Well, it looks like I will do anything to procrastinate doing actual tasks that I actually need to complete: folding laundry, making a meal plan for the week, wrapping presents, cleaning the menorah.
But right now my procrastination is manifesting in an Urgent Need for a tree skirt, so I am dragging you along with me.
(I can afford to procrastinate a little, I think, because we were very productive this weekend and some of the Christmas panic has been assuaged. ALL gifts have been ordered. My niece’s and sister-in-law’s gifts have been wrapped, boxed, and mailed. The caramels arrived and are ready to be tucked in with other gifts and mailed to family. I procured some wintry stamps for my holiday cards (otters playing in the snow!). My husband inexplicably printed out only one sheet of address labels for our holiday cards [EDITED TO ADD: there was a printer issue! the printer refused to print any more labels after the first sheet] but I have stuffed, stamped, addressed and sealed all the cards going to those addresses. Plus, I made long-overdue hair appointments for myself and Carla, which was another thing to cross off the list.)
(Now that I mentioned the haircuts, I have a question/fret: I will take a card with a cash gift in it to my hairdresser, but what do I do for the person cutting Carla’s hair? I *think* but do not know for sure that it’s a hairdresser I’ve used before, but maybe it is a brand new person? I should just bring a cash gift to her either way, right? This reminds me that I need to make a hair appointment for my husband and remind him to take a gift to his hairdresser as well.)
Okay, back to the Christmas tree skirting issue.
One of the things I have loved about living in this house is that we have room for a real live Christmas tree. We always had a live tree when I was growing up, so there’s some nostalgia involved. But I also love the piney smell, and I love walking up and down aisles of trees with my husband and daughter, looking for the exact right tree to welcome into our home.
Of course, there are disadvantages to a live tree. Pine needles everywhere is the big one. Having to remember to water the thing every day is another. And I am constantly worried about fire; I am guessing that Christmas tree fires occur when a tree is put too close to a heat source, or when it’s underwatered and the lights are left on overnight, or other reasons I am not considering. I assume that they don’t randomly burst into flames. Yet it is one of my big sources of anxiety at Christmastime, and when January arrives I am VERY EAGER to get that bundle of tinder out of my house and onto the curb.
For my husband, live Christmas trees come with two major pain points: 1. Wrestling the tree into the stand, which is primarily his job; I help, but not a lot. 2. Putting on the Christmas lights. For some reason, he hates the adding of the Christmas lights with a fiery passion. I have tried to remove this task from his responsibility, and I am SURE that I have dressed the tree in lights by myself for the past several years. But I do it in a more haphazard way than he does (he is METHODICAL and NEAT) and that makes him grumpy, and it makes me grumpy to try to do something to alleviate pain for someone and to have that someone tell me I’m doing it wrong.
So for the past few years, we have been strongly considering getting an artificial tree instead. This has been my husband’s thing; despite the shortcomings, I prefer a live tree. And I have been agreeable about getting an artificial tree, but have taken a bystander role in the process. And year after year, the sales bypass us, and we get a live tree instead.
NOT THIS YEAR.
This year, we bought an artificial tree. It was… very expensive. One of my demands, should we get an artificial tree, was that it look as real as possible. So we got a pricey version that claims to be very realistic. One of my husband’s demands was that it come pre-lit, so we got that feature as well.
We got it on a good sale, at least compared to its listed “everyday” price, but it was still… much more than I care to spend on anything, especially something I don’t want. But we are also paying for decreased grumpiness. I hope. I can imagine that setting up the thing will come with its own gripes and grumbles.
My other demand was that we spring for a new Christmas tree skirt. No way are we going to have an unclothed Christmas tree, flaunting its naked stand for all the world to see. The old skirt was a circle of red felt that cost maybe $5 at Target a decade or so ago. Over the years, it had gotten very pilly and the Velcro clasps no longer worked quite as well. It was very good at catching excess pine needles and that’s the most I can say for it.
So I am on the hunt for a new Christmas tree skirt, and I am humbled by both the multitude of options available to me and by the wide range of pricing options. I want a tree skirt I like, but – let’s be frank – a tree skirt’s duty is to provide a cushy little bed for gifts and to disguise the ugly base of the tree. It doesn’t NEED to be anything special. But it should be more special than circle of felt.(Spending $200+ on a tree skirt, which you absolutely CAN DO, is a Startling Expense TM Swistle for me.)
I love this one from Target – I am partial to navy as a color. But… the rest of the Christmas décor is mainly red and white, so it seems a mismatch. And while I am tempted to re-do the entire décor theme to match, I am not so tempted as to actually expend the time/money required to make that a reality. While we are citing this skirt’s negatives, it is $45, which seems quite pricey for something that will be invisible for most of its work life. Also, it is made of linen, which makes me concerned it might require ironing, and I DO NOT IRON.
This burlap skirt with snowflakes seems much better, price-wise ($15.99 as of this writing). It’s simple and unobjectionable. It doesn’t make my heart sing, or anything, but how much work are we expecting a tree skirt to do?
Oh, this one with little reindeer around the perimeter is giving me a little happy jolt. It’s a little bit more — $22.99 as of this writing – but it’s very charming. And I could do the plain burlap or there’s a version with the field in red as well. Both are so cute and I love the little reindeer.
This red one with snowflakes is quite nice. And the description claims that it’s double layered and “durable.” Plus, boasts the description, “Easy to use, no need tedious operation, install in a minute.” Are other tree skirts… difficult to use?
I find this plaid skirt quite appealing. Although the white trim makes me a little nervous. Though… if we no longer have to worry about watering the tree or dealing with pine needle shed, maybe it won’t get as dirty as I’m envisioning? I am also wishing that Target would get on board with photographing the tree skirt in action.
Also pleasing, and also with worrisome white trim, is this version that says Merry Christmas. I like the way it looks… but I don’t know if I like the words. And some of the close-up photos make it look like it could be too similar to my old red felt.
I rather like this knitted tree skirt – the material looks a little more elegant than the felt, and I do like the reindeer. But it does say “Christmas” on it; not merry Christmas, just “Christmas,” which is a little joyless. Wait. Am I to read it as “deery Christmas”? I don’t know.
This quilted tree skirt is very simple and very lovely and I like the deep almost burgundy of the red, but oh dear – it looks like the smallest costs $79; that, I think, is above my personal tree-skirt spending limit.
Did you know there was such a thing as a tree collar? I did not, until I began this search. This burlap version is very simple and clean. Do I like the tassels? I don’t know. Why are they yellow?
Oh! This red-with-reindeer tree collar is very festive!
I very much like the look of this woven tree collar. But I do not care for the price.
This wooden tree collar is very charming – I like it the best, I think – but it’s nearly $90 and it’s a lie, so I’m not going to be getting it for my particular tree.
I like this red metal tree collar quite a lot, and it’s currently on sale for an amount I could possibly be persuaded to spend ($51.50 down from $69). Something to think about, perhaps until the sale ends and it falls more firmly into the realm of “too expensive.”
I am also wondering if one needs a tree skirt in addition to a tree collar… in which case, I’ll stick with the tree skirt alone, thank you.
After adding photos to this post, I went and put the burlap-with-reindeer tree skirt, as well as the same one but in red, in my amazon cart. It just gives me a happy little flutter! I will run it past my husband, make sure he doesn’t hate it, but I think it’s the one!!! All that’s left is to decide between burlap and red.
If you have a Christmas tree, what, if anything, do you do in terms of tree skirting?
life of a doctor's wife 
My husband insists I’m lying about tree skirts and he always insists on putting ours (just an old, but very festive, tablecloth) UNDER the tree to prevent any water drips from getting on the floor). I very much want a tree skirt to go around the very ugly tree base, and also to show my husband pictures of how tree skirts (or, in our case, tablecloths) are supposed to work.
There are so many options. I did know about the collars, but they always look a bit like a prison torture device to me? I prefer the fabric skirts, but agree on no white trim and also feel like having one just say Christmas does feel a bit lacking in festive charm. So many adorable options, though.
My husband really, really wants to buy an artificial tree, but I don’t want to store the thing all year. I actually know of someone who puts theirs into a storage locker fully set up, but I can’t justify renting a storage locker for a hunk of plastic we only use seasonally. We had a minor flood last year caused by us trying to get a tree out the front door before the base had been emptied properly and my husband was, as they say “spitting nickels.” I still find needles in the shoe closet where most of the water drained.
Finally, I am also in the I HATE PUTTING ON LIGHTS camp. It is the worst part of decorating any tree. I love the pre-lit options, but one of my friends had only half of the pre-lit lights work on her tree this year and that just sounds very unfun to deal with. I guess she can compensate with stringing other lights in the sections that are no longer working, but…#hassle.
Yes, another demand that I made prior to agreeing to the tree is that we need to CLEAN and REORGANIZE the basement, so that we can properly store the thing. Ack.
I have a tree skirt that my grandmother gave me many years ago, which I think was made by a friend of hers who did quilting. Mom and I don’t actually get a tree, though, so I’ve been putting it under the coffee table, which is where we put presents and the little ornament tree and stuff. It’s still festive, but I kind of miss having a real tree. And yes, a real one! I understand all the sensible arguments for the artificial ones, but the heart wants what it wants. I hope it will work out well for you!
I do love a live tree! I figure this one has to work for 8-10 years for it to be worth it, whether I like it or not.
I vote for the red one! My tree skirt is one that my mom made for me and I really like it but that doesn’t help anyone else get a tree skirt unless they find and befriend my own personal mother.
That does sound tricky, though I’m sure befriending your mom would have many benefits!
My personal fave from all that you’ve shared is the red with snowflakes. And I really like the burlap ones too. I’ve never heard of tree collars and I don’t think I like them – tree skirts just seem warmer.
We’ve gone back and forth between real & artificial over the years. I prefer the pre-lit, artificial ones – it’s easier, cleaner, etc. but when this one dies, I’m putting my foot down and spending more because this one has only been with us for about 4 or 5 years – and already some of the lights have stopped working. *sigh*
You’re totally right – tree skirts DO seem warmer!
I have a tree skirt! I will have to take a picture. Honestly, I think I got it from Walmart many many years ago, I am ashamed to say. It gets covered in gifts anyway…
I grew up with real trees, but my husband is allergic so we always get artificial. Let me tell you, getting the pre-lit kind was a LIFE CHANGER. Before that, Mr would put the lights on and would be grumpy about it. Pre-lit trees forever!
No shame in a walmart tree skirt that has lasted many years! I am at least 50% spite shopping.
What I would do about Carla’s hairdresser is just give an extra big tip to whoever cuts her hair nearest to Christmas. I wouldn’t do a special card/cash thing unless it’s her Regular Hair Person.
I was similarly overwhelmed by tree skirt options. What I did was dither and dither until it was AFTER Christmas and they went on clearance, and I picked the one I liked best from what was left, figuring I could replace it later if I found I didn’t like it (and hoping that by “not liking it” I would have a better idea of what I DID like). But it turns out I really like it and don’t feel the urge to replace it. It’s just plain gold velvet. Ha, that doesn’t sound plain! But it’s not shimmery, or real velvet.
Ooooh gold velvet sounds lovely! And I do like the idea of waiting until things are on sale. So maybe the old red felt will get another year of use. If I didn’t throw it away.
I love those burlap skirts, and the reindeer ARE cute. We got a skirt years and years ago, also I think from WalMart! It’s burgundy with a gold pattern on it and quite pretty, I think, but this post makes me want a new one! (In fact, I kind-of want ALL new Christmas decorations, but will probably keep using my same stuff until the end of time.) At my office, we just put up a tree and used a collar (from Target or Michael’s), and it looks really good, too. But at a home there would be no “cushion” for the gifts, lol, love that.
We love artificial tree and have had it about 18 or 19 years now! I’ll never go back to the mess of a real one. I buy “Balsam & Pine” scented candles and that serves the purpose just fine!
This is all VERY encouraging.
We had real trees for two glorious years, but then I started getting welts on my hands whenever I touched it, so we spent a lot of money on an artificial tree. The first year we put it up, multiple people at our holiday party (remember when people could come into our houses?) asked me if it was real, so I think the price was worth it.
I have a lot of requirements for a tree skirt because we have a cat. I don’t want ribbons to tie the pieces together – I want buttons or (the very elusive) a zipper. I want it to be large enough to cover the base and then still have enough length to lay flat because the cat will sleep on it and if it doesn’t lay flat, she’ll pull the skirt off the tree and I spend the whole month of December straightening it. Tree skirts are oddly complicated!
Ah, the joys of cat ownership. (I say this fondly, with real wistfulness that I don’t have a cat.)
I have my mom’s old tree skirt, which was made by my aunt years ago. My daughter just asked me to make a tree skirt as her birthday (in August) present – she wants one that looks like a red and white peppermint candy. I love a fun project!
Since she still needed a skirt for this year, I gave her an extra that I have (I have three tree skirts and didn’t set up the third tree this year). It’s hand quilted, so pretty, and I found it for 75 cents at Goodwill. I have a thing for buying obviously homemade quilted items, since I’m a quilter and I know how much goes into them. It makes me happy to know they are still being loved! (It’s surprising how many homemade quilts end up at thrift stores for just a few bucks, or less.)
I just LOVE your choice, BTW. Well done!
I don’t even remember where I bought my tree skirt! Probably Target and it was probably, like, $15.
I am team Fake Tree because having a real tree is just so much dang work. I had my old fake tree for probably half a decade, and I could have kept it longer but I wanted one that was prelit because I was DONE with stringing lights. No thank you! I am way too much of a perfectionist for it, haha. I’m not sure if a prelit tree will hang in there for as long as my old fake tree did, but I know it ends up being so much cheaper than getting a real tree every year.
For the last 20 years, I used an old Christmas tablecloth to wrap around the tree base. Two years ago, I finally bought a pretty tree skirt at Homegoods that was half price on December 26. I promptly put it in a closet and forgot last year, but I found it this year and put it down. I love it even more since I paid half price! But all that to say…tablecloths work just as well for hiding tree bases. They just don’t fan out all pretty-like, but the gifts hide all that anyway. Good luck!
I have a smaller tree and have looked for tree skirts for the last couple of years, couldn’t decide and then ended up wrapping a small table cloth around the base and not bother trying to figure out the correct size LOL I do like the options that you found though… and the one you picked out has a reasonable price.