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Fake tree, real tree or no tree?

Fake tree, real tree or no tree?

  • A real tree

    Votes: 14 28.0%

  • An artificial tree

    Votes: 28 56.0%

  • No tree

    Votes: 8 16.0%
  • Total voters
    50
  • Poll closed .
Esox said:
Real tree. We don't use lights, but rather light little candles we perch on the branches. Really pretty. You do have to keep your eyes open and put out the occasional small fire, but it's totally worth it.

Kevin
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Kevin - I've always thought you would be more at home in a different time, but I thought it was Vegas in the 50s and 60s with the Rat Pack. I didn't realize it was in an Edith Wharton novel.
 
Real tree for the third year, my daughters love going to the tree farm and picking out the tree!

I also picked up a "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree for the youngest because she always picks out the first little tree she see's and wants it.

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She has it proudly displayed on her table in her bedroom.:D
 
real tree always. doesn't feel like christmas w/o the smell and look of a real tree.
 
After I dont know how many years of what seemed like too many, which would have included this year, of going to get a tree in wet, cold, muddy weather we went artificial. Not only did we go "fake" but its also pre-lit. Perfect amount and prefectly placed. Been very happy with it too.
 
Diane said:
Kevin - I've always thought you would be more at home in a different time, but I thought it was Vegas in the 50s and 60s with the Rat Pack. I didn't realize it was in an Edith Wharton novel.
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I'm multi-generational, comfortable in any era.

Kevin
 
Esox said:
Real tree. We don't use lights, but rather light little candles we perch on the branches. Really pretty. You do have to keep your eyes open and put out the occasional small fire, but it's totally worth it.

Kevin
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I seriously can't believe that.

Kevin said:
After I dont know how many years of what seemed like too many, which would have included this year, of going to get a tree in wet, cold, muddy weather we went artificial. Not only did we go "fake" but its also pre-lit. Perfect amount and prefectly placed. Been very happy with it too.
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Christmas trees aren't supposed to be perfect. They're supposed to look loved--very different concept. Our tree definitely looks loved.
 
For way too many years, I trudged to the woods to cut a tree with my kids or went with them to pick one out. It was great fun then. Now that they are gone, Christmas is not like it used to be. We went with convenience and a pre-lit beautiful artificial. We put it out after Thanksgiving and decorate it with loving care. I don't have to worry about the house burning down around my beautiful, but ill, wife either.
 
Bucky36 said:
Fake trees are so much easier to care for. No watering, no vacuuming up pine needles. You just take it out of the box, set it up and then stuff it back in the box after X-mas and put it away until next year.
With a real tree you have to drive to a tree farm, pick out a tree, drive home and then water it. A lot of people simply dont have the time for all that.
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Not to mention the cost. A good artificial tree will easily last 10 years with reasonable care. I don't know what they charge these days for a real one, but the cost was getting ridiculous (I seem to remember something like $5 afoot) the last time we bought one. Even my octogenarian mother quit buying real trees about 15 years ago, and nobody is more traditional than her.

My wife and I do decorate our artificial tree in an old fashioned manner. Lots of crafty and native American ornaments (many bought in shops on reservations, etc.), not a lot of glitz and glitter. For the piney smell, we sometimes buy a real wreathe and hang it above the fireplace.
 
Fourputt said:
My wife and I do decorate our artificial tree in an old fashioned manner. Lots of crafty and native American ornaments (many bought in shops on reservations, etc.), not a lot of glitz and glitter.
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All of my ornaments mean something too. My mother has bought me an ornament every year since I was born. Last year's ornament is a cupcake. At least 8 of them are golf related. I buy ornaments when I travel and have some from my grandparents, which are a bit worn, but I treasure them.
 
We have a mean looking mouse doll that protects our tree. It's been on our family tree every year as long as I can remember and I ended up with it.
 
Real tree! You just can't beat the smell of a real Christmas tree, although I don't really enjoy all the pine needles in my carpet.

As for the price of real trees, up here the forestry does an annual Christmas tree event. They have a big bon fire, marshmellows, hot dogs, hot chocolate... and for $5 you can wander into the forest and cut down your own tree. Lots of fun.
 
ClairefromClare said:
I seriously can't believe that.



Christmas trees aren't supposed to be perfect. They're supposed to look loved--very different concept. Our tree definitely looks loved.
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Our tree is FAR from perfect and very LOVED. You have to shape all the branches yourself so every year our tree is OUR tree. Hand crafted with love and very unique each time. So THERE!
 
Fourputt said:
Not to mention the cost. A good artificial tree will easily last 10 years with reasonable care. I don't know what they charge these days for a real one, but the cost was getting ridiculous (I seem to remember something like $5 afoot) the last time we bought one. Even my octogenarian mother quit buying real trees about 15 years ago, and nobody is more traditional than her.
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I hear ya. The aspect of cost had entered my mind too, but I consider that to be a pretty minor aspect.
If people really want the piney smell, they can just clean their floor with pine secented Pine-Sol, buy some kind of pine scented air freshener or buy some pine-scented candles.

My wife and I do decorate our artificial tree in an old fashioned manner. Lots of crafty and native American ornaments (many bought in shops on reservations, etc.), not a lot of glitz and glitter. For the piney smell, we sometimes buy a real wreathe and hang it above the fireplace.
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Diane said:
All of my ornaments mean something too. My mother has bought me an ornament every year since I was born. Last year's ornament is a cupcake. At least 8 of them are golf related. I buy ornaments when I travel and have some from my grandparents, which are a bit worn, but I treasure them.
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Same here. I have quite a few ornaments that my grandparents had and which mean a lot to me. Some of them are gettng quite old and every year when I take them out of storage, I find that one or 2 of them has cracked and broken.
I really want to find a set of those bubble lights. My grandmother on my mom's side of the family had a set of those and I always thought they looked so cool. Every year I mean to buy a set of them, but with holiday shopping and trying to budge money for going to northern Wisconsin snowmobiling, they always seem to be at the bottom of my list of priorities and I never end up buying them. Oh well, maybe one of these years...:confused2:
 
Bucky36 said:
I really want to find a set of those bubble lights. My grandmother on my mom's side of the family had a set of those and I always thought they looked so cool. Every year I mean to buy a set of them, but with holiday shopping and trying to budge money for going to northern Wisconsin snowmobiling, they always seem to be at the bottom of my list of priorities and I never end up buying them. Oh well, maybe one of these years...:confused2:
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Everything goes on sale on 12/26 - buy them then for next year.
 
In our neighborhood we put a tree in the front yard of our house. It is a neighborhood tradition. It is a real one.
 
mchepp said:
In our neighborhood we put a tree in the front yard of our house. It is a neighborhood tradition. It is a real one.
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Wouldn't it make sense just to plant a tree? Pines grow pretty quickly.
 
ClairefromClare said:
Wouldn't it make sense just to plant a tree? Pines grow pretty quickly.
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Perhaps they dont want to look at a pine tree in their front yard all year. :confused2:
 
We've got an artifical tree we usually put up. Not this year though. When we were moving, the Christmas tree got moved to the back of the storage unit and we were not able to retrieve it prior to the Holiday. Oh well there is always next year.
 
I use a fake. I figured it was better to have a fake tree and not suffer through the month of December with headaches and such. I prefer a real tree though.
 
For the first few years we lived in our house, we bought B&B trees (Doug firs and various Spruces), kept them in the house for week or so in a big bucket and then planted them outside. Some couldn't handle the transition, but most did and today they're quite beautiful with some now well over 12 to 15 feet in height.

I never understood the point in taking a tree that took man or nature at least a decade or so to grow to five to seven feet in height, only to separate it from its roots and then ultimately throw it to the curb to be driven away in a garbage truck.

It's really just a waste of what once was an otherwise perfectly healthy tree.

We use an artificial tree these days, which sets up in minutes, looks just like a real tree and serves the same purpose.

I think the whole "live tree" industry is an incredible waste of resources, land and most of all - trees; just be used as a sentimental totem for a week or so and then tossed aside with the rest of the holiday trash.



-JP
 
ClairefromClare said:
Wouldn't it make sense just to plant a tree? Pines grow pretty quickly.
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Pine trees suck. My next door neighbor has one. Unlike leaves, the pine needles don't blow away so I have to deal with it. And the cones.
 
JPsuff said:
I think the whole "live tree" industry is an incredible waste of resources, land and most of all - trees; just be used as a sentimental totem for a week or so and then tossed aside with the rest of the holiday trash.
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Or you can take them to the lake for the fish.
 
Smallville said:
Pine trees suck. My next door neighbor has one. Unlike leaves, the pine needles don't blow away so I have to deal with it. And the cones.
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Who buys a Pine for a Christmas tree?

Most trees used for Christmas decoration are varieties of Fir. Typically, Douglas, Balsam, Frasier and Concolor head the Fir lineup. Both White and Blue Spruce are also popular non-Fir choices.

None of these trees present any needle or seed litter problems in the landscape.

The only Pines associated with Christmas decoration are typically White Pine and then only for "roping" or garland and are hardly ever used as "Christmas trees".


-JP
 
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