Noble Fir for the Living Room

by | Dec 2, 2016 | All Things Home, Decorating, Holiday, Living Room, My House, Winter | 15 comments

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I decided to get two Christmas trees this year. I have done just one large one the past few years, but I was really looking forward to Christmas decorating this year, so two trees seemed fitting!

I got a 8.5′ Fraser fir for our family room from a local tree farm and I partnered with Green Valley Christmas Tree farm to get a 7′ Noble Fir for my living room.  I was excited to get a tree variety that I couldn’t get locally, so I picked the Noble Fir for that reason.

I have ordered a lot of things online – bathroom tile, toilets, rugs, etc, but I have never ordered a live Christmas tree.    It arrived at my door Monday evening, in a long box.  It took me a second to realize, “Oh!  That’s the Christmas tree!”

I popped the stapled end of the box open and there was the tree, baled tightly, so it would fit in the the box and the branches would be protected in transit.

I decided I would put it in an “ice water” crock that is usually the wastebasket in our home office.

Since there is a hole for a spigot in the crock, I inserted a plastic bucket inside the crock to hold water for the tree.

I then cut off the low-hanging branches, so the tree would stand upright in the crock and made a fresh cut on the bottom, so it could draw in the water better.

Calvin, my eight year old, was watching me as I sawed off the end of the trunk.  In a manner of fact tone, he stated, “Mom, it’s just not proper for girls to use saws.”  Well, clearly he doesn’t know some of the amazing girl blogger/builders out there who use saws and other tools properly all of the time.

Now I should’ve captured the next part on video, because it was comical.  I was actually laughing at myself as I tried to maneuver the tree into the crock.  The situation alternated between the weight of the tree tipping the crock over and the tree falling completely out of the crock, both resulting in me getting a face-full of noble fir.  I finally managed to get the tree upright with the trunk wedged between three bricks strategically positioned in the bucket.

I topped the tree with a star made of antique tin that I found at a local antique shop for this exact purpose.

I am going to add some lights and simple decorations, but I must admit that the tree is lovely as is.

And the look of the tree isn’t even the best part…  this tree is the most fragrant one I have ever had.  As soon as you walk into the room, it is evident that a live Christmas tree occupies the space.  The smell of the fir mingles with juniper, pine, and cedar branches that are used for decoration and it is heavenly.

As a little bonus, Green Valley Christmas Trees includes a tree removal bag, which I thought was nice.

I’ve been working on decorating the rest of the house as I have had time this week and I hope to get more finished tomorrow.

As I was flitting about the house, tucking fresh greens into chandeliers, hanging wool pom-pom garlands, and singing along with Christmas music, I smiled at Jeff and told him, “I am totally in my element.”

Disclosure: Green Valley Christmas Trees sent me the Noble Fir in exchange for a review on my blog.  I did not receive additional compensation, nor do I profit if you decide to purchase a tree through Green Valley Christmas Trees.  As always, all opinions and words are my own and I only partner with brands I think my readers will like.

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    15 Comments

    1. Brenda

      I’m so glad you were able to wrestle the Christmas tree into submission! Oh, the images that brings to mind! The tree is so beautiful! I would love to have a live tree in my house. I would love to have one we could plant outside as we’ve lost so many trees do to the storms this year. As a child we had live trees. I remember my dad bringing home a HUGE tree then having to cut a large part off the bottom and a large part off the top. In spite of the mutilation they were still beautiful!! Happy decorating!

    2. Cindy in Oklahoma

      I just had an idea I’m sure isn’t anything thousands haven’t already had… but that star…… why couldn’t I attach one of those bed springs I purchased somewhere along the way that seems to have escaped me at the moment to the back of something like that star and slip it over the top of the tree? I could!

      I so love what so many of you are doing this year placing your trees inside your crocks and your galvanized buckets and tubs and even your large and beautiful old baskets…. I’m searching for something similar this afternoon….

      • Peggy

        Cindy,

        I have one like you are describing that I bought for my feather tree at World Market.

        Peggy

    3. Elaine

      Perfect! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

    4. MICHELLE OKERLUND

      It is a beautiful tree…and you got that thru the mail??? Wonderful. I can smell Christmas just from looking at it.

    5. beverlee

      you are a great story teller! Noble fir is my first choice always, but don’t do live any more. Smell it for me….

    6. Sheila

      What a beautiful tree! We’re a blended household having both Hanukkah and Christmas, so we’re going tree shopping next week. When we take our live tree down and get ready to get rid of it, we drag it to the back of our property where it will decompose. In the meantime, the birds and other small animals love the shelter it provides. We also have the local power companies that pick them up and sink them in our local lakes and rivers and that provides fish habitats and brooding areas. A win-win situation for getting a live tree! Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah everyone!

    7. Diane | An Extraordinary Day

      Last year I too received a Green Valley Christmas Tree balsam tree for review. It was amazingly fragrant. I think getting it delivered to the house is the best thing ever. 🙂 Marion, I can totally picture your fight with the tree… your words and my imagination might be even better than a video. I think you’re amazing that you did all of that on your own. Christmas trees are heavy!! LOL Glad you won! And it’s so beautiful in your crock. Will look forward to seeing it decorated soon. Last year I created nautical decorations for my tree… first time ever to do that look. Glad I have a post about it to remember. The great thing about blogging. 😉

      Merry Christmas!!

    8. marylisa noyes

      It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

    9. Cheryl

      Very beautiful as is, you are right!!

    10. Terrie in Atlanta, GA

      Hah! Crazy girl … I do the live tree thing by myself each year, only it doesn’t come in a tidy box; it’s usually tied to the top of my old SUV by the kind workers at tree lots. AND, I use 3 bricks plus a few rocks in a galvanized bucket as my tree stand! The brick/rock collection gets saved from year to year because the combination is just right. We MMS lovers think alike. (Maybe Calvin needs to see how many of us are out here, tools in hand?!)

    11. mcgrathinnola

      Beautiful! Wish there would be a way to ship the used tree/s (without plastic bag) to our territory, Louisiana, for coastal restoration. That’s what we do down here. Just a holiday thought!

    12. Denise

      I always love seeing your home- especially at the holidays 🙂 We have lots of Noble Firs in Oregon! It’s our favorite variety. I was curious to see if yours came from our area 😉 If you don’t mind, I will give you a tip about un-baling your tree / trying to put it in a tree stand: We have gotten ours baled whenever we go to the farm. Leave it baled while you are putting it in your tree stand of choice, and once you have it situated, un-bale it by cutting the strings. It does a kind of fun flop flop flop open and then you don’t have to face wrangle it! LOL Hope that helps for your future trees. Thanks for sharing your home.

    13. Best Sofa Beds

      Beautiful! Wish there would be a way to ship the used tree/s (without plastic bag) to our territory, Louisiana, for coastal restoration.
      That’s what we do down here. Just a holiday thought!
      Thanks for sharing your post.

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