<p>One year, when the kids were little, we were renting a house in the country. We had always, always had “real” trees, both of our families wouldn’t have been caught dead with a “fake” tree. We had read an article about how flammable Christmas trees are, so we decided to burn ours in the field behind our house, just to see. Holy balls of fire, Batman! We threw a lit match on the tree and it practically exploded. It wasn’t particularly dry, we hadn’t had it up for more than two weeks, and had just taken it down. Scariest thing I’ve ever seen. Got a fake tree the next year.</p>
<p>I just ordered an artificial tree from Costco after several years of real trees. Kids are away at school and I want the tree set up with lights ready before they get home so we can decorate when we feel like it. We leave for a family reunion on the 26th and I don’t like the idea of leaving a live tree. So, this is the year to go back to artificial. </p>
<p>Bonus: lights can be changed from clear to multi-colored. My youngest has always wanted multi-colored lights and let’s say he was the only one. Now, with a tap of his foot, he can have it his way. Nice surprise for my freshman coming home for the first time. </p>
<p>[Costco</a> - 7.5’ LED Pre-lit Artificial Bayberry Spruce Tree Dual Light](<a href=“http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11646354&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|90608|3697|3701&N=4048821&Mo=13&No=4&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=3701&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&hierPath=90608*3697*3701*&topnav=]Costco”>http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11646354&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&eCat=BC|90608|3697|3701&N=4048821&Mo=13&No=4&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=3701&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-US&Sp=C&hierPath=90608*3697*3701*&topnav=)</p>
<p>Real tree family here. The kids are grown, so I have glanced at artificial trees. But the memories of us all going out to pick and cut our tree, haul it back home and decorate it, as a family as we always have (egg nog and all) makes the decision hard. Being a freshly cut tree meant little needle drop. (A newly cut tree is not much of a fire hazard. Just like you want seasoned wood, rather than newly cut, for your fireplace.) </p>
<p>Setting up an artificial tree and breaking it down seems like a lot of work compared to the real tree. Also, the fact that we also do not have much extra room for storage until we clear stuff out has me hesitating.</p>
<p>Where is Missypie? She decorates her home with a gazillion trees for Christmas.</p>
<p>Another real tree family. Cut it down and hauled it out of the tree farm near our house every year. Love the tradition, love the smell, so fresh we never had needle drop problems (we keep it up from around mid-December until January 6).</p>
<p>BUT… DS is 25 years old now, doesn’t live here and I did NOT love the light-stringing part of it (somehow that was always my job), nor the de-stringing.</p>
<p>I can’t bear the thought of buying and owning an aritifical tree. So… instead I have a great looking 2 1/2’ +_ metal/wire “tree” that goes on a table. Makes no pretense about being a real tree. On it hang my most beloved small ornaments. I do the rest of the house decorating as before - Santa collection, Angel collection, Nativity figures DS gave me as a gift one year, evergreen boughs with lights and some ornaments on stair rail, some tabletops, great centerpiece I put together myself…</p>
<p>We’re all happy. DS has never complained. When he and I are in the mood we put lights on some evergreens we have in the yard; when we’re not in the mood, we don’t.</p>
<p>We always had live trees until we started to travel around Christmas, about 8 years ago. Since then the artificial one works fine. It comes with lights on and is easy to set up. One year we put a Santa hat on top and called it a day. No one wanted to decorate it. Sounds a little scrooge-y but I’m just not that into it. The kids didn’t mind at all. Santa still came!</p>
<p>My family has always used artificial trees. You can buy them without the lights so that you can put your traditional Christmas lights on them. My family uses a different color scheme for the house and the tree every year, so we have different sets of lights.</p>
<p>We are still in the ‘real’ tree camp. It has been our tradition to go out together as a family to pick out the tree and we hope to continue that tradition for a few more years. My son, a freshmen in college, is looking forward to the day after Thanksgiving when we make the annual trek to the tree farm.</p>
<p>We usually leave it up until right after Christmas, then take it down before New Years. I absolutely don’t mind the needles on the ground, etc. It is all part of the tradition.</p>
<p>We used to love going the day after Thanksgiving and picking out a tree–always a huge one; our living room/foyer is open the full 2 stories. Every year though, H and I would end up in a fight trying to get it sturdy and upright in the stand. He was also paranoid about it drying out. </p>
<p>Finally I caved and bought an expensive real one w/ multi-colored lights. It’s pretty, it’s not the same, but it is easier not worrying about watering. Throwing the real one out the front door was easier than disassembling and storage. I do miss the big old- fashioned C9 colored lights and the smell.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1045671-christmas-tree-alternatives.html?highlight=artificial[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/1045671-christmas-tree-alternatives.html?highlight=artificial</a></p>
<p>This topic seems to come up every year!</p>
<p>I just had the 12’ artificial tree stored in my basement hauled away. I used it for a few years until some of the lower branches started sagging and entire sections of the lights failed. It was a monstrosity that had to be disassembled and stored, then picked and prodded to “fluff up” the squished tips. I grew to hate the thing. Now, I have a local family-run farm deliver a tree, place it in the stand and string the lights. All we do is decorate and water - much easier and even more beautiful. Afterward, we drag it down to the curb - the town picks them up and turns them into mulch.</p>
<p>We have an artificial tree because we put it up Thanksgiving weekend. December has always been so hectic so it is nice to have the relative calmness of Thanksgiving weekend to do all the holiday decorating. The tree is 15 years old and is starting to look a little sad. When I get a new one in a couple of years I think I’ll get a prelit tree. I enjoy putting the ornaments on but really hate dealing with the lights.</p>
<p>We had live trees for years and finally I tired of having the monthlong headache (allergies) and breaking out in hives when touching the tree. The kids didn’t mind at all. The artificial tree we have now is so nice its very hard to tell its not real.</p>
<p>artificial–oldest son has lots of allergies, so we started using artificial when he was a tiny tot. </p>
<p>i love that i can put up the tree early and then enjoy it for the whole month of december. with the time change and the early darkness, who doesn’t enjoy the light from a well-lit tree?</p>
<p>the tradition at our house was for the kids to put all the ornaments on the tree. they had such fun with that–and now, it is really hard for me to do it myself. i suppose the time will come that i remember those days fondly without being a little sad.</p>
<p>We actually have to replace our artificial tree that has been on life support for the last two years. I am at a loss as to what is worth paying for. Everything has changed since we bought our last one. I grew up with live/cut trees and reluctantly went to an artificial one after I married. Does anyone have one they really, really love and could provide a link? We need a 7.5" tree with clear lights.</p>
<p>We (ok, its mainly just me) are struggling with this decision. Our kids are now out of school and happily employed elsewhere. They will be home for several days around the 25th. However, unlike years past, they will not be here to pick out a tree, help put it in the stand, and decorate it. I have never been a fan of the actual decorating part. I usually leave when its being done and come back to the magic of a beautifully decorated tree. </p>
<p>Last year, I had to nag and nag H to go out and get a tree and put it up. I do ALL the other holiday chores and I was hoping he’d do his part cheerfully. He stalled and stalled until I was afraid we’d have no tree at all. </p>
<p>Without the kids around, its become more of a hassle. Maybe its time to go with a pre lit artificial tree (which we all vehemently opposed for years). However, they’re very expensive. Also, from what I’ve read in the reviews, they tend to be heavy, take a long time to set up, and lining up the lights can be a problem as well. </p>
<p>Maybe we’re just trading one hassle for another. Sigh…I feel like the Christmas curmudgeon.</p>
<p>@blueiguana,</p>
<p>We’ve had an artificial tree from Balsam Hill Tree Company for many years now. I didn’t post a link but I’m sure you can find them. Not the cheapest trees out there, but excellent quality and a great selection of tree species, sizes, and grades.</p>
<p>We started using artificial trees a number of years ago due to one daughter’s asthma/allergies. For the rest of our cat’s life we had to put a water dish under it because she’d been accustomed to drinking from the tree stand and had absolute fits when the fake tree’s stand was dry. Every year we waited until she hollared, just to see if she’d remember.</p>
<p>We use trees that are not prelit because then we can alternate between colored and white lights to keep both daughters happy. I add the lights from bottom up as I install the branches, so it’s not that big a pain in the butt.</p>
<p>We’ve always had real trees in our family. When I was growing up my parents had the ugliest artificial tree. It was flocked (which meant that there was fake white snow on the branches). The flocked trees seemed to be the rage in my working class suburb. The trees were usually decorated with ornaments of the same color–usually pink, purple, or green. As a kid I hated those trees and vowed never to have a fake tree.</p>
<p>I bought our tree many years ago, straight from a warehouse, so I don’t know the brand, etc. But when I have to replace it, I know I will look for hinged branches–they don’t detach from the “spine” of the tree at all. The tree comes apart in segments, which makes dealing with lights easier (now wired in place as I mentioned earlier), and has a strong base. </p>
<p>I actually have at least 3 trees in the house, sometimes 4. Plus an iron work tree that holds crystal ornaments. I love Christmas trees…every one of them is artifical. No allergy issues, no fire hazard. We’re happy.</p>