Follow the National Christmas tree across the country.

[Plant Woman]

This year the US national Christmas Tree was cut in my area--the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state. It is already in Des Moines, Iowa as I type this.

If you don't have anything better to do, follow the tree to Washington D.C.

Here's a little bit more about the <a href="http://www.capitolchristmastree2006.org/">tree</a>.

<a href="http://www.trackthetree.com/xmasTree/showXmasTree.jsp">Map</a>

[D. Scarlatti]

Me, I'm waging a righteous, Old Testament war against Christmas:

Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. - Jeremiah 10:2-4

Yea, verily, I say unto you, I shall follow the heathen tree not.

[Plant Woman]

You are sooooo self-righteous! :giggles:

I am following the tree and hope not to be struck by lightening. Right now it looks to be in the middle of Illinois.

[D. Scarlatti]

Yes, at the moment it appears headed directly for Gary, IN. Hopefully the toxic atmosphere there won't kill it.

[Plant Woman]

I believe it's already dead.

So will it keep going east on I-90 or south on I-65? Its in Chicago now.

Hey I-90 starts in our state, or ends there, one of the two.

[godfry n. glad]

I'm hoping it'll be completely defoliated by the time it arrives in DC. Then we could give an most excellent exemplar of our national status this holiday.

Dragging it through Gary should help meet those expectations. Dragging it through Dayton, Cleveland and Pittsburgh ought to help, too. Particularly if they get some heavy acid rains.

[Plant Woman]

And here I was all excited that the tree came from my neck of the woods.

Deflated.

[godfry n. glad]

You enjoy the "butcher the tree for baby Jebus" routine?

Here I thought you'd be pushing for live trees or swags that don't require the sacrifice of an entirely innocent tree to fuel the commercial spending frenzy....

[godfry n. glad]

Me, I'm waging a righteous, Old Testament war against Christmas:

Thus saith the LORD, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. - Jeremiah 10:2-4

Yea, verily, I say unto you, I shall follow the heathen tree not.

So, I take it you are polishing up the hannukiah?

[Plant Woman]

You enjoy the "butcher the tree for baby Jebus" routine?

Here I thought you'd be pushing for live trees or swags that don't require the sacrifice of an entirely innocent tree to fuel the commercial spending frenzy....

The history of the tree has pagan roots, that had nothing to do with the Christian baby. Many of the traditions of Christmas has little to do with Christianity. Christianity may have adopted some of the traditions, but that doesn't make it belong exclusively to them. I happen to enjoy Christmas, it brings me much joy. Especially this year, we are flying my baby girl home for the holidays.

Actually I buy a live tree every year. It sits on my front deck, decked out in lights. After the new year it is planted. In about five years we cut it down and bring it inside and decorate it. In spring all the branches are run through the chipper shredder and then composted. The trunk is cut up for firewood.

Most Christmas trees are grown on tree farms. Some permits are given to cut trees in the forest, but not that many that it would harm forests.

Bah humbug right back at ya. I'll just watch the trucks progress on my own, I guess.

[godfry n. glad]

You enjoy the "butcher the tree for baby Jebus" routine?

Here I thought you'd be pushing for live trees or swags that don't require the sacrifice of an entirely innocent tree to fuel the commercial spending frenzy....

The history of the tree has pagan roots, that had nothing to do with the Christian baby. Many of the traditions of Christmas has little to do with Christianity. Christianity may have adopted some of the traditions, but that doesn't make it belong exclusively to them. I happen to enjoy Christmas, it brings me much joy. Especially this year, we are flying my baby girl home for the holidays.

Ah, yes. Yule. Whatever name the winter solstice celebration happens to be carrying in whatever European culture our ancestors hailed from. Most of them largely surviving pagan traditions dressed in new christian clothing. I'm aware of all this. I trust you'll enjoy your holiday celebration in the manner you prefer. It sounds like you've not seen your "baby girl" for some time and the reunion is definitely reason for celebration.

Actually I buy a live tree every year. It sits on my front deck, decked out in lights. After the new year it is planted. In about five years we cut it down and bring it inside and decorate it. In spring all the branches are run through the chipper shredder and then composted. The trunk is cut up for firewood.

Excellent! Would that everyone were so responsible. Unfortunately, there are all too many who, upon seeing the national christmas tree (and that's what it's called, not a national yule tree) dragged across country go out looking for some abomination at some tree lot where the tree shouldn't have been cut in the first place and has been encased in pink flocking. This abomination is next seen tumbling down a city street under the street lights on a windy, cold and wet February morning.

And I won't even go into the number of people who set their homes on fire because they don't know what they are doing with that tinder in their front room.

Most Christmas trees are grown on tree farms. Some permits are given to cut trees in the forest, but not that many that it would harm forests.

Yeah. So? We should turn farmland into land that produces trees to stand in a room for a week and then be buried in the landfill....which is what happens to most of them?

Bah humbug right back at ya. I'll just watch the trucks progress on my own, I guess.

Yeah...There it is with the trite Dickensian stereotypification. Have fun watching the trucks. They should be assembling by now, shouldn't they? Y'know, drilling holes in the trunk and wiring limbs back on. Often in places where they weren't before. Very Yulean.

[biochemgirl]

I saw something about it in the paper, if I would have been in Des Moines I would have went and seen it.

Growing up we would go cut down a tree at a family friend's small tree farm. Some good memories there. Right now we just have an artifical tree because I'd rather not deal with the mess. If only they coud replicate the smell of the tree. I guess if we wanted to we could cut one down on our own property, the previous owner went a little overboard planting the windbreak and we have hundreds of evergreens.

PW, I'd follow the tree but my mom's crappy computer won't load it!

Anyway, I understand some people feeling strongly against Christmas trees, but there are many ways in which we impact our enviornment and I guess I choose to pick my battles on this one.

[Plant Woman]

Godfry, many things end up in the landfill. But there are communities that take the trees, chip them up and use them as mulch in their parks. Sometimes what's needed is recycle programs, and educating the community to keep things out of the landfill.

Many things are grown on land that's not food, your favorite plant for instance--iris. Most of the plants in my landscape are originally grown on farms with purposes other than food. A lot of people who prune or trim their plants toss the prunings into the landfill. Regardless how I get my tree, I only do it that way because we enjoy this tradition we started many years ago. And of course because I love growing things. I see nothing wrong with people buying trees off a tree lot, or putting up an artificial tree. You will have to convince me of the evils of tree farms as opposed to food farms. Is your argument that people starve because some farms grow trees?

Many people do stupid things. Such as yesterday, how many wooden decks caught fire from people using deep fat turkey friers on them? Is your argument that because a few people are idiots the rest of us with common sense shouldn't be allowed to put up a tree?

Yeah...There it is with the trite Dickensian stereotypification. Have fun watching the trucks. They should be assembling by now, shouldn't they? Y'know, drilling holes in the trunk and wiring limbs back on. Often in places where they weren't before. Very Yulean.
Actually, I thought it was quite rude to come into this thread, that was a light-hearted attempt to have some fun with a Christmassy thing, stomp all over it and spoiling it.