The great real vs fake tree debate

This may seem a little off topic for us here at Scenic New York, since we don't have either in our shop right now. However, we're hoping that changes! While we have been house hunting for about a year now, we just recently considered a mini-farm (or farmette). It's only about 10 acres, which is more like a microfarm when compared to the hundreds of acres a traditional farm encompasses. But it seems like a reasonable place for a couple of non-farmers to start. Now, don't get me wrong, I (the wife half) have farming in my genes, but it's a generation removed. In fact, my great-great aunt and uncle were popcorn farmers (there were a number of traditional cattle and crop farmers as well).

How does that relate to real vs fake trees? Well, I have always dreamed of owning a farm, and a Christmas Tree Farm in particular. This little place isn't a Christmas tree farm at present, in fact, it's abandoned and overgrown. But it's a starting point. We might not even buy it, for various reasons. But it made me start researching Christmas tree farming and the decline in sales of cut it yourself and live/real Christmas trees as people chose plastic over pine.
I'll admit, we have a fake tree right now. Not totally by choice, but it's hard to find a 2 1/2" live tree on most lots. We have a very small house right now and can't fit a traditional sized tree. We tried Norfolk Island Pines, but we just don't have the right lighting for them. As a kid growing up though, my grandparents always had a real tree that my grandpa would go cut from the couple of acres they lived on. When they switched to a fake tree because it was getting to be too much for him, I had a complete fit and wouldn't help decorate that "thing". It just wasn't right in my mind as a child. My father always had a real tree too, and we would go out to a tree farm to cut it. There's nothing like walking around at a Christmas tree farm, with the trees covered in snow-it's magical. Plus it was always my job to water the tree, and I loved crawling under it and smelling the piney smell.

I do understand why people opt for fake trees. Really. It's easier, and usually cheaper. You can put them up earlier and they don't drop as many needles (sorry, but they do shed-mine leaves a few reminders of it's presence every time I put it up or take it down). But somehow even the "nicest" ones look fake to me. They have come along way since my grandparent's fake tree with it's painted green wooden center and stiff wired branches, but they still can't replicate the look and feel of a real tree. And they certainly don't smell as good!

It's funny though, because another reason I see a lot of people saying they don't want a live tree is they can't bear to have a tree die just for their enjoyment. I really think a lot of people don't know about tree farms, where the trees are raised for that special day when they get to grace someone's home with their natural beauty and scent. I think that would be a hurdle we would have to overcome if we chose to raise Christmas trees. I don't think we could do much about watering them or needles falling, but I'd love to tell people about how the trees are grown just so they can be part of the most magical time of the year and about how new little trees are planted each spring to replace the ones that are harvested.

Well, only time will tell if we buy this little farm. But it certainly made me think about trying again to find a real tree for this Christmas instead of using my fake one again!

REALLY getting into Christmas in July!

We took a day and went to the beach this past weekend and decided to REALLY celebrate Christmas in July (aside from the sale in the shop of course).

How? Well, check out the sand snowman!

Now that's the kind of snowman we want to see in July! Of course, we've been hard at work adding new items to the Etsy shop, like these

It's always fun to create new products, but we really enjoy getting out and collecting the supplies as well as photographing the stunningly beautiful scenery here in New York. There are so many beautiful places to see and visit! We should have the website built in the next few months so we can showcase all of the lovely photos we have from NY. For now, we are listing a few on Etsy on products like Mousepads and prints.

It's Christmas In July!

We're celebrating Christmas in July at Scenic New York. It's not only a great time to preview Christmas items, but it's also a great time to get gifts and decorations while they are on sale. Christmas in July has been around for a long time in retail stores around the US, and has even crept into non-retail events like parties. We love Christmas time here at Scenic New York, so we decided it would be fun to celebrate this long standing retail staple in our online store. It gave us a chance to make new items for Christmas, like these that we have listed in our Etsy shop (you can click the photo to view the listing):


Beach Glass Christmas Tree Pendant:

Sand Shapes Beach Christmas Ornament:


Lit Beach Glass Christmas Tree Decoration:


We really enjoy creating the new products for the shop, but what's even better about Christmas in July is...it's beautiful and suny outside! While we can't imagine celebrating Christmas without snow, it's also fun to celebrate this holiday at the beach.