Real pine tree or artificial tree?

[Caribbean girl]

What kind of tree do you put up at Christmas time, a real tree or an artificial one?

For many years we have been buying the real trees and we loved it because of the nice pine smell. However, as years went by, these trees became more and more expensive and were only adding to other expenses we already had. Consequently, about 8 years ago, we decided to buy an artificial tree which we use every year now. This is a definite saving when the Christmas season comes around. We have become accustomed to this now and do not miss the pine smell.

With the real trees, there was also a bit more work since bits of the tree would often come off and fall to the floor, which meant having to sweep around the tree regularly to keep the area tidy. After the season passes, these trees are of no more use and have to be thrown out since they would have lost their green colour.

 

[Ella]

I think real trees are beautiful, but should stay in nature where they should be. I know places grow them specifically so that's different as it is a manufactured process. Personally real trees are too high maintenance and messy and an artificial one lasts longer and is easier to keep. Economically it is sensible and less stressful.

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Real every time - the tree gets recycled at the end of the 'season' and when we had a garden we used to compost it (shredded first) and now we don't have a garden, it goes to the tip, who shred them and recycle them as compost.

We don't send out a lot of Christmas cards, preferring to donate money to a charity and send an email out accordingly to people who didn't 'quality' for the Christmas card list (which is basically anyone who is not immediate family or very close friends).

@Caribbean girl I have taken the liberty of adding a pole to your thread - hope you don't mind. SNSSO

 

[DancingLady]

I'm not that into decorating, so I do not know if I will bother with a tree. If I do it will be real. I do not like the fake ones, they don't have a nice smell like the real ones.

 

[sidevalve]

Don't usually visit here but just noticed this thread and decided to comment.
When I was a child [and for the first few years after I was married] we always had a real tree but as time moved on the constant hassle of cleaning up after them began to be a bit of a pain so we moved over to the dark side and bought an artificial one.

 

[welsh dragon]

Artificial. Real trees are great. However, after only a couple of weeks, they are highly inflammable, and I wouldn't have it in the house as it is highly dangerous

 

[lizzief79]

I prefer a real tree just because of the festive smell. However, for the past three years I have had an artificial one. I have four children and two of them are very small (1 and 3). If they pulled a real tree down on themselves it would be much heavier than an artificial one. Also, they would be trying to eat the pines that had dropped on the floor. I will be having an artificial tree again this year, the same one I have had for the past few years. Maybe next year I will have a real one again.

 

[ally79]

We have artificial trees because we like to put them up so early. I do get air freshener that smells like pine trees though. I am just afraid a real tree would die before Christmas, I have already had all of ours up for a week.

 

[sorrowscall]

Because of my over obsession with people and their allergies, I always get a fake-tree. I'd get one of those hypo-allergenic trees but it seems like some people are allergic to those as well and I don't want to take a risk with always been around so many people during the holidays.

 

[dandeliion]

Real! I grew up only having fake ones (my siblings and I are all allergic to the real thing) but now that I'm an adult and live on my own, I get the real deal. It's worth putting up with allergies in my opinion. They just smell so good!

 

[Berties]

Real tree, I have planted four trees last year,and will do so every year ,so I will have trees every year soon,the trees come as a rooted twig for £1 each

 

[CoffeeTalk]

Real tree, of some sort. We have ours at the balcony and garden,depending on where we are at Christmas. We do have real trees, but sometimes they are a palm tree or a twig of some sort, hard to find pine in the Philippine's for instance.

We we don't have areal tree we decorate something else, like a child's high chair. We have had a lot of different types of Christmas trees over the years.

 

[Lullabelle]

As there is only 2 of us in the house, we haven't trimmed up for years. Today we went into B&Q to buy a tin of paint and came out with a tree, lights and decorations. We will put it up next weekend.

 

[Rosyrain]

I have to have a real tree each year. The smell of a real tree can't be matched with any scenting additives. I like to go out to the tree farm and pick out the perfect tree with my family, it just makes good memories for the kids.

 

[kamarsun1]

What kind of tree do you put up at Christmas time, a real tree or an artificial one?

For many years we have been buying the real trees and we loved it because of the nice pine smell. However, as years went by, these trees became more and more expensive and were only adding to other expenses we already had. Consequently, about 8 years ago, we decided to buy an artificial tree which we use every year now. This is a definite saving when the Christmas season comes around. We have become accustomed to this now and do not miss the pine smell.

With the real trees, there was also a bit more work since bits of the tree would often come off and fall to the floor, which meant having to sweep around the tree regularly to keep the area tidy. After the season passes, these trees are of no more use and have to be thrown out since they would have lost their green colour.

I like the smell of real pine but the clean up is not fun, plus I have three children that like to run around, they could easily stick themselves with the needles. As a child the tree didn't matter, what did matter was the gifts under it?