If you have a quirky sense of humor and a big house, or maybe a tiny house and no space, you might consider the latest and strangest Christmas trend: An upside down Christmas tree.
It's not really a modern innovation, but instead a copy of a tradition begun in the 7th century by the German St. Boniface. He supposedly used an upside down fir tree as a way to teach about the Trinity. By the 12th century, a tradition began in Poland to hang a conifer tree upside down and decorate it with paper, ribbons, apples, nuts and shiny things. So its origins are not rude — just ancient.
Today, this idea seems puzzling but, believe it or not, there are a lot of choices in artificial upside-down Christmas trees. Artificial trees are the best to use for this odd purpose, since real ones take a lot more effort to flip upside down and hoist to the ceiling.
The idea is to apply garlands and lights to the artificial tree before hoisting it up to the ceiling, where it hangs tip down just a foot or so above the floor. Then more delicate bulbs and decorations are applied once the tree is up.
It takes up a lot less space on the floor, that's for sure. The space typically occupied by the widest branches is instead modestly filled by the tip of the tree and the floor space beneath can instead be filled with colorful gifts. That makes it ideal for a small space.
