My Christmas trees need replaced

[scbelleatheart]

Ok this is budget related. Our Xmas trees are done. After a move, none of the lights work and I have no patience to check every bulb on the trees.
So if you have a tall foyer, 20 ft., would you get a 9 ft. pre-lit or a 12 ft. pre-lit. The difference in price is $100. $148 vs. $248. Decorations are still fine but the size is bugging me. I'm thinking about skipping the front room tree in the window and just going with the foyer tree. Our kids are all grown.
Advice?
Another question. Do they make solar Christmas type lights to put on garland and wreaths in the windows or just the plug in kind?

 

[Debbie7452]

I hope you can find someone who might be able to use your old trees. I have one of those "lightfixer" gadgets and a lot of problems with pre-lit trees can be fixed with them. Of course if the needles are also old and shedding then by all means throw them out. About the height...a 12 ft tree would probably look more proportional in that space, but they're kind of commercial feeling, you know? I shopped and bought a new tree last year. I have no idea how you found a tree that tall for so little $$. I guess I was really picky but I spent about $350 for our 9ft. I wanted it very full and not with those plastic type needles (personal preference...those probably hold up better in the long run!)

 

[sammielynn]

12 Ft! I have 10 ft. ceilings and an a seven foot tree. I always put the tree on a table to make it taller. I want my tree as close to the ceiling as possible. I really want a 9 Ft. tree, where did you find one for $148?

 

[jedijill]

If you are in the Denver area, I'll sell you mine cheap.

Jill in CO

 

[scrapquitler]

Ok this is budget related. Our Xmas trees are done. After a move, none of the lights work and I have no patience to check every bulb on the trees.
So if you have a tall foyer, 20 ft., would you get a 9 ft. pre-lit or a 12 ft. pre-lit. The difference in price is $100. $148 vs. $248. Decorations are still fine but the size is bugging me. I'm thinking about skipping the front room tree in the window and just going with the foyer tree. Our kids are all grown.
Advice?
Another question. Do they make solar Christmas type lights to put on garland and wreaths in the windows or just the plug in kind?

With a 20 foot ceiling, I'd definitely get a 12 foot tree. If the price didn't go up exponentially, I'd probably consider an even bigger one.

Home Depot has solar powered lights:
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
I'm surprised that the price isn't as high as I would have expected.

I've also seen battery operated ones.

 

[scbelleatheart]

The 9 foot skinny is at Walmart near us for $148. The bigger tree is $248 so I have to invision it in the foyer. DH thinks the 9 foot is big enough. Sadly we loaned out our "big" tree to the high school and it came back in bad shape so that's why we need a new tree (trees).
I really want to Christmas up big this year in the new house!

 

[seashoreCM]

1. For typical miniature non-LED Christmas lights, the slogan "if one goes out the rest stay lit" is not 100% reliable.

2. Miniature lights are sometimes wired in a "staggered" arrangement whereby proceeding, say, from left to right along a stretched out string and testing the bulbs, it is not true that if all of the bulbs, say, to the left are known to be good, then the entire portion of the circuit to the left of where you are pointing is complete (while what is to the right is still unknown). Usually only persons using voltmeters are likely to get confused by this.

3. After a few years of usage, incandescent lights of all kinds, including miniature Christmas lights, can randomly "burn out" from vibration (the filaments break) even when not turned on. This is why you might put away a perfectly working tree one year and it does not work the next season.

4. If burned out bulbs are not replaced promptly, the life of the remaining bulbs is shortened.

 

[disykat]

The first year we moved into this house with vaulted ceilings, I went out and bought a nine foot tree. I hate it with a passion because it just looks odd. Like someone else said, it feels "commercial." I'm hoping this year is the year I can convince my husband we've gotten our money's worth out of it! We're downsizing to a 7 foot.

 

[Swimalie]

I hope you can find someone who might be able to use your old trees. I have one of those "lightfixer" gadgets and a lot of problems with pre-lit trees can be fixed with them. Of course if the needles are also old and shedding then by all means throw them out. About the height...a 12 ft tree would probably look more proportional in that space, but they're kind of commercial feeling, you know? I shopped and bought a new tree last year. I have no idea how you found a tree that tall for so little $$. I guess I was really picky but I spent about $350 for our 9ft. I wanted it very full and not with those plastic type needles (personal preference...those probably hold up better in the long run!)

I agree about finding someone else to take your old tree. Artificial trees don't break down in landfills. They are not good on the environment as a result. Please "recycle" it to someone else.

 

[jacksmomma]

I would get the bigger tree if you can. Also, check the local Goodwills in your area. Several of my stores have had trees brand new in the box for weeks now.

 

[ceecee]

We had vaulted ceilings at our old and new house, but we want a smaller tree now. We have a 12 ft but it's hard to decorate, we need a tall ladder. The only thing about downsizing trees is that all of your ornaments might not fit. We are looking for a giant size wreath for outside!
We got ours at Sam's Club and it was a good price and not skinny, they look too artifical to me.

 

[DisneyDizzy]

I would definitely go with the 12 foot. Of course, I'd probably keep the one in the front window too. However, have you had a skinny tree before? My Mom bought a really expensive skinny tree a few years ago and we all hated it.

So last year she bought a nice full but shorter tree and it looks much better.

We're going with a real tree upstairs and our fake tree downstairs this year. I love having a real tree but I hate waiting to decorate. I like to decorate before we leave to go to Mom's for Thanksgiving. Then when we come home it's done. Oh well.

Not that you needed to know any of that!

We have some solar Christmas lights from QVC. They are amazingly bright!

 

[bettymae1121]

My aunt and uncle have (what I would guess to be) 20 foot ceilings and they have a 12 foot (or there abouts) tree. It looks fantastic! It's from the pre-lit days so my uncle strung something like 5,000 lights on it by hand (could be more, all I know is that they don't need any other lights on in the room when that baby is plugged in). I don't think it looks comercial at all!