Real vs Artificial Christmas trees

[lordkenmore]

I'm curious about the views of real vs. artificial Christmas trees. Which do people here prefer? Which do people here use?

 

I grew up with real trees, and I think there has been a part of me that thinks it's nice having something real, not a man made look alike. There are the arguments about the pleasant scent of a real tree, too.

 

But as I get older, I'm starting to realized there are drawbacks. Or, more accurately, those drawbacks are starting to carry more weight. Like the pain of vacuuming up needles for 8 months after the tree gets removed. Plus there is the cost on what is, at best, a fleeting investment.

 

I haven't decorated a tree since 2012 or 2013...but I wonder if I ever do go back to decorating trees if I might not consider an artificial tree.

 

[johnrk]

I Have No Choice

but an artificial tree, am too crippled to handle a real tree any more and won't bother friends just for that.

I'd still rather own one of those aluminum ones with the rotating color wheel...

 

[liamy1]

Grew up

For nearly all of my childhood with real trees, Dad insisted on it and it was a family event to go and get the tee.

Love the smell and that is the true scent of Christmas for me. In later years and as us kids grew up, a switch to artificial an tree was made. I missed the smell, but I sure didn’t miss the pine needles

Now, we use artificial, we have had current one 10 years this year and still looks new. It is a frosted black one, and with blue and silver decorations and blue and white lights, it looks lovely every year,

 

[johnrk]

liam-

Of course they sell spray-on stuff now that can give your fake tree that 'authentic' aroma. I don't use it, though.

 

[mattl]

I do 3 real trees every year, if I had to a fake tree I doubt I'd bother putting a tree up.

 

[johnrk]

After I Converted to RC-

I don't pay that much attention to the Christmas tree. We Catholics often concentrate on the Advent wreath, and it's a very old tradition that I've come to enjoy and look forward to-

 

[vacerator]

cradle Catholic,

and we always had a tree, and a wreath on the front door.
Fontanini nativity set was most important to my mom over the tree.

The Christmas tree has it's origin from Germany in the 15 or 1600's.
Southern Germany remained predominately Catholic, so I think it is as important today.
I have one of those slimline 7 ft. short thick needle tree's. All white lights, not led's. I've added ornamnents to it for the past 4 years. It holds a lot.
I have some of my grandmothers, my moms, old fashioned, new, everything on it.
When my step kids were young, we took them each year to choose one or two new ornaments. They liked the Disney ones, so we have a lot. Winnie the Pooh, and Tigger too! Also some Hallmark cars, hot wheels, star trek, trains, star wars, etc., etc. A friend gave me some very old clear pear shaped Italian glass ones this year.
Not all about Christmas per se', but why can't it also be fun? That's what Tigger's are for!

 

[johnrk]

The Important Part of Christmas For Christians

Oops! Had to go back and edit this so that the atheists won't get me removed...

 

[turquoisedude]

When I was a brat, we always had real trees until my mother got fed up with the 'Charlie Brown' look of the trees my father brought home.  An artifical tree was my first choice for years, because I tended to put up the decorations early to host a holiday party early in December. 

 

Now, however, thinking about the content of the artifical trees (plastic that no where I know of recycles), the footprint of shipping them from China and then across North America, and just my own personal desire to buy less from China when I can, I'm getting into the habit of a real tree again.   Thinking about the tree I bought this year, it came from a grower in Québec and both municipalities offer a special pick-up of the trees in January where the trees get ground up for compost.  Years ago, folks around here thought it was more environmentally sound to get an artifical tree to save real ones.  And amazingly, there were several Canadian manufacturers of artificial trees.  These days, trees are 'farmed' not harvested from some boreal forest.  Back to the disposal, I can't tell you how many artifical trees I see tossed in spring, usually the pre-lit models that have a section or two that no longer light and which the owners could fix with a new bulb or two but have no idea how to.  Futher to the pre-lit models, when an LED string goes bad, you can't even hope to fix them, hence the tree gets tossed.

 

I do have to put up the tree later, but that's not such a big deal.  In fact, I'm pretty late this year, but it's making the Christmas season a little less streched out for us.  So we are making the season not as hectic, but our age, we can afford to slow things down a bit and enjoy the season.  It's making Christmas more of anticipation that I felt it used to be.   But that's just me... 

 

[vacerator]

I have one of those

Charlie Brown tree's also.
JohnRK, Have a merry Christmas! I don't think that's the reason, it's just not the place for it.
I'm as biased on some things as anyone else can be. I've been guilty of venting.
We had a funeral last week. Never a good time of year, but this time is worse.
I try not to be anti anyone.
In your defense, is my own analogy. If we can not prove from where we originate, how can we not wonder, and to me, is well, belief. We're not meant to. Not yet.
That word you said, to me, is meaningless. Sound logical?

 

[johnrk]

vacerator

I have spent enough years reading Zen to have long, long ago given up any concern about "from where we originate". I think that can wait until we can control our present tense, first.

I learned last night that a friend passed away from cancer yesterday evening. For me, as a believer, funerals are a time for celebration. All else is selfishness.

I belong to many fora on many subjects, but no other that's as virulently anti-religious, anti-spiritual as this one. It's why I slip from time to time when I visit here. '

And I think that love in whatever form is the most important. Not religion. And it's how that love is expressed that is most important to me also. Far, far easier to just talk about it and screw the rest.

 

[vacerator]

I understand,

John. It was actually more of a celebration of life. It was just a very long tiring day from so many wonderful visitors.
We had been having a living wake for the past month or so, remeniscing, looking at photos, a birthday,etc.

 

[iheartmaytag]

Growning up

We had one of those shinny aluminum trees with the color wheel light. We continued to use that tree for many years because we were poor, by poor there were years that we cut out pictures from the catalog of what we would give as presents if we had the money to buy them.

One year I remember my Mom splurged and bought a small real tree, I remember the smell of that tree. I loved that tree, I tried my best to keep it as long as I could. After we took it down, I tried putting it in the dirt outside to keep it alive. Silly me, it was already cut and dead, but I tried.

After that we got a 4ft tall artificial tree, we used that tree for nearly 20 years. Once, I decided that I would get a real tree, it was about a 6ft blue spruce. I think I gave $14 for it at K-mart. My love for that little tree when I was in second grade disappeared, I hated that tree, it was messy, I was allergic to it, and the cat wouldn't leave it alone.

Then we went a period of not putting up a tree at all. When My daughter was first born, I bought a 4ft fiber optic tree for half off of half off on Christmas eve at K-mart. We have used that tree for the last 13 years.

I like the little fiber optic tree. You put the base on the table, plop the tree into the base, spread out the branches, and plug it in. Done.

Taking it down, I don't mourn the little tree, as I know it will be back next year and shove it back under the basement stairs.

I also have a Charlie Brown tree. I set it up by my nativity set, hang ours stockings and that's about the extent of my decorating.

 

[revvinkevin]

Back to the subject of Christmas trees........

 

 

I grew up having real trees in the house most of the time (though I do vaguely remember an aluminum tree when I was very young) I'm guessing there were few to no other artificial options available back then. 

 

Around 10 years ago my ex and I were shopping after Christmas and came across a high quality artificial tree marked at 70% off.  We bought it and never looked back.   It's 7 feet tall and looks very nice for an artificial tree and unless you're 2 feet away from it, it's hard to tell it's not real. 

 

True it doesn't have that "real tree smell" and I do miss that.    But when you consider an equivalent size and shape real tree is now $100 - $125.... add to this not having to water it, clean up the needles that fall off, becoming a fire hazard when it dries out, add to all this the "harvest to disposal" environmental impact.... well, I'll keep using my artificial tree thank you very much.

 

Kevin

 

[fan-of-fans]

Growing up, always had a real tree and put up a tree just about every year except when moving and didn't have time.

Got a fake tree in 2001 or so and had that since, that one started getting rusty so got another new one around 2007 or so. One year even had another smaller fake tree on the back porch. But I haven't put up a big tree since 2011 or so. That tree is up in the loft at work probably never to be used by me again.

I do still put up a small tree I've had since about 1995, which was the year we moved and couldn't put up a big tree. It's boring and doesn't have many ornaments but at least its something.

I do miss having the big tree up, but it really takes so much time and effort that it isn't worth it anymore, and no one comes over here for Christmas to see it anyway. I do miss getting out the old familiar ornaments every year, which too have been packed away for at least 5 years.

Now as to the actual question, I like the smell of the real trees, but again the mess and expense of getting that tree every year and disposing of it certainly make a fake one seem worth it.

 

[countryguy]

We always had real trees, balsam firs, one inside and one outside, when I was growing up. My dad would take my sister and I out to the woods to cut down the 2 trees for us and 1 tree for my grandparents. Sometimes we travelled miles to find the perfect trees. Since I have been an adult and on my own, I have always used an artificial tree.

Gary

 

[warmsecondrinse]

Once upon a time I used to cut down my own tree at a tree farm in eastern Conn. ... and I enjoyed it! I was partial to Douglas fir, but wasn't picky. My main concern was having a tree that was tall and thin as we usually had small living rooms with very high ceilings.

I have my grandmothers ancient glass ornaments from Poland. When I get them up from FL I'll think about getting a tree again. If I were to go artificial I'd probably go aluminum to set off the ornaments.

Jim

 

[lordkenmore]

I loved that tree, I tried my best to keep it as long as I could. After we took it down, I tried putting it in the dirt outside to keep it alive. Silly me, it was already cut and dead, but I tried.

 

I, too, was saddened by day when the real tree got taken down when I was young. Even as a teenager, it was a sad day coming home and seeing the living room "back to normal." I never went as far as trying to plant it, though, but I argued against one tree location. It was more convenient in terms of less furniture to shift, but it was near a heat register, and I worried that the tree might dry out too fast.

 

I was also interested in some magic potion that supposedly increased tree life that the tree lot carried each year. It was put into the tree water, and so it would have been probably a bad idea for people (like us) with pets.

 

[lordkenmore]

thinking about the content of the artifical trees (plastic that no where I know of recycles), the footprint of shipping them from China and then across North America

 

Interestingly, I read a piece ("How to Have The Greenest Christmas Tree Ever") that mentioned that real trees might be better environmentally than artificial trees. Quote:


 

It may seem counterintuitive, but cutting down a living tree is a more eco-friendly option than importing a plastic one. As the <em style="font-weight: inherit;">New York Times</em> reported in 2010, you’d have to use a plastic tree at least 20 times before it broke even with using a real tree for each of those years. Think of what happens when you throw it away. A real tree will biodegrade, while a plastic one will languish, unrecycled.

 

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