When I was little, we had cedar Christmas trees... still love the smell of cedar...
...and they were available until sometime in the mid- to late-80s when Fraser firs took over the NC market.
Oh, a Fraser fir is nice but the trees tended to be pruned within an inch if its life to make it the perfect conical shape.... leaving nowhere to hang ornaments except on the outside of the tree.... no room to drape stuff or for ornaments to hang. And the scent... well, it was fine but it didn't come close to a balsam.
I made two little sachet "pillows" from this bag...
... and they're tucked into the living room now. My house is going to be balsam scented one way or another...
Photo swiped from Sweet Reverie on Etsy
I've even heard of folks tucking smaller sachet bags of balsam in their artificial trees.... which I think is a cool idea!
What a great idea Freda, I think I'm going to look if they sell something like that overhere too. Then I make little bags to hang in the fake tree.
ReplyDeleteGreetings
I miss the old trees too. The sachets are a good idea. I'll have to try that.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice idea !!
ReplyDeleteMy Grandma always had a real tree and it did smell so nice......
I don't know what balsam smells like :( but I love the scent of pine needles.
ReplyDeleteI miss the scent of a real tree, as well. That is a great idea to make sachets! I have seen "scentcicles" in the stores. They come in different tree scents and are greed wood pieces made to hang in artificial trees. I'm tempted to get some!
ReplyDeleteNoble Fir is my "go to" tree, but I haven't bought one in years. Strong branches, room for ornaments to hang, and a good scent. So I put a few drops of a Fir, or Spruce essential oil in a pan of water and simmer it on my stove. The sachets would be a good idea, because I wouldn't have to remember to turn them off. : )
ReplyDeleteI absolutely hate the shaped trees at the tree farms. We have one near us, that doesn't shape them, but leaves them natural! Thank God! But I've also been known to cut out branches so there is room for draping! A few years ago, I trimmed out nearly half the limbs! My son thought I had gone nuts, until it was decorated and looked amazing! :o)
ReplyDeleteLove the idea! With the boys grown and gone, our tree is now artificial and table top. What a sweet pic of the baby (you?) pictured with dolly. Hey, I also had one of those big wheels shown on the right!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what kind of fir tree we use in Australia but I love the smell -- it's that scent that makes me think of Christmas! I think your idea of the little pillows is a great idea!
ReplyDeleteLike Pip, I don't know what balsam smells like either! I do love the smell of pine Christmas tress, though. Maybe I should make some baggies full of pine smell to stick on our (sadly) artificial tree when we put it up! :o)
ReplyDeleteGreat idea. We do an artificial tree but I miss the smell.
ReplyDeleteI make my own sachets most years... I go out in the summer and (legally) collect needles, store them in a loosely closed plastic bag until I get home. I can have a little summer in my winters. We're surrounded by white pines and when folks come to visit they always stand outside and say, "Wow that smells great." Sadly, I don't get that rush, since I'm here all the time.
ReplyDeleteMy criteria for our tree is that it has to be soft needled. I hate being poked by our tree... so no spruces here.
Hope you're feeling better!
I bet it really smells like Christmas at your house! I tried a new candle scent (glade) Nutcracker Crunch... its divine.
ReplyDeleteThe balsam sachets are a wonderful idea.
ReplyDeleteLillian
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