Douglas fir Christmas tree
Filed under The Mommy Journals • Tagged: Douglas fir tree, fresh Christmas tree, Holiday Tree Farms, Sam, Speedy
Over a month ago, Speedy called me up from S&R and asked if I wanted a fresh Christmas tree. S&R was accepting reservations and the tree would be available on the first week of December. I said, sure. Sam had made me promise we’d put up a Christmas tree this year and the smell of fresh pine was a hundred times more seductive than the thought of assembling a vinyl tree that needs to be washed and put away after the holidays. Speedy arrived home last night with a Douglas fir tree — over eight feet tall and gorgeous. After dinner, we started putting it up. I asked Sam to take photos.
The Douglas fir tree came all strung up and I had to hold it upright while Speedy attached it to a special stand filled with water.
He was in his boxers — I had to censor out a portion of the photo. 
Where did the tree originate from?
S&R imported it from Holiday Tree Farms, Inc…
… A grower of Christmas trees in Oregon.
The tree came with the assurance that it was not harvested from a natural forest.
We had already re-arranged the furniture to accommodate the tree but it was a little cramped so we moved it to the dining area beside the doors leading to the lanai. But there was no electrical outlet there and we would have to use an extension for the lights. Not a good idea to have wires running on the floor because we have cats. So we rearranged the furniture, moved the tree again and it looked great between the living and dining areas.
When we were finally happy with how the tree looked, after moving it twice and making so many adjustments to make sure it stood straight from every angle, Speedy picked up the instruction sheet and, well… He handed it to me much earlier and I read it but I thought it was an FYI kind of thing, you know? I never thought he actually meant, “Read it and tell me what needs to be done.” See, the bottom of the tree trunk has to be cut to remove all the sap. Otherwise, the tree will be unable to absorb the water in the container and it will just wither and die. I mean, why bother moving it back and forth to where it will least likely get blasted by wind and touched by the sun if it can’t absorb water anyway? But I presumed all of that had been done by the S&R people.
The thing is, from the second we started putting up the tree, Speedy was already saying how it was so much like his childhood. And I echoed his sentiment. His father bought their trees from Subic; mine, from Dau. In short, we’re no strangers to putting up fresh Christmas trees. The only problem is that during the years that we enjoyed fresh Christmas tree at home, Speedy was still wearing short pants, and I was wearing a pony tail and retainers. And we didn’t know that the other existed. I guess we never really bothered watching our fathers put up those trees from long ago. If we did, we probably wouldn’t have neglected the sap part.
Bottom line? We had to remove the tree from the stand — yes, after all the meticulous adjustments to make sure it was straight — and lay it on the floor while Speedy took out his saw. Right there on the floor of the living area, he started sawing off the edge of the trunk to get rid of the sap. Then, we went through the whole routine of putting it up again, adjusting it this way and that to make sure it was straight… Well, we survived it and I think the tree won’t die on us until after the New Year. We’re decorating it tomorrow to give the branches a chance to fall naturally and straighten themselves.
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We feast everyday!
Can I ask why you would wash a vinyl Xmas tree? I’m curious as I’ve never heard of having to wash one.
Dust.
We assemble it then lightly hose it. Before disassembling it prior to putting it away, same procedure. Dust might not be an issue during winter in cold countries but in the tropics, whether it’s summer or Christmas, we get dust.
Wow, from OR pa ang Christmas tree! Im jealous, but in a good way. Hehehe! Last time I experienced having fresh Christmas tree at home was during my gap year in the US 8 years ago. Ang tagal na. I’m sure mas maganda na yan pag naayusan na. Lagay nyo yung improvised decor na ginawa nyo then post some pics para makita namin outcome. I can smell scent of the tree from here. Ang lamig pa ngayon, noh? Sarap!
Fresh christmas trees smell so good too
Careful lang because they catch fire easily when the get dry.
when they get dry, I mean
Ramon, got lucky. It’s not every year that S&R sells them. After the string was removed and I saw the width, I started wondering how many palawit we’ll have to make hahaha Parang ang hirap punuin. At oo nga, ang lamig this December. Ang lakas ng hangin, ang sarap-sarap!
Jean, we gather the needles that fall every morning and put them in a basket. Natural air freshener! The kids complain though that the house smells like their father’s car.
What a beautiful tree!
Please post pics of the tree after it’s decorated. I can’t wait to see what you and the kids come up with. As for us, I have hand-me-down decorations from my mom. Still looks good, as far as I’m concerned! We just picked up our Douglas Fir tree tonight, a deal at $20. But we can’t find our saw so the tree has to wait one more day before it can be set up.
By the way, I made arroz caldo today using your recipe. I’m so full from gorging on it that I had to skip dinner.
thats a beautiful tree sassy… if I were in Athens I buy a potted tree which you can plant after the holidays…
Thanks, ASianmommy. We’re really happy with it.
Abbie, we’ll have to use decor from the old tree too because I don’t think we’ll be able to make enough to fill the new tree. Huge. Funny that the S&R people said it was “petite”. LOL
Sha, oh if only we can get that kind here. Pine tree grow abundantly in Antipolo but they’re of a different kind. Not good for decorating.
Naku, mahal siguro ang Christmas tree na ito.
Hope you can soon post pictures of it with the decorations and all.
Actually, cheaper than plastic ones.
Oh, I miss fresh Christmas trees! When we were growing up in Bukidnon, we used to get fresh pine trees every year. Now we have a regular plastic tree. I refuse to sink to those dyed or bleached branch things!
Too many people, too little trees and the majority have to be content with fake trees. Sad, ‘no? I think we started getting the plastic trees when I was in high school.
Wow..nice tree! Kulang na lang snow! Lol
If Sam can have her way, there will be snow hahahahaha But I bet that even without the snow, the tree feels right at home. Our neighborhood is surrounded by pine trees as tall as buildings.
Doh, I should have realized it was due to dust! We pack away our fake tree in plastic and then the original box so when we pull it out, there’s no dust.
We did that once, you know? And the next year when I was putting it up? My hands turned dark gray from the previous year’s dust.
Silly question: how are you going to get rid of it after the holiday season? (Or pwede pa bang itanim ulit yan?
)
Pang-gatong? Dunno yet LOL
Ang pinakamgandang gawin sa pine tree e gawing woodchips yung kahoy (the size of a domino approximately), then use it as groundcover for the soil in a garden or around a tree trunk (yung walang damo na part). It will keep water from evaporating too quickly during the hot summer montsh from your garden, then eventually, mabubulok sya and will fertilize your soil.
Tama ka Sass, pang-gatong. That is what I did. The needles or leaves are very good incendiary material with crackling sound (just be careful though). I used it for the fireplace come February when it will be coldest in our place and I used the cut-up trunk the next year. There is something nostalgic of the pine scent from the fireplace. It is perfect “pang-gatong”, not just for the fireplace.
Trina – snow is good only in postcards. I was ecstatic about my first raining snowflakes only to scrap the car windshield using a hotel key card while fighting being frozen by chilly Chicago winds.
Hi Connie, nice tree . . . can the tree live if you plant it in the garden after new year? Thanks.
I don’t think so, Johnson.
how much is the tree in S&R?
im curious. thanks!
Rica, ah, this is the part that hurts. It was P3999 originally. Then, S&R couldn’t sell all of its stocks and the price went down to 799 a few days before Christmas although the trees were kinda drying up at the time. Last Friday (Dec 26), the price was a LOW P250 but the color of the leaves have turned light from dehydration.
Thanks Connie, one of my friends was able to get one at S&R (near MOA) at P250, while it doesn’t anymore looks that nice, the smell that last for months & the experience of setting it up is well worth it. Somebody from this line of business might be losing a lot of money, because you can’t get it at this price in the States. This year I plan to get one before Christmas to surprise my family.
….wow, nice authentic xmas tree:)…forgot about S&R selling it (haven’t been there in ages) till i saw this pic….will get one this year, thanks for sharing….
Hi, S & R is already accepting reservations for the trees that would arrive sometime November 28, 2009
I got this info from another post:
Douglas Fir
Height – 7 to 8 feet
Price – P3,799.95 (with 1 free bottle of chemical preservative)
Arrival – 3rd week of November
Reservation Fee – P500 (serves as downpayment)
Tree Stand – 999.95 (sold separately)
Contact numbers for reservation/tree inquires:
Fort Bonifacio – 888-0640 (local 133 to 135)
Congressional – 929-8888 (local 133 to 135)
Alabang – 771-9999 (local 133 to 135)
Aseana – 853-9999 (local 133 to 135)