TRADITION.

[MacPhantom]

Relevant, too, since the moral of the show is that tradition is great, but not at the expense of people's happiness.

[Pumpkin_Man]

Demonslayer, there are no hard feelings what so ever. I do get a lot of joy from my TRADITIONS, but none of those TRADITIONS would mean a think if not for the TRADITIONS that you site. Giving, and being with loved ones. I do not think that you or people who prefer artificial Christmas trees are "fake" per se or as a group. It's my opinion, and ONLY my opinion that a real tree is more sincere then an artificial one.

On a side note, another one of my most beloved TRADITIONS is the lighting of the Advent Wreath at dinner time. The wreath I use, is in fact, made up of artificial pine boughs, because I just can't make a wreath using real ones to save my life. So I am not TOTALY averse to using fake decorations for certain applications.

Here's a problem that I have. I have a nephew who also loves to put up a real tree, but he lives in a condominium. Some insurance executive told the head of his condominium association that real Christmas trees were a fire hazzard, so the association voted unanomously to ban the use of a real tree. I thought that was a bit heavy handed, and fits a prime example of how some one comes along with a "new fangled" attitude and imposes that idea on others who don't want it. Yes, pine trees are highly flamable, and if the reason why some one may have a fake tree is because of that, more power to them. It's only a problem when some one comes along and says "you MUST get a fake tree, you are NOT ALLOWED to have a realt ree in your own home any more."

Mike

[MacPhantom]

Yeah, but see, a condo isn't the same as "your own home". Sure, you own the apartment, but the rest of the building and property is communal space, shared by everyone else there, and reducing the risk of fire, which would not just destroy the one home but could potentially destroy everyone else's as well, is a reasonable justification for passing such a rule.

Back in July, an arsonist set fire to his girlfriend's apartment in the building where my wee brother was renting, and it turned his life upside down for a few months. Luckily, wee brother's stuff wasn't burned up, but everything was smokey and soot covered, and he essentially had two days to get everything he owned out of there and into storage. So I can understand the residents of a condo getting together to make a rule against a tradition which, unfortunately, causes a huge number of fires every winter. I'm not saying it's a bad tradition when you're careful, but still...

[Murfreesboro]

Speaking of traditions, one of my favorites is the Angel Tree/Angel Gift.

I've never heard of it.... What is it?

Oh, I thought they did this all over the country. Maybe it's just in the South. I was living in VA when I first heard of it, and it's a big deal in TN as well.

People who are in need can apply to certain community organizations (Salvation Army, for example) and request specific gifts for the Christmas season. Usually these gifts are very humble, things like a pair of winter gloves for a teenage boy, underwear for a 9-yr-old girl, a sweater, toiletries for a 46-yr-old mom (these are all items I have actually purchased as Angel Gifts in the past). The Angel Tree is hung with gifts tags designating the request and the age/gender of the recipient. You select a tag or tags, purchase the gift, and return it, wrapped, to the Angel Tree, with the tag attached. This is all done anonymously. You never know who your Angel is, and the Angel never knows who you are.

I usually do this through our church, but you can also do it in a shopping mall (in that case, guards are posted beside the tree, of course). It is also possible to purchase a food gift for an Angel at Kroger's, but I've never done that. I believe in that case, you remove the tag and pay $24, and the store credits it to the family and has Salvation Army deliver a Christmas dinner with all the trimmings.

Children will sometimes request specific toys as well. I've bought Barbies, for example. But I often prefer to buy for adults, since most people, I think, like to give to children at Christmas.

[MacPhantom]

Matthew 6:2-6:4.

[Pumpkin_Man]

I realize that a condo or a town home is not like a house of your own, but this association did not even bother to ask the residents how they felt about it. They just imposed a ban on real Christmas trees, out door decorations, back year bebrecues and a whole host of other things under the guise of "safety." If the residents actualy voted on these decisions, then you would have a valid point. What I didn't like, and what my nephew didn't like was the arbertrary nature of the way this condo association makes these decisions without asking anyone about it. I can't figure out how they can get away with it. A lot of people in that whole sub division use real Christmas trees.

Oh well, I'm SO GLAD I live in an old fashioned, TRADITIONAL 100 year old house, and not in a condo or town home. Again, I am NOT CONDENMING people who do live in them. If that's your preference, more power to you, but I'll take my old house, my real Christmas tree, my barbecue and my fire place over that "modern convenience" any day.

Mike

[Murfreesboro]

My MIL owns a condo, which my husband and I have been overseeing ever since she has had to move into assisted living. I have gotten an eye & earful of the pains of this type of communal living (and hers isn't nearly as bad as the one you describe, Mike). So many priss-pots governing the place, making rules, etc. It can be a good solution for elderly people, or for single young professionals with no desire for yard work, but there are trade-offs for sure.

Sometimes neighborhood associations can be just as bad. Over in Franklin, TN ( a nearby town, the wealthiest per capita in TN, I believe), several years ago, a neighborhood asso. got all uppity because some man had erected a flag pole in his front yard and was flying the American flag daily. They made him take it down, but the accompanying publicity was so detrimental to them that I believe they had to renege and let him put it back up.

[MacPhantom]

I thought condo associations were made up of elected residents.......

Is a neighborhood association like a homeowners' association? I would never buy a house that was part of an HOA. If it's my own, unshared property, why would I want anyone else telling me what I can and can't do with my own house??

[adrian]

same here mac.... i wouldn't want to live any where like that either

[Murfreesboro]

I thought condo associations were made up of elected residents.......

Is a neighborhood association like a homeowners' association? I would never buy a house that was part of an HOA. If it's my own, unshared property, why would I want anyone else telling me what I can and can't do with my own house??

Yes, I believe condo boards are elected, but that doesn't mean that every resident is going to be happy with their decisions. In the case of my MIL's condo, the board is made up primarily of retired women. They are fussbudgets.

Perhaps I didn't use the right term when I spoke of "neighborhood associations." I probably meant HOA. I have never lived in one of those neighborhoods, either, so I know about them only second-hand. I have a clothes line in my backyard--it was there when we moved here--and I love it. I don't use it all the time, but sometimes, it's wonderful to have. But one of my friends at church says she wishes she could have a clothes line--her HOA won't allow it. Now, I would bet cash money that in her neighborhood, they have swimming pools with privacy fences, and I bet towels and such are draped over those fences in season. So how is a clothes line worse? People get this notion, I guess, that only white trash have clothes lines. I guess I need to start singing "Redneck Woman."

[adrian]

i've never used a clothes line before but i'd like to! i'm trying to go more "green" what happens if you tell the HOA to **** off? and DON'T take the stuff down... and you own your house... then what happens? do they just point their fingers at you with mean looks or can they "make" you move? or something

[Andybev01]

It depends on the legally binding agreement that you sign.

Fines, lawsuits, whatever is on paper.

[Spookymufu]

i've never used a clothes line before but i'd like to! i'm trying to go more "green" what happens if you tell the HOA to **** off? and DON'T take the stuff down... and you own your house... then what happens? do they just point their fingers at you with mean looks or can they "make" you move? or something

Adrian, most HOAs can fine you and if you dont pay the fine they can foreclose your house.........sucks

[MacPhantom]

The way they get you is you've signed a contract to agree to their terms. Most of the time, HOA's ban members from selling their house to anyone who won't sign in before buying, so if you find your dream house, but it's part of a HOA, the owner won't sell to you unless you agree to be part as well. Then, once you've signed, you're screwed.

[adrian]

man... i think i'd just find me another dream home then. HOA just doesn't sound like a good idea.. i mean... i understand to an extent.. i go through a LOT of trouble to keep every aspect of the exterior of my house as presentable as possible.. we had this one neighbor this year (who wasn't working) who just wouldn't cut his grass!! that was annoying. it did make the neighborhood look bad. but aiming to "fine" someone for "their" home? that's rediculous in my opinion