We don't put our tree up until a few days before Christmas. Our argument is that it's a fire hazard before then. We usually get one of those dead trees, the ones that have been cut down specifically for the holiday. Because we aren't the best of caretakers, there is a pretty good risk that the tree will dry out, catch on fire and burn the house down. Faced with the horror of losing the house, the kids usually don't argue. Note that we have never actually had the house burn down or even come close, but the local fire department uses just this scenerio every year (xmas tree catches on fire) during Fire Safety month. They build a miniature house, put a tree in it, catch it on fire, then the fire guys rush in and put out the fire. Works great!

If I were you, I'd get a really big piece of paper. Draw an outline of a Christmas tree, and then let the kids color and "decorate" it. Hang it on a big wall, and put a string of lights around the outline. Viola!! a Christmas tree you can light without crawling, and they can't yank off the ornaments. Then get a big net, put a hook in the cieling and hang the gifts in it where the kids can see them but not reach them. Surround it with some electric wire to deter Jack from building a scaffold to reach it.

My mind is so totally spinning with more ideas, but you get the picture.

You must rediscover laughter in all things!!
The blahs do not promote physical, mental emotional or spiritual health--and after all, what good is any kind of tree if you don't have your good health!!

Allegedly, Christmas is for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Did Jesus ever put up a tree to celebrate his birthday? In any of the religious documents that I have read, I've never seen anything that mandates the placement and decoration of a tree for any reason. One could extend the argument against trees in the home in that the event results in the needless death of a living thing. Obviously a crime against Nature.

Have you hugged your tree lately? Remember, thou shalt not have no other trees before me.

No, I doubt Jesus had his own Christmas tree, but I have friends who have children whose birthdays fall on/near Christmas, and those friends have TWO trees. One for Christmas, and a "birthday tree" for the kid.

Two dead trees, fallen at the feet of consumerism/capitalism, all in the name of creating spoiled rotten kids--er, giving gifts.

I heard a great piece on NPR the other day about how Christmas is a bigger deal (in so many material ways) than Easter, but Easter should be a much bigger celebration of an amazing miracle.

I was just commenting the other day to a friend (we're both non-religious) that it was a shame we ended up with Christmas as the big holiday and not Easter since it's warmer then. I think the reason has more to do with the non-Christian celebrations that were held around the solstice and were much bigger than the equinox ones held around Easter. At least that's my thought. I don't know for sure.

I was at Trader Joes discussing with several people of different races, religions, ages, and incomes, (some clerks, some customers) how we now dread the holidays because they have been taken over by the advertisers and chain stores til there is nothing but pressure and materialism – to the point of wanting to boycott them. Even to the point that Thanksgiving is getting ruined. We all said simplicity is key, that the people that matter most KNOW we love them. The older ones pined for the old days of get-togethers for story-telling. There were hugs before we broke up to go our ways. Joes staff gave me a bunch of forks for my daughter’s birthday party (they don’t sell them so they had to be given). At least this type of comraderie helps with the S.A.D.