communities, and the greater environment. What an amazing group of farmgirls to be a part of!
Suburban Farmgirl Nicole Christensen calls herself a “vintage enthusiast”. Born and raised in Texas, she has lived most of her life in the picturesque New England suburbs of Connecticut, just a stone’s throw from New York State. An Advanced Master Gardener, she has gardened since childhood, in several states and across numerous planting zones. In addition, she teaches knitting classes, loves to preserve, and raises backyard chickens.
Married over thirty years to her Danish-born sweetheart, Nicole has worked in various fields, been a world-traveler, an entrepreneur and a homemaker, but considers being mom to her now-adult daughter her greatest accomplishment. Loving all things creative, Nicole considers her life’s motto to be “Bloom where you are planted”.
Not to laugh "at" your misfortunes, but many parts of this blog were funny enough to read out loud to my family! Only because of the painful ability to relate…
Re-using an old (as in "we already own it") artificial tree is still green, right? The "reuse" part of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle? We went through this very same agonizing decision and decided to go with the artificial this year… our kids are 3 and 4 and drying live trees are a horrific example of piles of needles by Christmas day. We live in Montana but the weather precluded our being able to go cut our own tree in the wilderness this year. BUT… it’s not the tree, it’s the LOVE right???
*sigh* I miss the smell…
The last artificial tree I bought was back when my daughter was a baby, her first Christmas. Back then, I couldn’t imagine a real tree with my new baby, four dogs, three cats, and a reptile! In the end, we all have to do what’s best for our families at the time. I missed the smell of the real tree, too, so I would purchase a "real" wreath for the door. Thanks for reading, glad you enjoyed my post!
-Nicole
Thanks for sharing your story, mishaps included! Sometimes we get so caught up in making the perfect memory that we don’t realize the funny parts are just as good if not better than the ‘Norman Rockwell’ moments of our lives.
My trees are often tied up to the wall or ceiling to stay straight with the weight of 4 cats in them at any time! LOL! All ornaments are unbreakable types. Breakable ornaments go on stands around the house in protected shelves!
I once wondered about real vs. artifical, but probably only once! We wouldn’t have one if it wasn’t real. I think the deal is you have a tree for 1 of 2 reasons — it’s either about the ornaments or about the tree. For us, it’s the tree first, then the ornaments. Neither way is wrong!
There’s tree preservative you know. I wouldn’t go without it. Some years I make it, some years I buy it, depending on time.
Thanks, fun post!
Congratulations on cutting your Christmas tree with you daughter. We always cut our trees when the kids were still at home and those are memories that will last a lifetime.
Thanks so much, Cindy! Picking and cutting our first tree together has definitely made this Christmas special.
-Nicole
Just an idea! Whenever I put up a real tree for Christmas, I purchase TREE BAGS. They are large plastic bags that you place under the tree stand when you bring the tree into the house. Then, you pull the bag down around the stand and cover it with your Christmas tree skirt. After the holidays, you simply take off the ornaments and pull up the bag for an easier removal. Once outside, I remove the tree stand.
Hey! I just thought of something! You could use a couple of old sheets to make your own ‘bag’ and bypass the plastic bag.
Good luck!
Janice,
That’s a great idea. Thanks for sharing, and Happy Holidays!
-Nicole
Hi Nicole, I vote real, however, there are a handful of valid points made that favor "faux". Allergies are also on the list.
I had a faux tree for about 5 years. I never bonded with it. The difference between real and not real is the same as a bouquet of synthetic flowers and a bouquet of REAL wildflowers. The comparison isn’t even a fair comparison. I have the opportunity to make an easy trip to the country to cut a tree, but not everyone has that option. When that is the case and you have to buy a real one, there is a reason why they dry up so fast … they’re often cut in October. Mine never dries up because it is so fresh and they will STAY fresh and supple all through the Christmas season if they’re harvested in December and watered properly. Water conditioning additives for florals help too.
Whatever you decide, I’m sure you’ll have a lovely tree. The faux trees are so much prettier and realistic looking nowadays. My friend has a 6 foot faux spruce, complete with cones. Gorgeous. It was expensive, but it will last for years.
I don’t use real evergreen boughs for decorating elsewhere in the house. One area to tidy up is enough. I get my evergreen fix from the tree. Happy HolYdays, Shery J
This is so funny. Our live tree fell over three years in a row! So now I take fishing wire and tie it to a stationary object. Problem solved. I am a live tree girl all the way.
Love it!!! I never thought about our tree always looking the "same" with the artificial tree, but you are so right! We didn’t always have an artificial tree and I was quite adamant about NOT having one for years! Then my inlaws gave us their "old" pre-lit tree for us to use. We decided to use it only when we would be out of town visiting my folks for the holidays and we have since never gone back to a real one! UGH! However, the lights are starting to go on the prelit tree and it’s starting to show it’s wear and tear…the kids are begging for a real tree and campaigning…maybe next year we’ll enjoy the fun of hunting down the perfect tree in the snow @ a tree farm! I’m dreaming of a "real" tree Christmas! 🙂
My vote is always go with what the child/children want. It may sound corny but Christmas is for kids. You can’t go wrong with making memories just by looking at their face/s. It’s worth it all. When they are small, they are amazed by the lights, artificial and green.
We have done both, depending on the heat and where the tree is positioned. Great revelation for determining what type of tree, right? No matter which one, the work is worth it in the long run!
A Merry Christmas to all and a Blessed New Year!
I always tell my family I would rather have a tree much like an unbrella fully decorated that you could pull out of the closet every year and then shove back in when finished. Unfortunately, my kids like to decorate a tree and they like the hunt. To be honest, I like the smell and look of a real tree eventhough I have allergies. We get a Charlie Brown tree every year. We pick one that is growing too close to another tree. It’s flat on one side, but who cares? That side goes toward the wall. Decorate it and it’s beautiful.
I must admit I have never cut a Christmas tree. I am an artificial tree person because I could put the tree up at Thanksgiving and enjoy it until Epiphany. A real tree would never survive that. Beside the "kids", at 22 and 25, don’t seem to care. Though if I ever live in the country and can put a stop to the constant rushing I would love a natural tree.
I’m in the same boat as the previous comment, grown kids (25 & 28), and I put my tree up at Thanksgiving, just lit with fall leaves on it. But as soon as I get my first grandbaby, I can’t wait to make Christmas special again with a live tree. It may be a few years away, but I’m looking forward to it. Only problem, we have three dogs, oh well, I’m sure they’ll be many funny moments. Thanks for sharing!
If you cut your own tree, and water it diligently, it will last from Thanksgiving to the Epiphany. One year, I noticed this light green color at the ends of the branches. Upon closer inspection,the green turned out to be new needles growing!! I called the farm we got it from, after asking all the relatives, the great uncle finally told us that this could happen but it won’t continue for long. I had no needles that year! Your tree is lovely Nicole, may you continue this wonderful tradition!
You are so real! Sometimes we get so wrapped up with trying to have things so perfect that we have a meltdown instead of enjoying life. I’m glad you can laugh and keep on going! After years in the desert with an artificial tree I am so looking forward to next Christmas on a small farm in the Midwest. We desperately need a windbreak along the property line & what better way to do it than to add a new live tree every year!