My friend (the one who recenty passed away) kept encouraging me to look at Balsam Hill. I did - the realistic are expensive, even when on sale. I'd not want pre-lit - I want the option to modify the color each year. As in some years, white lights, some years multicolor, some years just blue, or red, or green... And anyway, part of the fun of a tree is decorating it, and being creative, which to me includes the lights. At least, not getting pre-lit would cut the price down some. One year back in Connecticut, I did blue and white.
(Of course, I understand the idea of pre-lit, remembering my parents grumbling at each other about the tree lights when they were stringing them up together... and Mom would eventually chase Dad from the tree... )
