Real or Artificial Christmas Tree?

[RedAngie]

After 6 or 7 years of use, I'm giving my fake tree a rest this year and bought a cut tree this morning. I've been thinking about it most of this week, and picked it up at a local firehouse that was selling them.

I'll probably decorate it tomorrow.

What's your favorite? Real? Artificial? Both? Neither?

 

[jdb in AZ]

We collect ornaments and have so many heavy ones that we need artificial branches to support them. Otherwise they'd be on the floor after a week.

DH used to say that we wouldn't get an artificial tree unless Hell froze over, but one year our live tree was losing its needles and was a real fire hazard two weeks before Christmas, so that's when we switched to artificial. We still get a live wreath ala Costco for the Christmasy smell.

 

[PollyannaMom]

We prefer a real one, but have done artificial on occasion.

 

[Meriweather]

We did a real one for over 30 years....even went out and cut them down ourselves.
After a few fell over, we switched to artificial. I have a LOT of expensive ornaments and like to be able to bend the branches up to hold them better.
I also like the lights already on them

 

[Hikergirl]

Artificial! This is my 2nd year with a fake one and I love it!
Dh, and my dd would never let us get a fake one, and we had to cut our own, couldn't be from a lot. I definitely love the smell of the real one, but hated the falling needles, stickiness, and itchiness from having to get the water in the holder. Nobody ever took care of it but me, when I finally said I'm done you guys take care of it, dh said ok, we can get a fake tree.
Sorry for the rant LOL

 

[Disneylover99]

I prefer artificial. I just buy a balsam scented candle.

 

[Bilberry]

I like the artificial tree that we have. It looks good and works well in the house.

It was won from a Bank raffle. Sadly no free samples of money came with it.

 

[loves to dive]

I've been using an artificial one for about 20 years. My honey grew up in south Ga. and his family actually farms pine trees so cutting down a tree to decorate is kind of a sin to them. He wouldn't even let me decorate the first year or two we were together so one year while he was out of town I bought a cheap little 6 ft. artificial tree and some cheap ornaments and had it up when he got home. There was no going back after that. We've been together for about 24 years now and I upgraded through the years first with a little taller but real plump tree then we bought a house with high, high, high ceilings so I got rid of that and bought a 12 foot skinny one, at the end of the season we would just take the top tier down and he would drag the tree intact down to the basement. We got kind of tired of that and had a few family issues at Christmas about 4 years ago so I didn't even put one up that year. The next year while things were a little better I still wasn't in the mood to drag that big ole tree up so I bought a cheap white one at Wal-Mart, fully intending to buy a bigger fuller one the next year if I like and but we are still using it since we now have a dog and it doesn't take up a lot of room.

 

[kimblebee]

We have an artificial, pre-lit tree, and I don't really like it. It's not as nice as the tree I lost in a garage fire two years ago. Like my husband says though, it's our new family tree so that makes it better.

My parents always get a real tree and I love going to their house and smelling it.

 

[karly05]

Always artificial my entire life. My dad was convinced a real tree would spontaneously combust and burn down the house. When I was little, we had a silver aluminum tree and color changing spotlight just like in Nightmare Before Christmas. Now I have a 3' pre-lit from Target that stands on a table. Easy to set up and doesn't take up floor space. I still have to set it up for this year.

 

[jevs]

We've had both. The artificial tree is just easier to manage for our household.

 

[catfan98]

I would love to have a real tree but artificial is just easier for a couple of reasons. First, we need a slim fit to fit the area we put it in. Second, I'm lazy and I like that the lights are already on my prelit one. And third and most important...I have cats, I can't have nice things.

 

[hereyago]

Artificial. Had one real tree once, wasn't a fan.

We have a small artificial tree that was bought last year for dgd.

I want to get one of those upside down trees next year. Or get a couple more small trees and have one in a couple rooms.

 

[Shutterbug]

I always prefer real over fake ones

 

[StephMK]

I used to bug my parents every year that we needed a real tree when I was growing up. When my kids were little, I switched over to a fake tree. I don't even remember why and my kids don't seem to have a preference.

 

[3Gsandme]

Real, real, real. Nothing tops them

 

[ronandannette]

After 6 or 7 years of use, I'm giving my fake tree a rest this year and bought a cut tree this morning. I've been thinking about it most of this week, and picked it up at a local firehouse that was selling them.

I'll probably decorate it tomorrow.

What's your favorite? Real? Artificial? Both? Neither?

Real, but a mile, and in my mind's eye it's one that grew in our back 40 before my Ddad chopped it down and dragged it up to the house, frozen solid and full of snow. Good Memories! Alas, there's not a real tree of any kind that will work in our current space - I've grudgingly gone artificial.

 

[aristocatz]

Real! We like having the experience of picking out our tree, chopping it down, setting it up, etc...& I love the smell of Christmas in my home. Fraser Firs are our favorite

 

[J.C.&ALI'SMOM]

Two of us have allergies that prevent us from having real trees. We have two pre lit trees and love them. They end up being cheaper over time than real ones and always look the same. All I have to do is get them out of the boxes.

 

[tvguy]

First couple of years we were married we had a real tree, even went out with a permit and cut one out of a National Forest.
But after covering one too many fatal fires caused by Christmas trees, we switched to an artificial tree about 30 years ago. Replaced that tree 2 years ago with another which looks amazingly like a real tree.

As a kid I remember a few real trees, but my dad was a lumber salesman and he thought cutting down a tree for only a few weeks use was a waste of a tree. So from about age 5 on we had a Charlie Brown artificial tree. Funny thing is, when my mom passed away 3 years ago, that ugly tree was the first thing that sold at the estate sale. Lady who bought it said "it was a cool retro artificial tree".