Nicole M Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 We had an unusual and hearty dump of snow, and today as I was walking through a winter wonderland, I passed many houses with lighted reindeer (one pair mating, my favorite!). I also happened by a tree-selling establishment, and this one had flocked trees, pink, blue and white. I started to wonder: Who are the people who buy these things? Do you have lighted reindeer in your yard, you actual people out there in my Well Trained universe? Do you have a flocked tree, white, pink or blue? I don't know a single person with either type of festive equipment, and I just started wondering. The reindeer I get. Kinda. Light in a dark time and all that. But the trees... I would think they'd make a mess of your floors. And what is that stuff, anyway? What is the impulse? 'Splain yourselves, please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julpost Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 I have always wanted a pair of the reindeer. I just think they're sweet looking at night. We live in a semi-rural area and have lots of trees around our house, so I think it would look pretty with all of the pines and snow. But that's just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percytruffle Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 I have always wanted a pair of the reindeer. I just think they're sweet looking at night. We live in a semi-rural area and have lots of trees around our house, so I think it would look pretty with all of the pines and snow. But that's just me. They do look very peaceful and beautiful at night in the snow. There is a pair that live right outside my front window. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 I passed many houses with lighted reindeer (one pair mating, my favorite!). We have 2 reindeer. Our dd wants us to get a lot more so we have a herd of reindeer in the yard, lol. Our reindeer were 'vandalized' the previous 2 years -- put in the mating position, lol! We had a good laugh out of it. Last year, I told dh that I was tempted to put a cigarette in one reindeer's mouth, but that I didn't really want to encourage our mischevious visitors. So far, no visitors to our yard this year (gee, it doesn't seem quite like Christmas to have well-behaved deer), but the yard up the street had some frisky deer. Don't know what our 'explanation' is. We like lights & it seems fun & festive. Dh has a lot of lights around our house (on the outside) & wraps the trees in our yard w/ strands of lights. We even put lights up outside in our backyard (which we see much more than our front yard, so we get to enjoy them too). I guess we do it for fun & happiness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 I don't have a flocked tree nor do I know anyone who has one, but it might be a nice change of pace to have one sometime. My SIL has a pair of lighted & animated reindeer. She actually puts them in her living room by the big picture window instead of outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doran Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 My brother, is someone who gets it. He and his wife have an only child, a son, who is five. The son delights in those kinds of decorations. But, my brother (48) is an overgrown kid. He's a nut - a nut who generally has good, conservative taste (not that those things are mutually inclusive or exclusive). But, he's not subtle about much, and yard art lands in this category. He has a huge inflatable Grinch that pops out of a chimney repeatedly, and he also has an inflatable penguin, I think. I can't remember the other one, I only know there are two. The son thinks they're fantastic, but it's my brother who gets the biggest charge out of them. So, you know..."Whatever lights up your reindeer and flocks your tree. May the Grinch go on popping, cuz' it's not about me." :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 We have 2 reindeer. Our dd wants us to get a lot more so we have a herd of reindeer in the yard, lol. Our reindeer were 'vandalized' the previous 2 years -- put in the mating position, lol! We had a good laugh out of it. Last year, I told dh that I was tempted to put a cigarette in one reindeer's mouth, but that I didn't really want to encourage our mischevious visitors. So far, no visitors to our yard this year (gee, it doesn't seem quite like Christmas to have well-behaved deer), but the yard up the street had some frisky deer. Don't know what our 'explanation' is. We like lights & it seems fun & festive. Dh has a lot of lights around our house (on the outside) & wraps the trees in our yard w/ strands of lights. We even put lights up outside in our backyard (which we see much more than our front yard, so we get to enjoy them too). I guess we do it for fun & happiness. We have 2 lighted reindeer. Last year I got fake hosta and stuck them in the ground in front of the one that was lowering its head to the ground (if you have real deer roaming your neighborhood you know why this was amusing -- they eat most cultivars of hosta down to a stubble). This year dd wanted to get either brown lights or yellow lights to put in a pool near their back end -- you know, sort of like when people make a pool of blue lights so it looks like the deer are drinking water, except ... well, you know. On the other hand, I thought we should topple the deer, leave the head a couple of feet away, and put a pool of red lights in between, sort of like a Christmas Deer CSI tableau. For some reason dh didn't think these ideas were charming; he seemed to think we were making fun of his deer. One of our neighbors put giant light up candy canes in a big evergreen in their backyard. Dh wants to light up our backyard in future years so we can look at it more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 Our reindeer were 'vandalized' the previous 2 years -- put in the mating position, lol! We had a good laugh out of it. Last year, I told dh that I was tempted to put a cigarette in one reindeer's mouth, but that I didn't really want to encourage our mischevious visitors. So far, no visitors to our yard this year (gee, it doesn't seem quite like Christmas to have well-behaved deer), but the yard up the street had some frisky deer. :lol::lol::lol: I don't mind the deer in moderation, but I hate those flocked trees, and the giant blow-up lawn decorations...well, I won't even go there :banghead: But to each her own! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 My SIL has a pair of lighted & animated reindeer. She actually puts them in her living room by the big picture window instead of outside. Oh! That's...interesting! :D :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCoppock Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 :lol::lol::lol: I don't mind the deer in moderation, but I hate those flocked trees, and the giant blow-up lawn decorations...well, I won't even go there :banghead: But to each her own! LOL You would hate our home. I absolutely love Christmas decorations. We have the inflatables and christmas lights out front. The candycane lights are new in town this year and I have been anxious to find them. We have the snowflake lights on the house but I want the candycane lights for the fence. If I had more money I would love to have my house lit up like the ones you see on TV. We don't have any deer but I think they are cute. Christmas is a time for fun. My cousin has a pink tree, but she is 21 so there is your reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newlifemom Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 What is a flocked tree? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted December 23, 2008 Author Share Posted December 23, 2008 What is a flocked tree? You've probably seen them before. Here's one: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Katia Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 What is a flocked tree? My question exactly. I have NO idea what this is! I know that every person has different tastes, and so obviously there are those that love those deer (I see them everywhere), but I simply do. not. get. it. They look weird. Fake. Silly. And what do lighted deer have to do with Christmas anyway? Real deer are very pretty, sometimes a pain, but pretty. I also can't stand outside lights at Christmas. Yuck. Can we think of a better way to waste electricity? I like simple greenery and red bows for my outside Christmas decorations. Traditional, colorful and seasonal. JMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 LOL You would hate our home. I absolutely love Christmas decorations. We have the inflatables and christmas lights out front. The candycane lights are new in town this year and I have been anxious to find them. We have the snowflake lights on the house but I want the candycane lights for the fence. If I had more money I would love to have my house lit up like the ones you see on TV. We don't have any deer but I think they are cute. Christmas is a time for fun. My cousin has a pink tree, but she is 21 so there is your reason. Oh, I know I'm in the minority, especially here in the NJ suburbs! I'm the first to admit I'm a total purist--which is kind of obnoxious considering we never even have time to put up our Christmas decorations! And my kids would looooove your house. Which is why I don't go around trying to convince my neighbors to take them down or anything :lol: Though I will say that it drives me even more bonkers when certain neighbors put up their huge inflatable carousel decoration (or their giant inflatable football player, argh) and then let it lie on their lawn, semi-deflated, day after day :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Katia Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 You've probably seen them before. Here's one: Nope. Never seen this....and I hope to never see one IRL. Yuck. Although back in the '60s my dad got us one of those spinning silver trees with the four-colored light shinning on it. We hated it! (*he* liked it and that's what mattered I suppose) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted December 23, 2008 Author Share Posted December 23, 2008 I can't imagine a living room big enough for a lighted reindeer. That must be heaven. (The space, not the deer.) I'm so relieved that the reindeer are fun for y'all! I thought there was something I didn't understand going on here. The pool of brown or yellow lights... now that is ingenious. And the hostas! The cigarette! Oh. The flocked trees, though. I just can't help feeling they're probably carcinogenic. Don't know why, but I just sense it. There has to be something evil about something so saccharine. Or am I being grinchy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted December 23, 2008 Author Share Posted December 23, 2008 Nope. Never seen this....and I hope to never see one IRL. Yuck. Although back in the '60s my dad got us one of those spinning silver trees with the four-colored light shinning on it. We hated it! (*he* liked it and that's what mattered I suppose) You've never even seen them for sale?! I remember driving with my parents when I was very, very small, and being attracted to the pink trees. I was probably four and very into pink. Unfortunately, it was 1971, and pink was not very in (except, apparently, in Christmas trees) so I didn't really feel satisfied with the pink content of my wardrobe, etc. Oooh, I did love that tree. When I was four. Whatever the attraction was, I can't muster it up, what that was. Spinning tree?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 I can't imagine a living room big enough for a lighted reindeer. That must be heaven. (The space, not the deer.) I'm so relieved that the reindeer are fun for y'all! I thought there was something I didn't understand going on here. The pool of brown or yellow lights... now that is ingenious. And the hostas! The cigarette! Oh. The flocked trees, though. I just can't help feeling they're probably carcinogenic. Don't know why, but I just sense it. There has to be something evil about something so saccharine. Or am I being grinchy? Deliciously, hilariously grinchy :cheers2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted December 23, 2008 Author Share Posted December 23, 2008 So, you know..."Whatever lights up your reindeer and flocks your tree. May the Grinch go on popping, cuz' it's not about me." :D Um. I googled, but I'm too media deprived to understand this reference. Did you cleverly re-write some song that I don't know? You're so amazing with the rhymes. I see what you're saying, though. It's just that your brilliance is blinding me, know what I mean, bean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danestress Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 We don't have reindeer. I only recently put up a few colored lights. My mother always thought that colored lights were tacky and that only people from New York would use them. So lit reindeer would cause her to have a stroke. Edited to say that if you are from NY, please don't be offended. I love NY and NYers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted December 23, 2008 Author Share Posted December 23, 2008 We don't have reindeer. I only recently put up a few colored lights. My mother always thought that colored lights were tacky and that only people from New York would use them. So lit reindeer would cause her to have a stroke. Edited to say that if you are from NY, please don't be offended. I love NY and NYers. "...cause her to have a stroke." I'm telling you, people who have feelings about lights, have very strong feelings indeed. My grandmother was from Ohio, lived a few blocks off Lake Erie her entire life, and loved colored lights. She traveled in Europe one year around Christmastime and was disgusted that they only had white lights, which seemed so boring and blah to her. She hated those white lights. I don't know what she would have thought of the reindeer. I prefer white lights if we're going to have any. But my husband not only likes colored lights, he bought these god-awful bubble lights last year and is simply thrilled to pieces with them. Since I seem to be mildly allergic to the tree, I've decided not mention anything about the ghastly bubble lights and just lay low, avoiding too much time near the tree. It's a lovely tree, too, so it's too bad it's been ruined with those bubble lights.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted December 23, 2008 Author Share Posted December 23, 2008 These are the ones that have sent my husband into fits of rapture: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Katia Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 You've never even seen them for sale?! Spinning tree?! Nope. I have never, ever seen a flocked tree in all of my 49 years. Of course, we have lived off the beaten path for the last 25 years or so..... And a spinning tree: It was on a base/stand that rotated so that you could see all sides of the tree and not miss any of the ornaments. There was a 4-colored spot light that you put in front of the tree and it rotated as well, so that either red, green, yellow or blue was on the tree. I suppose it was for dramatic effect? I'm not sure, lol! It was gruesome. I think they still sell these trees at The Vermont Country Store. http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/browse/Home/Holiday-Gift-Shop/Tree-Trimmings/Tinsel-Tree/D/30102/P/1:100:1040:10530/I/f06970?evar3=BROWSE They also sell the color wheel. It says it's for "an explosion of color". Ha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueGator Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 I love outdoor Christmas decorations (hence my avatar). We used to have a manager scene but Mary and Joseph kept blowing over and we had to go down the street to get Jesus because he would blow in the Chicago wind. It seemed sacrilegious so we gave it away. I would love a pink or colored tree because I love color. Most of my home is neutral and for the holidays I would like a short splash of color. I get sick of the decorations and color after a month so its the perfect opportunity to decorate to a whim. I think it is more of a decorating decision. We just decided to go modern in our furniture. (I was traditional before that.) Bold stokes of color work really well in a modern room. We have a real Christmas tree this year after giving the old one to Goodwill because of the dust from the previous years. The men in my family would not go for the pink color. It is not manly enough for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 We bought a white-flocked tree one year, because, you know, it looks all snowy, and we were in San Diego :-) We didn't like it, though, because we couldn't smell the tree, and what's the point of a live tree if you can't smell it? However...pink or blue flocked? I think not.:glare: The reindeer are for Santa, silly you, not a light in the darkness. When the lighted reindeer first became popular, they were not in our budget; now I think they're just trite...that's my story and I'm sticking to it.:D This is what I really want to do with my house.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blessedfamily Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 You've probably seen them before. Here's one: Something like that is enough to make people stop celebrating Christmas, Christian or not:mellow:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueGator Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 This is what I really want to do with my house.:D Ds and I laughed hysterically for 5 min watching that house. :lol: Can you imagine having a nice quiet Christmas dinner with those lights and music. Please pass the valium! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hornblower Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 It's the blow up things which drive me nuts. Oh how lovely to stroll through a snowy scene & hear weird generator huffing and puffing giant hair dryer sounds! NOT. Seems one of our neighbours up the street had the same thought. So, to go with his numerous inflatable things & their huffing sounds (& a gazillion lights & cut outs of Santa & little elves peeking out from every bush and not just light up reindeer but a big statue deer which stays out all year.....) NOW he plays carols through his outdoor sound system. Man, enough already!!! I'm SO glad I live out of earshot & only have to listen to it when I'm walking the dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brindee Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 We have lights outside and decorated inside because the kids absolutely LOVE it! I think colored lights in the background and white reindeer look neat---but we don't have any reindeer. I don't like flocked trees! We have a fake tree we got for $20 something many years ago on sale. I have minor asthma and it kicks in with real trees. :( We have a neighbor near the entrance to our neighborhood that has the inflatable things for every season and holiday! They live far enough away that we don't hear the noise, thankfully! Again, kids always comment on how cool those things are! I figure the holiday is more for kids, and kids at heart, so let them enjoy it! We like driving around and looking at Christmas lights. There's a well-known street here that every house on the culdesace decorates to the hilt! It's AMAZING! One of the houses has the lights and music syncopation, which is fun to look at/listen to once a year---but I'm glad I don't live on that street! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 (edited) This is what I really want to do with my house.:D Oh my gosh! DH and I totally thought that was faked, but that's real!!! http://www.snopes.com/photos/arts/xmaslights.asp How cool is that? I love that he used a radio station for the music, and that he probably made his money back (and then some). Thanks for sharing, Ellie. I've never seen that before. Edited December 24, 2008 by melissel Too many exclamation points!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Katia Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 The reindeer are for Santa, silly you, not a light in the darkness. When the lighted reindeer first became popular, they were not in our budget; now I think they're just trite...that's my story and I'm sticking to it.:D I haven't seen any REINdeer as yard ornaments; just deer. Regular deer. If they were reindeer I could understand completely why people use them as Christmas decorations. But I only see deer. What's up with that? And I agree that they are just trite. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted December 24, 2008 Author Share Posted December 24, 2008 I haven't seen any REINdeer as yard ornaments; just deer. Regular deer. If they were reindeer I could understand completely why people use them as Christmas decorations. But I only see deer. What's up with that? And I agree that they are just trite. :001_smile: :svengo::svengo::svengo: You're right. They're just plain old deer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 I haven't seen any REINdeer as yard ornaments; just deer. Regular deer. If they were reindeer I could understand completely why people use them as Christmas decorations. But I only see deer. What's up with that? And I agree that they are just trite. :001_smile: Oh, well, yes, they are just deer. But it's the thought that counts.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueGator Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 I really like this tree, it has a retro kitchy feel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaik76 Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 There were flocked trees in just about every store this year... We don't decorate outside at all, but I have to admit I kind of like it. We have a fake tree (pine allergies...plus, I don't like the upkeep) but while I don't like flocked so much, I really LOVE colored trees...I really want a silver one. I'm into kitschy for Christmas, and retro mod for my decoration style. So it really goes with our house (but would probably drive others nuts!). We're not subtle in the decoration area at all!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 You've never even seen them for sale?! This is funny, because I remember seeing those when I was a kid but not for many, many years. I just assumed that flocked trees were a thing of the past, but I wonder if it's a regional thing? I grew up in California but started moving east when I was 19. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkInTheBlue Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 Wow, I've lived in Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and briefly in Georgia and somehow I've missed ever seeing these flocked trees. Are they spray painted with something? How are they colors? Growing up there was nothing but colored lights, really. My daddy climbed a ladder every year to carefully staple each and every light so they were all straight around the roof of the house. Mother always made sure the gazillion lights on the Christmas tree could be seen through the front window. There was often an electric candle in each window too but that was it. I remember very clearly the first year I saw the white stringy lights people were putting around their roof. I can't think of what they were called but that was one of the first times I had ever seen anyone decorate in white. It was beautiful! (of course, only because it was actually different) I only wanted to decorate in white after that. Now everyone does. And my boys want to decorate in only color because it's different and beautiful. (again because now it's the thing that's different) I will say this though: growing up you could go riding around and see all the Christmas lights on houses. Now it's so much more rare that you just have to see them when you stumble on a house that does it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 I love decorating inside and out. The business I used to own had a crescendo of activity around the holidays. I made sure my home (where my office was) was decorated as Southern Living/Martha Stewart as I could afford to make it. High end clients, and all. We are DIYers so I stayed busy putting it all together on a budget. I love, love, love outdoor lights. In fact, I'll often keep something lit up during January and February when the world is soooooo dark. A string or two of white lights usually...near the front porch. I try to do something unique and creative each year. I don't want it to be the same. I don't care much for the lighted deer or inflatables, but I love lights. We decorate our backyard most years, too. After all that's where our view to the outdoors is. One note....I know a lot of folks crawl on the roof to hang lights. Please don't. A good friend of ours fell off a one story roof, broke ribs, punctured his lungs. He bled internally (after a hospital stay) and died. He was 40. This year a firefighter locally fell and died. Lights aren't worth your kids growing up without a parent. We use a telescoping pole sold at Wally world to put lights on our two story roof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 Wow, I've lived in Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina and briefly in Georgia and somehow I've missed ever seeing these flocked trees. Are they spray painted with something? How are they colors? I haven't noticed flocked trees here in Central Texas, either. In California, the tree lots have special tents set up where the employees spray the flocking stuff on the trees before the buyers take them home. I remember my mother a couple of times buying cans of "snow" that she sprayed on the windows--inside--so they'd look as there'd been snow, and spraying the tree, as well. There was often an electric candle in each window too but that was it. We have electric candlebras in each window. Mr. Ellie has each set plugged into a timer that turns the lights on when it gets dark and turns them off after a few hours. :-) I will say this though: growing up you could go riding around and see all the Christmas lights on houses. Now it's so much more rare that you just have to see them when you stumble on a house that does it. There are lots of houses with lights on them here, and in California, too. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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