Artificial Christmas trees never, ever

[GeorgeG]

fit back in the boxes they came in! We've had a number of artificial trees over the years and not one of them has ever fit back into the original box.

 

[antmaril]

We struggle with this, too. We have a bag for our tree and it is almost impossible to get that darn tree into that bag. We gave up on the box a long time ago. It's exasperating!

 

[MidgeD79]

I buy bubble wrap and put it around the tree while squishing the air out. It works great for us!

 

[kimmar067]

...us too.....then I realized that I had to remove all the ornaments and doo-dads from the tree FIRST....

 

[castleview]

I've gotten them back on the box, but the pre-lit ones - forget it!

 

[antmaril]

...us too.....then I realized that I had to remove all the ornaments and doo-dads from the tree FIRST....

 

[Handbag Lady]

Our is the kind that you take apart. It fits int he box quite easily.

However, I HATE doing this as it takes forever. Pull the stuff off, put that away. Wrap the lights. Pull each branh off and fold them down. Then, stack inside the box.



Does anyone know how to dust a tree besides just running the vacuum on it?

 

[plutotek]

Me 3. I can get 3 of the 4 sections in, then wrap the 4th in plastic drop cloth. Nice thing about them is the sections gives me a chance to do a final check for any ornaments DW may have left on the tree.

 

[disneychrista]

I just bought a rubbermaid storage box for it and it works well. We only have a 5ft tree, the same one for about 18 years now, so I am sure that, that helps. My mom had a 7ft prelit and her storage box is as big as a coffin.

 

[SleepyMom]

We have 3 fake trees, the first one we bought a large plastic tote box for years ago and it fits easily in there. The 2nd one is the Disney tree and is kind of skinny, I bought a tote for it too. Since the tree is smaller I can actually fit it, the tree skirt, monorail (in box), a huge Mickey snowglobe and a few smaller items inside. The new tree this year still has only the cardboard box it came in, I will be on the look out for a tote soon though because it took 2 people and everything we could muster to get it into the box and closed. We taped it shut and I am hoping it will stay that way!

I like keeping them in totes better anyways, I feel like dust and such can get into a cardboard box easier that a tote box with a lid snapped on.

 

[minniecarousel]

We have a pre-lit 9 ft tree and 3 of the 4 sections fit back in the box. The last piece goes into a large rubbermaid container.

 

[Cindy B]

Ours always does. It goest down to the way you rearrange the parts. You need to basically flatten the tree back down and put it back exactly the way it was.

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I've gotten them back on the box, but the pre-lit ones - forget it!

I'd like to have a house with a storage closet near where we put the tree. At the end of the season, I'll throw a sheet over the tree and move it into the closet fully decorated.

 

[castleview]

I'd like to have a house with a storage closet near where we put the tree. At the end of the season, I'll throw a sheet over the tree and move it into the closet fully decorated.

That's so funny. A few years ago, I was talking with my priest's wife. They were at a point in life where every Christmas they'd leave to see their kids and new grand babies. She said they have a medium sized tree that they just throw a garbage bag over and put in the basement. She said "Yeah, it's like a canned Christmas, but who has time?"

 

[Imzadi]

You guys DO know that they grow and do all the stuff a real tree does, once you've set them out and put lights & ornaments on them, don't you? Something about imbuing then with the Christmas spirit and all that. Miracles happen and they grow.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

We have the kind where every branch has to be put on individually. I bundle the branches with string and put numbers on them to make it easier to assemble next year. Then the trunk and all the bundles go into one of those giant tree storage bags. The bag gets very heavy so we don't even try to lift it. It stays in the garage next to the door to the house. We carry the bundles out one at a time, arrange them in the bag and zip it up. Once I tripped on the steps going out the garage and I landed on the tree bag where it was nice and soft! I was glad it was there!

 

[ChrizJen]

We usually didn't have too much of a problem with our old pre-lit tree. We would have to "de-fluff" all of the branches before folding it up and putting it away, but it usually fit just fine. We have a new, taller pre-lit one this year that folds up like an umbrella, so we'll see if my "de-fluff" technique works...
The only thing that bites about "de-fluffing" is that next year I have to "re-fluff" to get all of the branches back in shape...

 

[design_mom]

Ours has individual branches, not sections... But it's been stored in it's original box every year (this was its 13th Christmas). Every year we say, "it's not going to fit!" but it always does.

 

[Agri]

I'd like to have a house with a storage closet near where we put the tree. At the end of the season, I'll throw a sheet over the tree and move it into the closet fully decorated.

There is a closet near where we set up the tree that isn't being used, so I think that's what we'll do with ours this year. We couldn't even get the segments apart last year, so we just dragged it upstairs still mostly put together! Of course, we couldn't light it this year, but oh well. I love Christmas, but I'm so over this tree!

 

[lakelandgal70]

Thats why we put ours in a big plastic bin thingy. Problem solved lol