Here in Europe, many places have the custom of the tree going up only on Christmas Eve -- the adults decorate it in secret, and at dinnertime, Christmas is unveiled! In some places, trees are put up between the 15th and 20th, although some people, the real early birds, get them up around St. Nicholas' Day (December 6th). Needless to say, there are no tree lots yet...

I am really, really looking forward to getting a Nordman Fir this year.

The thing about Christmas trees is they are cut well before Thanksgiving and in most places are not watered so buying it earlier may help it to look better by Christmas because it will be watered in your house.

At my parent's place we would put it in a bucket outside so it had the benefit of outdoor air water and then bring it in around mid december. In the city you should look for places that get the trees in water as soon as they can.

We went to Crest Ranch and cut our's on the 17th, we were the first few people there...on the first day it opened.

Our home smells great since we brought it, though only 1/2 way through the trimming and decorating job.

I'd love to put up a tree (I always have an artificial one) but with three frisky young cats, the regular kind of lights on strings is just not going to be safe. I may try that "tree topiary" I saw on Design Cents when they were doing a house in a kind of renaissance or Tuscan with roses and fruit and ribbons. The decorator took an artificial tree and bent the branches up and around into a swirl and then put ribbons etc. in between. It was lovely.

Last year my boyfriend insisted on getting a real tree. I've always grown up with fake ones. Needless to say, you can't exactly bend the branches to fit the tree. I was very disappointed!

I meant bend the branches to fit the ornament.... sorry!