Real or artificial tree?

[HeatherC]

i have always had a real tree and swore I would never have an artificial one. Then last year, my kids (now in their late teens and early 20’s) were all too busy with school and work that we could t find time to go pick one. One day I was in Macy’s and saw one for 70% off and figured why not?

It cost a little more than we would normally pay for a real one and I figured it could always be an extra. Well..we put it up last year and loved it. Pulled it out Thanksgiving weekend and set it up and I love it even more!

No watering. Lights already on. No dropped needles.

I may keep this up a long time over the cold, dark winter. I love the lights and how they glow.

Real or artificial for you?

 

[leebee]

I grew up with a silver artificial tree. We had a revolving stand for it that played Silent Night, and a color-changing wheel in the corner of the room (as you couldn't use lights on metal trees). We all loved it- so bright and shiny- so that's always been my 'standard' for Christmas trees. DH and I started getting a real tree back in 1986, and I loved it. SO many lights, smells so good. We made it an annual tradition, going to cut down the tree; that's the tree DD grew up with. Last year (2017) DD wasn't home for Christmas, just DH and I. The year prior, DH had had knee surgery that became infected, so the whole "put it up/take it down" was on me, as he was first laid up for 4 weeks, then in a hospital or nursing home for 7 weeks. I decided I was done, so last year we bought an artificial tree at Lowe's. I love it! LOTS of lights, and we can choose to have just white, just colored, or both lights on, thanks to the handy remote with options! I have a few of those evergreen sticks hanging in the tree, so it smells like a real tree. This was SO EASY to put up! It's in 3 sections, so you just place each section and the branches fold out into place... and putting it away and cleanup is a breeze- NO cleanup, NO needles everywhere. It's been a good choice for us (although I do think the cat misses drinking the rusty, scummy water from the tree stand)!

 

[jdb in AZ]

We used to swear we'd never have a fake tree. Then one year the tree was a fire hazard with brown needles two weeks before Christmas. So we "invested" in an artificial tree and have never looked back. I do miss the smell, so we get a "real" wreath from Costco, and when it looks sad and forlorn, it easily fits in the fireplace.

We collect ornaments and have a designated-Disney tree -- even the tree topper is Mickey Mouse. Some of the ornaments are heavy and fragile, and the artificial branches support them. With the live-but-dying tree the ornaments kept slip-sliding away to the floor.

Like Leebee, I grew up with a silver tree. Complete with pom-pom tips and the color wheel and thought it was so pretty. pffft. So glad that fad is gone. Today's artificial trees look so natural. DH loved the aluminum icicles on his trees growing up, and wishes we could still get them. So glad they're no longer available.

 

[Klayfish]

Both. As I've mentioned in other threads, we go full Clark Griswold. We have 9 trees in our house. Two are real, the other 7 are artificial. The very first year DW and I were together we went and bought a real tree which was already cut down. If I recall, it was a boy scout set up in a parking lot, or something like that. But for the past 20 years, we have always gone and cut down our own tree. Yes, we pay a few dollars more, but it's worth it. Back home in PA, we had a tree farm that we went to every year. It was the textbook definition of quaint and the perfect Christmas scene. Horse drawn wagon ride to the trees, free hot chocolate, old barn turned into gift shop, petting zoo, huge train display, etc... We still haven't quite found that place here in GA, but still have been cutting down our own tree until now. This year, due to schedule, time and circumstances we had to buy pre-cut trees. The only weekend we had time, it was utterly pouring. I would have still done it, but the tree farms were closed. So we bought two pre-cut ones from Home Depot. Made me a bit sad. I also hate that our current house has standard 9 or 10' ceilings. Our prior house had a two story family room, so we would always get a 12'+ tree. Oh well...

We have more ornaments than we know what to do with. We buy two or three new ones every year, it's family tradition. Plus we'll pick ones up on clearance after Xmas. So over the years, we've accumulated an insane amount. DW also has ones from when she was a child.

 

[msjprincess]

I had a real tree my entire life up until a few years ago. I'm allergic so by the time I finished decorating it my arms would be covered in a red rash. I hated putting the lights on and taking them off. I love having a pre-lit tree. I wish I had a big closet I could wheel it into on January 6th and take it out next year. LOL

 

[Meriweather]

I grew up with a silver tree (with the rotating light wheel), then parents got "lazy" and just put some bulbs on an artificial plant that was in the house all year.
When I got married, we got real trees (DH's grandparents had a tree farm).
We moved states and continued with real trees for about 20 years. Then one year DH was out of town, the kids and I went and got our real tree, put it up and it fell over. It was crooked. Set it up again and in the night it fell over. Lost about 20 ornaments, so gave up. DD and I went and bought an artificial tree and it has been artificial since then.
Love the one we have. This house has higher ceilings, so we have a taller tree......but this year the lights are out on one string and DH can't figure out which, so we will be looking for a new tree after Christmas.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

We've been a live tree family for years. My wife has made noise about switching to artificial, but we don't want one that's pre-lit, and they all look fake unless they are super expensive.

We would buy our trees from the high school marching band as a fundraiser, as well. Although they stopped that this year.

 

[leebee]

Both. As I've mentioned in other threads, we go full Clark Griswold. We have 9 trees in our house. Two are real, the other 7 are artificial.

NINE TREES??? I can barely get one tree up and decorated before Christmas! My hat is off to you, Klayfish! You rule!!

 

[Disneylover99]

Artificial all the way.....

It goes up in November and comes down in February.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

NINE TREES??? I can barely get one tree up and decorated before Christmas! My hat is off to you, Klayfish! You rule!!

Our one is up and has lights on it. I think maybe we will decorate it today?

 

[MrsDuck]

I grew up insisting my parents buy a real one. Now, that I have a house and a baby, we have an artificial one.

 

[lynxstch]

Had real trees for most of my life. But when we moved into this house, our main heat source is a wood stove, and a real tree would dry out too quickly and become a fire hazard. So we went to artificial First year it was one big one, with 2 smaller ones. As we got older, the big one got stored away and we just used the other 2. Now we are down to just one, lol

 

[RedAngie]

Always a cut tree when I was a kid. Mainly artificial trees since I was a young teen. Once every three or four years we'd get a cut real tree. That practice has continued into my old age.

I posted a week ago that the lights in the center section of my main artificial tree won't light. I tried the suggestions a few people posted and bought the light testing device someone recommended, but unfortunately nothing worked. So I just put a few extra strings of lights on the middle of the tree. I'm not sure what I'll do with the tree after the holidays. It's about 15 years old now and probably time to replace it.

There is also an unlit thin pencil tree. I put different lights on it every year: clear, multi, or all one color like red or green. Plus a 4' tall black tabletop tree.

I still have my grandmother's silver aluminum tree from the mid-1960s. It's kind of beat up, and a few branches are missing, but I like to display it every few years. Unfortunately the color wheel broke years ago and I never replaced it.

(For aroma with the artificial trees I like to use Scentsicles, but had a really difficult time finding them in stores this year. Finally ordered some from Amazon.)

 

[Hikergirl]

I had a real tree up until a couple years ago when I became enlightened.

 

[neverlandsky]

Love the real yet allergic so artificial it is.

 

[MillauFr]

We like going to a tree farm and cutting one down.

 

[FairestOfThemAll37]

Never had a real tree and never will. The smell of pine curdles my stomach, I’m allergic, and the idea of bringing something with bugs and sap and dirt into the house skeeves me out. Basically real trees seem awful in every way.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Big real tree in the family room and small artificial tree in the front window in the living room.
We'd love to have the big one in the front for passersby to see but the ceiling is higher in the family room.

 

[tvguy]

Wish I knew exactly how many real trees I've had in m 61 years. We had a few, maybe 4 or 5 as a kid. But my dad was a lumber salesman and to him a real Christmas tree was a waste of a tree that might be used for a month and tossed. Let it grow so it could be used to build someone a home that will last 100's of years.
I think we may have had a few real trees in 36 years of marriage. We've just covered too many house fires caused by Christmas trees in our work. As soon as we started a family, we got an artificial tree for safety, and because if purchased on sale after Christmas, an artificial tree costs about the same as a real tree.

 

[design_mom]

Artificial tree. I've never had a real tree. I do like the smell of them when I visit other people's homes, but I have no desire to have one myself.