Well....that was bizarre!

[Luv Bunnies]

I just picked up my DS12 from his friend's house. I didn't go inside when I dropped him off earlier, but I went up and rang the doorbell when I picked him up. My son had to gather up the Wii controllers and games he took with him so I stepped into the living room to chat with his friend's mom. And what should catch my eye in the corner of the living room? A Christmas tree! Not an artificial tree, but a live (well, now pretty dead) Christmas tree and a fire hazard for sure! I recall seeing the very same tree there in December because the mom mentioned that she bought it from our school district's tree lot.

My son was over there in late January and told me their tree was still up and decorated. I just said, "Well, maybe something came up and they haven't had a chance to take it down yet." So now it's Memorial Day weekend. The decorations are off, but the tree still stands, shedding needles and threatening to go up in flames at any moment. They're a very nice family. I guess they just really like their tree!

 

[Pakey]

I just picked up my DS12 from his friend's house. I didn't go inside when I dropped him off earlier, but I went up and rang the doorbell when I picked him up. My son had to gather up the Wii controllers and games he took with him so I stepped into the living room to chat with his friend's mom. And what should catch my eye in the corner of the living room? A Christmas tree! Not an artificial tree, but a live (well, now pretty dead) Christmas tree and a fire hazard for sure! I recall seeing the very same tree there in December because the mom mentioned that she bought it from our school district's tree lot.

My son was over there in late January and told me their tree was still up and decorated. I just said, "Well, maybe something came up and they haven't had a chance to take it down yet." So now it's Memorial Day weekend. The decorations are off, but the tree still stands, shedding needles and threatening to go up in flames at any moment. They're a very nice family. I guess they just really like their tree!

I would think that the lovely pine scent is gone by now.

 

[castmember19]

This is totally irrelevant but the fact that it's your child's friends home and a "fire" hazard reminds me of the time I had a friend in middle school whose entire family were smokers. I always used to come home smelling like cigarettes and my mom would panic every time.

Anyway, that is really strange. Surely it can't be hard to just throw the tree out? The "shedding needles" visual grossed me out. It wouldn't fly in my house.

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

I'm suddenly not as worried about the Easter baskets that are living on my dining room table!

 

[golfgal]

The tree won't spontaneously combust. They are a fire hazard if there is a short in a strand of lights or if you use the old lights that get really hot when a tree is that dry.

 

[indimom]

Yes, but any little spark could set that tree off and they go up F A S T. I watched a video once and it took about 20 seconds for the fire to spread up the tree, across the ceiling and to the other side of the room.
Please tell me there are no smokers in that house!!

 

[SandrA9810]

Maybe they're a bit embarrassed to put it out on the curb?

Maybe you can offer them a saw so they can take it to the back yard to chop up for wood next winter?

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Yes, but any little spark could set that tree off and they go up F A S T. I watched a video once and it took about 20 seconds for the fire to spread up the tree, across the ceiling and to the other side of the room.
Please tell me there are no smokers in that house!!

Luckily, I don't think any of them smoke!

As for them being too embarrassed to put it on the street, we have green waste cans in our city. If they chop it into 12" lengths, they can put it in their can and no one would ever see it. Their yard usually looks a bit messy, so maybe this is just one more yard task they're putting off.

 

[fortwildernessishome]

WOW, that seems crazy to still have a tree up!!!!! Friends of ours leave theirs up until the end of Feb. to celebrate their daughter Birthday, I always thought that was strange, but this one seems extreme!!!!!!

 

[lisajl]

That is bizarre!
But-to each their own..maybe there is a special reason for it.
I would not ask them though.

 

[focusondisney]

How did you keep yourself from asking about it? I would have been so shocked I might have just blurted out "Oh, you still have your tree up?"

Maybe the parents are stalling to see who will break first & take it out. There was an episode on Everybody Loves Raymond like that. Who would carry a suitcase up the stairs. Lead to Marie telling the story about the big fork & spoon in her kitchen.


Anyway, I can see one parent taking down the decorations & thinking the other could at least carry it to the curb. Other parent thinks the first one should have completed the job & won't take it out. Just my guess.

Wonder what they'll do next holiday season? Get another stand for the new tree??

 

[cinabug]

I would guess it's just a task they've ignored or some sort of hoarding behavior. Lots of perfectly nice people live in what others would consider squalor.

As for it being a fire hazard, I don't think a tree without lights would be much of a hazard regardless of age and dryness. We all probably have many things in our house that are combustible, but unless there are other issues there won't be anything to get it lit.

 

[LuvMickey36]

I had a friend in high school and her mom "beat to the sound of her own drum" so to speak. She would leave the christmas tree up until the last needle fell off. One year that was September. Odd yes, but hey if that is the weirdest thing they do, I am ok with it.

 

[mickeyboat]

Out third Christmas together DH worked a second job at a tree lot. One of the perks was a free tree, so he brought home a huge, beautiful tree, which he proceeded to leave in the living room, undecorated, well after Christmas. He only needed to drag it to the dumpster, but kept putting it off.

Somewhere around Easter, I had enough! I dragged the tree to the front door, and when he came home from work, he couldn't get the door open. If he didn't take out the tree, he wouldn't be able to get in. So it left that evening!

 

[Kimberly]

I just picked up my DS12 from his friend's house. I didn't go inside when I dropped him off earlier, but I went up and rang the doorbell when I picked him up. My son had to gather up the Wii controllers and games he took with him so I stepped into the living room to chat with his friend's mom. And what should catch my eye in the corner of the living room? A Christmas tree! Not an artificial tree, but a live (well, now pretty dead) Christmas tree and a fire hazard for sure! I recall seeing the very same tree there in December because the mom mentioned that she bought it from our school district's tree lot.

My son was over there in late January and told me their tree was still up and decorated. I just said, "Well, maybe something came up and they haven't had a chance to take it down yet." So now it's Memorial Day weekend. The decorations are off, but the tree still stands, shedding needles and threatening to go up in flames at any moment. They're a very nice family. I guess they just really like their tree!

As unsafe as that sounds... it is a bit embarassing as well. My family has done worse though. My aunt while having a fake tree... has just left it up throughout the year. Never even bothered to take it down.

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

Somewhere around Easter, I had enough! I dragged the tree to the front door, and when he came home from work, he couldn't get the door open. If he didn't take out the tree, he wouldn't be able to get in. So it left that evening!

Thanks for the laugh!

 

[laughinplace199]

Does this mean I should take down my Thanksgiving decorations?

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Uhm well. . .the first year we had our rescued snowshoe looking cat, we put up our tree as always. Our artifical tree is a big huge one with big strong stable branches. The snowshoe discovered that the branches at about my hip height would bear her weight and started sleeping in the tree. (She is a very fine boned cat, very Meezerly in this regard.)

So Christmas was over and 12th Night is over. . .as it was perfectly acceptable to have a Mardi Gras tree in the area we were living in (they sell the decorations at Wal-Mart!) I just bought some of these items and we had a Mardi Gras tree.

But then Mardi Gras went and the Snowshoe Meezer was so happy sleeping in the tree. . .I had seen a tree decorated for Easter, so I went and made a bunch of Easter tree ornaments and decorated the tree for Easter!

After Easter was over, I came home to find my DH taking the tree down. He was not going to have a Memorial Day tree or a 4th of July Tree just so the cat could have a tree to sleep in!