Live or Artificial Tree?

[Melanie]

So, with Thanksgiving behind us, it's time to start decorating for Christmas (hint, hint Disney ;) ).

We've had a pre-lit artificial for years now, but last year some of the sections burned out and we couldn't figure out how to repair, so it ended up on the curb. I think that now we're in colder weather again (therefore feeling a bit more Christmasy), we're going to go for a real tree again this year.

So which do you prefer and why - a live or artificial (pre-lit) tree? :tree::ornament::pine:

[faline]

For a number of years, we always had live trees - we even tagged and cut them down ourselves. Then we had relatives who moved quite a distance away and found ourselves often traveling for the holiday. We didn't feel comfortable leaving a live tree at home unattended so went to artificial. We've had artificial ever since and do not miss the daily tree watering routine as well as the dropped needles that you continue to find in July no matter how well you've vacuumed. This year, we just replaced that first artificial tree with a pre-lit one. We also have another, larger, artificial (not pre-lit) that we put up in our family room and a table top (also artificial that we once took to Disney with us for a Christmas holiday) that sits in our hallway.

[Carol]

Live :pine:

Why? Love the smell and look of a REAL tree. My kids have never had a fake tree. I think they'd freak out even as adults. We always cut fresh the day we get it so never have a messy needle issue. Plus we live in the country and that's all we've ever had. Although my parents go the fake route now. :eek:

Our tree will go up next Sunday.

:pine: :pine: :pine: :pine: :pine: :pine:

[SBETigg]

We always had a live tree. Frasier Fir. Like Carol, my kids had always only had a real tree. But I'm the only one who will do the lights and I was fed up. So two years ago, we bought a very pricey Hammacher Schlemmer prelit frasier fir tree.

And the lights on top went out partially. Lifetime guarantee on that sucker, so I called them and said what now? They said to buy a new tree and send the other one back (their best solution to not go through Christmas without a tree). Well, now I have two trees with partially lit tops because tree #2's lights only lasted a few weeks and I never got around to returning tree #1 (the thing weighs a ton, and getting it boxed right was a nightmare). So I have two very expensive pre lit trees with a lighting problem on top and I'm headed for another holiday season in which I have to decide if I'm going to call Hammacher Schlemmer and see what they can do, or try to solve my lighting problem (time consuming, and I have very little time). They are lovely, very real looking fake trees-- if only they lit properly. Fa la la la la...

[DisneyLandMomma]

We have 2 fake trees...the first one is beautiful 8ft, big and full, and aside from not having a pine smell, everyone mistakes it for real!! That one goes in our formal living room, right in front of the window. :) Two years ago, I decided I wanted an other tree for our family room, where we spend most of our time.

This year, my hubby and I have decided to get a live tree for our indoor patio, we can plant it after the holiday. :)


We decided to go the artifical tree route after a very tight Christmas. Our daughter was 1, my hubby had just been laid off and we didn't think we'd have money for a tree. We went to a tree lot and basically bargined the funkiest looking tree for $40. A couple years later when we were a little better off financially but hubby was still in danger of getting laid off, we put our beautiful tree on layaway so we wouldn't have to worry about not having a tree again. :)

[Carol]

Definitely agree on Fraser Firs. Hardly any needle droppage - even on removal day when it's tipped all sides of wrong to get it out the front door. :eek2:

[White Rose]

I've never had a real tree. My mother is dreadfully allergic to pine and since we live in a smaller house, we've never really had the space to store/water a living tree. We've gone through four artificial trees since I came along about 24 years ago. The one we have now is prelit, which makes me much easier on my father since all he has to do is put it together and then plug it in.

I can honestly say I've never felt left out or anything because of our lack of a real tree. I'll probably prefer to have fake ones when I have a house/family just because I like the look of them better. Nothing against the real thing--I've just never had anything different!

[TinkerbellT421]

We did a real tree all through my younger years. Around the time I turned 16 or 17 we decided to go the articulate route (not pre-lit). I love the smell of the Christmas pine smell, so I bought christmas plugins from bath and body works ages ago and plug that in behind the tree, you would swear its a real tree. I have had many people think and ask if it was real because they couldn't tell the difference. That year we went fake was my father was sick with leukemia, so going out and getting a real tree wasn't in the cards for us. So ever since we have had the fake one. I like it. I'm indifferent between real and fake.

[BrerGnat]

We got an artificial tree several years ago and it's really beautiful. It looks like a real tree. When we decided on a fake one, it was because we had little ones at home, one of whom liked to put EVERYTHING in his mouth. I did not want to deal with ingesting pine needles, branches, splinters etc. But, my caveat was that we were going to buy the nicest, most realistic looking fake tree we could find. So, we did just that. It was pricey, but a great investment. We are going on 5 years now, and it is still a beautiful tree. We light evergreen scented candles from Bath and Body Works and you can't tell the difference.

We had real trees every year when I was a kid growing up. Such a pain in the neck to deal with and they always made such a mess. One year, our tree was so dried out (even with watering) that it almost caught fire! I don't want to ever have to worry about that. Not to mention, I'm not so fond of tying things to the roof of my car and trying to wrangle with them when we get home. :blush: Plus, I get skeeved out thinking about stuff that might be living in the tree, and then infesting my house. I find it odd that no one thinks twice about this. Would you chop down a random tree or bush any other time of the year and put it in your living room??? :eek:

[Mickey'sGirl]

Due to severe allergies (mine), we have an artificial tree (pre-lit) as our main tree in our family room. We also have 4 different sized sequinned trees (cuz nothing says Christmas like hot pink sequins!) that go in the living room. :pine::tree:

[Ed]

I love live trees, but an artificial is a much more practical solution for us. We used to make a family trek to a tree farm to cut our own, which was great but no longer an option for us.

And with the live trees, I keep picturing two scenes from National Lampoon's "Christmas Vacation" - (1) the scene with the squirrel :squirrel: jumping out of the tree onto Clark Griswold's face, and (2) when Uncle Louis lights his cigar too close to the tree. :fireman:

[TheDuckRocks]

Being the oldest Intercotee I think we've done them all.
I grew up with only live trees that Santa used to bring on Christmas Eve when we were little. (I have no clue as to how my Dad pulled that one off.)
The first year we were married in 1962 we were so broke that the only thing we could afford was one of those $3.99 aluminum jobs and one .99 cent box of pink ornaments. It was 3 years before we were able to get a live tree. For the next 25 years we went to a Christmas tree farm and would cut one down.
Then we moved to Hawaii where the trees arrived on a boat from the mainland the day after Thanksgiving. These trees smelled from the fumes from the bug spraying they got so they would pass agriculturial inspection. So you had to put them in the tree stand in the backyard and hose them off really well and let them absorb enough water to "bring them back to life". We continued doing this until the year my daughter got married the day after Christmas. With all the other things going on I felt that having a fake tree would be the way to go. For the time since that fake tree from Pep Boys I didn't get my annual Christmas headache. We have been using a fake one ever since, even being back on the mainland again, and don't regret it one bit.
We now usually have 2 trees. The one in the family room with all the ornaments I have gathered over 50 years. And one in the living room for which I have taken the idea from Disney and a trip to Michael's made into a pointsettia tree.
This year I only have the one in the living room up as we are leaving for WDW to belatedly celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary starting Jan. 1 with the family. I just can not think about having to take down the over the top decorating I usually do each year when trying to get ready for the trip. Or worse would be leaving it up and having to face it after we get home.

[SBETigg]

Due to severe allergies (mine), we have an artificial tree (pre-lit) as our main tree in our family room. We also have 4 different sized sequinned trees (cuz nothing says Christmas like hot pink sequins!) that go in the living room. :pine::tree:

You are awesome. That is all.

[Dulcee]

We usually do a live tree but since we'll be gone for two weeks mid December (WDW!!) we bought an inexpensive artificial tree for this holiday.

[disneymom15]

I have been so "bah hum bug" about Christmas. I have no desire to decorate any more. Right now all I have is a small twig fiber optic tree. We do put lights on the ouside of the house though. When we did have a tree, it was a pre-lit artifical.

[Janmac]

(cuz nothing says Christmas like hot pink sequins!) . :pine::tree:

:notworth:


I just can not think about having to take down the over the top decorating I usually do each year . . .

When we married (only 40 yrs ago) we bought a really awesome expensive (to us then) artificial tree that did look real. All the real trees were so pathetic looking and I pointed out to DH that at the current exorbitant prices for real trees, the fake one would pay for itself in a few years. I used to put hundreds of lights and ornaments on it.

Lately, I'm too busy (tired?) to do all that tho my tree looked so awesome to me I'd turn the lights out and just look at it.

Now I not only have a little pre-lit table top tree (out of the way of puppies and great grandkids) but it's one of those fiber optic things. Hasn't burnt out yet. Occasionally I stick some ornaments on it but some years it stays undecorated. This year the tree topper is going to be a beautiful long tailed sparkly bird. Seems that kind of year.

Jan

[tinkwest]

Always had a live tree until about 15 years ago. Don't remember the exact reason we made the decision to change but I think a lot of it had to do with the cost of "live" trees. I do miss the fresh smell, but evergreen candles help with the illusion that the tree is real. And I definitely do not miss the watering and constant vacuuming and it is nice that the branches don't begin to droop after a few weeks.

Our first artificial tree did not have lights so we still had the chore of stringing those up. After about 10 years we retired our first tree and bought a pre-lit artificial tree. We were thrilled until the third year when pre-lit strands began going out. Now we string up lights over the dead attached lights. Makes me mad each year, but the tree is still in good enough condition that I don't want to go out and buy another. Thanks for letting me vent. :blush:

[PirateLover]

DH and I both were big fans of live trees growing up. My family ALWAYS bought a real tree. His family switched back and forth but he preferred real. When we finally moved into our apartment together, we got a real tree our first year. It was a nightmare getting it in and out. It was a Fraser Fir and we must have gotten a bad one because we got needles everywhere! It was also VERY sappy. We both kept getting sap all over us trying to put the lights on. The following year we found ourselves with a super active and curious puppy, and remembering how things were the year before we went with an artificial. I don't regret it.
I LOVE ornaments, and collect many Hallmark in particular. I love that I don't have to worry about an ornament falling because the branch wasn't as strong as I thought it was, and being able to adjust the branches to make sure my ornaments are displayed just right. I also like that we can put it up early and enjoy it through the whole season, not needing to worry about it drying out. One day when we have a house and a family we will probably buy real trees again, but my ideal scenario would be to invest in a large and beautiful artificial tree for our main tree, and have a smaller live tree as a secondary. Lord knows I probably have enough ornaments to decorate 5 trees!

[disneydeb]

Artificial, I am allergic to real evergreen and I get a severe asthmatic reaction.

I do "pine" ;) for the scent of a real tree though. I have even been known to walk through tree lots as if I were going to purchase, knowing I could never take one of their lovelies home. When I begin to cough, I go home empty handed of course.

[brownie]

Pre-lit. We had a section go out since the last time we used our tree, so I pulled all the lights off and replaced them with LED lights. They'll stay on the tree when I put it away so it's still pre-lit and I won't have to string lights every year.

[dnickels]

Real. 20+ years growing up on a tree farm so even the most 'realistic' looking fake tree still looks fake to me from a hundred feet away. I pick it out and cut it down when I'm home for Thanksgiving and bale it and ship it down via UPS so it arrives a few days after I get back.

[Disney Doll]

Fake. I love real trees, but it just seems like such a waste and I'm not up for the hassle. I don't want to water, vacuum needles, or worry about fire danger. I also don't want to bother lugging one home every year and then figuring out how to dispose of it after Christmas. I have small children and 3 cats so there's just too much temptation with a real tree and I always worry about securing them properly. The base of my fake tree is perfectly level and easy to secure in the stand. I too use pine scented plug ins around the house as a substitute for the real tree smell.

[barnaby]

Artificial
We like real trees better, but we had them fall over 3 years in row and that was the end of that.

[Mousefever]

Pre-lit. We had a section go out since the last time we used our tree, so I pulled all the lights off and replaced them with LED lights. They'll stay on the tree when I put it away so it's still pre-lit and I won't have to string lights every year.

We had the same situation with the same result! We live in a townhome, so we opted for a pencil-slim artificial tree. I grew up with real trees and I enjoyed them, but with our space considerations, artificial and slim made more sense. Missing the wonderful scent of pine, however, I always burn the "Christmas Wreath" Yankee candle.

Amy

[princessgirls]

I'm a huge fan of the artificial pre-lit!!!

I'm on my 2nd one. I love lots of lights, and mine has 800 on it. LOVE IT, and it only takes us 15 minutes to assemble it every year.

It looks pretty!!!

Julie:mickey:

[AgentC]

I love real trees. I grew up with real trees almost every year but to be honest find the trees I can get in FL don't quite match up to my memories of the trees in MA.

We bought an artificial tree (not pre lit) about 5 years ago simply because it was easier with young kids and dogs and less expensive over the long haul.

I think we are going to rotate in a live tree every few years.

[minnie04]

I'm a HUGE Disney Decorator for Christmas (EVERY room in the house has something Disney), that being said for years we have always had a real tree. Last year was the first time we had an artificial one. I have to tell you I LOVE IT!!! It has lights on it, but I add my LED lights to make it feel more Disney..lol. I have these Disney characters that you hang on the tree and you plug them into your lights and the heads move they are about 8inches and pretty heavy. Every year I would struggle with them because the real tree would start to sag and they would look droopy… lol. Now everything stays in place and looks so good. I have Mickey hands that stick out of the sides and they stay in place as well. The tree looks go good all stuffed with Disney ... If I want the real tree smell I will buy cut pieces and place them around the back of the tree. :mickey:

[hoop de do]

We've always had real trees. The smell is awesome. Usually cut our own or get a same day cut tree. There is some needle droppage but again the smell is worth it. We like blue spruce, around a 7 ft.-er. You do have to water them every day. Our county has been recognized as the Christmas tree capital of the world.
:tree:

[joonyer]

When I was a kid in the early 60's my Mom decided to get one of the then-popular silver aluminum trees with the revolving color wheel light. It was the coolest thing ever! I wish she had kept it, I have no idea when it got thrown out, but now I wish I still had one, just for the retro-coolness of it all.

When my kids were little we had a live tree every year for a while until we started traveling to Grandma's house out-of state on Christmas Eve and staying for week. Didn't feel safe leaving a drying-out tree in the house for a week and I sure as heck wasn't going to the trouble of taking it down on Christmas Eve, so we switched to the real-looking artificial pre-lit ones. But Grandma has passed on now and the kids are almost grown so maybe we'll switch back to a live tree this year.

Or maybe I'll get us a brand new shiny aluminum one, with a color wheel. We'll be the envy of our neighborhood! :D

[Carol]

Artificial
We like real trees better, but we had them fall over 3 years in row and that was the end of that.

You need to find a tree farm that has the Pin Style Stand Strait Tree Stand. They drill the hole right there and you cannot tip the tree over and, best of all, no adjusting the tree for straightening.

Trust me. We have 5 cats and last year was the first year we didn't have to wire the tree to the wall.

Easy - Peasy. :pine:

http://www.sheerlundforests.com/stands.html

[buzznwoodysmom]

I grew up with real trees for Christmas. It was a big deal, and my parents (mostly my mom) made a big production out of picking out just the right one, yada, yada, yada.

Once I got married DH couldn't tolerate a real tree. Allergies....he'll sneeze his head off all day every day with a real tree in the house. So we have an artificial pre lit tree. We are probably on our 2nd or 3rd one in the 13 years we've been married.

Part of me is sad that my kids will never get the experience of picking out a real tree like I did growing up. But, I have to admit a fake tree is much easier to deal with.

DH says if we ever go on vacation for Christmas to a place we can stay in a cabin in the snow we can try to do a real tree there. He'll deal with his allergies for a week on vacation, just not the entire holiday season at home. :tree:

[Mickey'sGirl]

When I was a kid in the early 60's my Mom decided to get one of the then-popular silver aluminum trees with the revolving color wheel light. It was the coolest thing ever! I wish she had kept it, I have no idea when it got thrown out, but now I wish I still had one, just for the retro-coolness of it all.

Or maybe I'll get us a brand new shiny aluminum one, with a color wheel. We'll be the envy of our neighborhood! :D

My Nana had one of those! My sister and I were just reminiscing about it! My other Grandma had a white one that made us think of a toilet brush!

[barnaby]

You need to find a tree farm that has the Pin Style Stand Strait Tree Stand. They drill the hole right there and you cannot tip the tree over and, best of all, no adjusting the tree for straightening.

Trust me. We have 5 cats and last year was the first year we didn't have to wire the tree to the wall.

Easy - Peasy. :pine:

http://www.sheerlundforests.com/stands.html
I will check that out, thanks.

One of the trees fell on us while we were sleeping on a pull out bed in our living room. :D

[kakn7294]

We have an artificial tree - pre-lit and weighing a ton! I can't have a real tree due to my allergies but I like the look and ease of care of an artificial tree anyway. Ours needs replaced though as some of the bulbs have burned out, branches are looking scraggly, and it's dusty and covered in cat hair on the lower branches so not good for the allergies either. On the down side to an artificial tree, it has to be stored somewhere and I hate reshaping it every year, but on the plus side, it's always the same size, no bugs, no need to water, and the lights are already attached. I'd really like an LED one - lower energy cost and the lights are supposed to last longer.

[princessgirls]

I do hang a fresh pine wreath on my front door, that I buy faithfully every year from the Boy Scouts... every time I open the door, I get a whiff of the pine!!!


Works for me, with my beloved pre-lit fake tree!!!!

Julie:mickey:

[MizMissy]

Live! A 12 foot Frasier Fir sits outside my house right now waiting for the limbs to drop a little before trying to wrestle it inside the door!

My DH insists on it. I love it also, even though my allergies do not. However, my allergies do not love my pups and they still sleep inside my house, too. My mom and in-laws have pre-lit trees and my kids comment how depressing it would be if we couldn't have a real tree ... yes, their daddy have brainwashed them. DH puts on the lights and I decorate it with help from DS (who LOVES all aspects of Christmas) while DD watches.

[MelissaW]

My Nana had one of those! My sister and I were just reminiscing about it! My other Grandma had a white one that made us think of a toilet brush!

So I just discovered this thread. I always insisted on a live tree for the early years of our marriage, but finally after 4 consecutive years of the tree falling over due to dogs, crooked trunk, just plan hugeness and wires and bolts not staying in our This Old House plaster walls any longer, we opted for an artificial. Plus when my DH was deployed to Iraq that final year, I decided I wouldn't be able to handle hauling in the tree and setting it up all by myself. So for me its artificial and pre-lit (although after 7 years, this year the last of the lights did not light, so now we have a 7 foot pre-lit tree with 10 strands of lights on it in addition to all of the bulbs that are unlit! :blush: But, long story short...too late... I remember the color wheel aluminum trees. My grandma had one that was only 3 feet tall. She always put it on the coffee table of their super tiny living room. So whenever we were over there over the holidays, this tree blocked the view of each other from every vantage point. So we basically spent Christmas Eve trying to rubber neck around the Christmas tree in the middle of the room! Oh and it also spun around to Christmas tunes. It is truly a great (albeit goofy) memory!!! :santa3:

[Dsnygirl]

:pine: Real, real, definitely real! And we go the Frasier Fir route, as well... besides being allergic to pine needles (but not fir needles... weird, no??) we love how the Frasiers last and are so easy to decorate... we have a favorite place that has awesomely wonderful trees, and although it's a bit of a drive, the kids love it and look forward to it every year. :pine:

I grew up with an artificial tree - and I'll admit, it was beautiful... my mom did a great job, and it was before the days of pre-lit trees, so she did the lights it a really cool way - all the way into the tree, so the whole thing was lit up.

But - she was also VERY particular in how the tree was done, because it WAS artificial and had been expensive - and we never forgot it... and as kids, were never allowed to touch it (or help decorate it? Not even close!!) Even as adults, she gets aggravated if we touch ornaments. :rolleyes:

So, when we had kids, I decided to go a completely different route... my DH had grown up with real trees, and we started the tradition again... and I have to say I love it. (and Natalie, the place we go "shakes out" the tree, so no critters, etc... ;)) The girls help pick it, help put it up, help decorate... very fun.

All that being said? We also have an artificial one in our back "play room", aka 2nd family room... different colored lights on that one... and two tall vases full of "curly branch" vines that stand 5 feet tall, and also get lights... so I guess maybe we're a bit of everything?? :blush:

(and I feel for you guys that have allergies... I had to bring 25 wreaths in to work yesterday that my DD11's dance team sold to raise money... just about put one of the girls out of commission with her sneezing, and we had to close the doors 'til she left for the day. :( Can totally see why the whole "live" thing would NOT be fun!! ;))

[Kenny1113]

I love live trees, but every year we do our artificial tree (Pre-lit).

I bought it several years ago after being sick and tired of paying $50+ for a Charlie Brown looking Tree. :( No, the artificial tree is not ideal. But like others have said it is a little easier. Best of all when I forget an ornament (I always forget to remove at least one :blush: ) I get it back next year, instead of sending it to the dump.

[MNNHFLTX]

I used to love getting a real tree (the scent is divine!) But after moving back to Florida from New Hampshire many years ago, my husband and I got sticker shock from the price of buying a real tree in Florida, even for a mediocre one (let alone a Frasier). So we invested big bucks in a really nice artificial tree and it's served us well for 18 years. We talked about getting a new pre-lit one this year, but I'm feeling nostalgic about the old tree, so we'll use it again.

I can honestly say that the pros of an artificial tree outweigh the cons, at least for us. All the Christmases that we traveled up to see my family in Minnesota we never had to worry about a tree drying out. And I do not miss the needles dropping! I also use wall outlet scents and/or candles to get that evergreen aroma. :)

[Melanie]

I've loved, loved reading everyone's responses on this thread. Enlightening and informative, and just a pleasure reading everyone's traditions. :tree:

That said, please ignore my original post and let it be known we went and invested in another artificial tree. :blush: In the long run, it really is easier for us, and we have awesome storage in our new home and can literally just carry it down in sections to our storage room and leave it set up for next year. :thumbsup:

We also always have candles burning for that wonderful freshly cut tree scent. :pine:

[Dsnygirl]

We also always have candles burning for that wonderful freshly cut tree scent. :pine:

LOVE them, burn them even with the real tree in the house... even have the "Balsam" plug-ins from Bath & Body, although I do love their new Chestnut & Spice ones, as well...