By Mel Lockcuff, Miss December 2014
When it comes to Christmas trees, it seems everyone has an opinion…as with so many things in life. Some people prefer an artificial tree, and others prefer real all the way. Over the years, we’ve kinda gone both ways. Some years we’ve preferred to put up our artificial tree; other years we’ve put up a real tree.
After going and picking up a real tree this year and starting to decorate it, I’m leaning more and more toward not going back to artificial. The memories this beautiful real tree has evoked are just so amazing. Sometimes in the busyness of life, it’s easy to forget what used to be…
May the Scent be with You
This is a given, but real trees smell so good. I can’t even tell you how many memories this scent brings back. Every time we walk in the living room, I feel like I’m back at Grandma’s house again. A real tree truly does provide such an amazing scent that fills a heart up with all sorts of holiday spirit.
Artificial trees don’t really smell…unless you hang some of those delightfully scented ornaments they have now…probably not the same, though.
Allergies
Scent brings me to my next point…Real trees can up the allergy factor, something I didn’t realize until a friend commented and told me so. Her family can’t enjoy real trees due to allergies. What a bummer but definitely something to think about when trying to make that decision between real vs. artificial.
Shaping
As I sat in our hotel room the other night, I had a random thought and realized that in getting a real tree, there would be no shaping required. Real tree for the win! Can I just say how much I despise shaping an artificial tree, garland, wreath, what have you? With real, there’s no shaping involved! It’s all naturally beautiful and already shaped the way it’s supposed to be. This is a game changer for me.
The Experience
Ok, so you could go and have an amazing experience picking up an artificial tree, especially if you find a great deal…or it may be fun just digging it out of the attic every year. However, the experience of going to pick out a real tree probably can’t be matched, whether you go to a tree farm, a nursery, or a tree lot. There’s just something magical about exploring the trees together, waiting to find that one tree that everyone loves and can’t wait to take home. It almost feels like you’re picking out another part of the family to share Christmas with…maybe that’s just in my crazy Christmas mind. But there really is something special about picking out a tree, loading it on top of the car, tying it down, and getting it home, setting it all up. And if it’s snowing? Well, that’s just an added bonus.
Affordability/Frugality
A good artificial tree will save you money in the long run because you don’t have to buy a tree every year. That’s one reason we stuck with artificial for quite a few years; we just didn’t want to spend precious funds on a tree that we’d have up for maybe a month. This is definitely something to think about when trying to decide. If you have land and can cut your own, though…that’s a definite option for having real.
So, what do you think? Does your family prefer real or fake? I’m a little biased in that I love real. In fact, I forgot how much I love a real tree until we picked up our tree this year. The scent alone makes me want to keep a tree in the house all year long…too bad Christmas only comes once a year.
I’ve always loved real trees because they smell so good! Now it’s just a family tradition. 🙂
They do smell so good! That scent brings back so many memories.
We have gotten a real one for the past few years, but I could go either way.
I was really against a real tree when my husband mentioned it last year. All I could think about was the mess and maintenance. Since we have an 8 month old and we are creating our family traditions I went along with it. I’m actually really surprised that I like having a real tree. The setup was less, the smell is wonderful, and there is really no mess at all since I water it religiously. We went to a tree lot in Fayetteville and hope to go to an actual tree farm next year.
Monica, so happy you’ve had such a wonderful experience. We’re loving having a real tree this year for the first time in a long time.
I had a real tree growing up until I hit the teenage years and my parents just decorated a tiny fake one. I do remember loving the smell, but I always HATED stringing the lights. My family has had an artificial tree now that is pre-lit. It is the best — I get all of the fun part of decorating without having to deal with the lights. If we ever have a better place to put our tree, we may go with a real one, but for now artificial for the win!
Yavonda, good point on the lights, lol. I bet your tree is beautiful! I do love the smell of a real tree, though.