Live or Fake Tree?
Which do you prefer in your home: Live or Fake Tree?
We've always preferred a "real" tree, whether live or cut, because they smell so wonderful and bring such a freshness in our home. The past couple of years we have used an artificial tree, mainly because the cost of real trees has gone so high! Last year, a decent sized tree of 5 to 6 feet was over $40! The fake tree I bought on sale for $29.99 and it looks really nice.
Another benefit of the fake tree is that there are no pine needles to clean up after christmas, and the tree doesn't have to be disposed of. We can even leave the lights on from year to year to make decorating easier.
But we sure miss the fresh scent of a real tree!
I have, sadly, never had a real tree. All we have ever had growing up was a fake tree. Granted it's a very nice tree and it's like ten feet tall when it's all put together. My mother only put up about five feet of it this year.
My fiance and I have already agreed that when we get married we'll get a real tree for at least the first year. After that we'll probably get a fake tree because it is easier, but we have already agreed that each of our children will have at least one Christmas with a real tree.
I wouldn't mind trying a real tree one year, simply because it would be fun, I understand the pine needles would be difficult to clean up, but still, I want to try it just once.
I only had a real tree once and it was back in Argentina and I did not like it at all. Maybe was because I was not used to decorate a live tree or what but I did not like much how it looked and how hard was to clean the branches and stuff. I rather a fake tree.
QUOTE |
I was not used to decorate a live tree |
Tastanage, I cannot give too much advice because as I said before, I only had a live tree in one occasion, I found that when you decorate the live tree (obviously it depends on the "quality" of it) the ornaments hang up pretty funny, I did not like how it looked like. I did not like the fact that I had to clean it up and clean some of the branches, with the fake tree you just put it and that's it, nothing to worry about. Maybe I am just lazy . You are in the US, so probably you can get better quality of live trees than I did when I was back home in Argentina where 99.9% of people use a fake tree. All the best.
I grew up in Florida where you did -not- have a real tree for the same reasons listed above really. One, the quality of tree was horrible, Two - the climate really didn't afford a real tree very well. When I moved to Vermont, I learned that it is far more rare to see a fake tree rather than the acres and acres of Christmas tree farms. Everywhere you turn, there are places to either cut your own or get ones that have already been cut down for you.
The needle problem can be alleviated by putting one of those disposable bags they sell beneath your tree before putting the tree up and decorating it. That way, when you want to take it out of the house, you "bag it up" and take it outside -- then you can dispose of it as you will. We chip it up and use it in our compost pile. Happy Holidays to all!