<p>I know this will send shudders down some people’s spines, but we are seriously considering NOT having a tree this year. My H does not want one for various reasons having to do with tree-killing and over consuming. Sigh. I definitely do not want an artificial one. I do love looking at our tree every year, but to be honest, it’s a bit of a chore. I do have a large cactus I’m thinking of hanging ornaments on! Has anyone found a festive substitute?</p>
<p>I am wondering if my allergies are related to the live trees I have ,or just the fact that I have to use the forced hot air heat as it has gotten colder ( was at a party at our local community college’s culinary school last night and it really set me off )
I have at times , decorated Norfolk Island Pines that I have for year round plants. Pretty , but not quite the same.
I have two small trees in the house right now that we had for our neighborhood holiday party over the weekend…I kind of feel the same way as you do regarding the " real tree " that we are supposed to put up with all of the family ornaments, but I don’t want to disappoint the kids</p>
<p>I think if you consider the number of years you might enjoy an artificial tree the issue of over-consuming could probably be addressed equally well by cutting back in other ways. I try to live responsibly, but I cannot imagine not having a Christmas tree. In the past I could not have contemplated an artificial tree but now that our kids are older and it is likely that we’ll be the ones traveling for Christmas I am starting to consider it. The pre-lit artificial trees are pretty easy to deal with; some friends just put theirs up and are thinking they might not bother with ornaments. The light cast by the tree in a dark room is a part of Christmas that I would not want to do without.</p>
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<p>I was actually discussing something like this with my girlfriend the other night. I remember reading a while back that the rate at which a tree sucks up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is greatest when the tree is young. I know there were tree farms near where I grew up, and they replant these things every year, so could it actually be better to chop these suckers down every few years?</p>
<p>Anyway, I’ve always liked a sturdy aluminum pole. I find the tinsel on a traditional tree distracting.</p>
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<p>Festivus for the rest of us? ;)</p>
<p>^hahahaha</p>
<p>What about a small, live tree, that you replant somewhere outdoors after the holidays end?</p>
<p>I thought of that (“balled and burlapped”), too, but talk about a chore . . .</p>
<p>We always had a real tree up until a couple of years ago. We visited a tree farm every year and chopped down our tree. It was a family tradition and event and we all went and made an afternoon of it then all back to our house for dinner and an evening of decorating. As the kids got older, it became more and more difficult to find a day that was good for everyone. It took a lot of the fun out of the tradition when it was a hassle getting everyone together. I admit that I also complained about cleaning up the needles in early January when taking the tree down. Of course, I was the one who had to do that. So, a couple of years ago, I said enough is enough, I’m ordering an artificial tree and I did, not only one but two! </p>
<p>I love them. They’re prelit, easy to assemble and I don’t have to water them every day. We can put them up early if that works best and take them down late, without having to worry about them losing their needles. I never wanted an artificial tree either but if you get a good quality one, they’re beautiful.</p>
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<p>I agree, 1moremom! Such a beautiful sight.</p>
<p>We have a beautiful fake tree prelit…easy to assemble, and doesn’t shed or need watering. I love it. DH hates it. I’m going to try to convince him to get a giant poinsettia plant pot this year instead of a cut down real tree. We spent $75 on a tree last year and it was a sorry sight (because we got it the weekend right before Christmas). Personally I think a live poinsettia and the beautiful fake tree should be quite festive. We would put the large poinsettia in our family room and the tree in the living room. Sounds perfect to me.</p>
<p>We have always had artificial trees because of allergies-- though those artificial trees attract dust like nobody’s business and I am allergic to them, too, you have to get clever with storage to avoid that. We recently got a pre-lit one, our second tree in 20 years. Not sure what’s less wasteful than that. My mom has a fake palm tree she decorates as well just for fun.</p>
<p>I am one that can’t imagine going without seeing the room lit up by the tree, too. If you’re not going to have a tree I am not sure what kind of “substitute” you will find that will really do it justice and not just look silly. If I were going to go without I would decorate the house and forget about it, forgoing a substitute tree.</p>
<p>I have friends who just use one of their large potted plants. I don’t think it looks silly. Though I do love a real Christmas tree - the way it looks and the way it smells. One year in my childhood (in Somalia) we used green ribbons on a flagpole tacked in a circle to a plywood table top. Another year my mother used a bookshelf. She put green paper in a Christmas tree shape behind the shelves and we put the ornaments on the shelves.</p>
<p>We have a real tree I keep on my deck in a pot all year and wheel in around this time of year. We used one tree for somewhere over 10 years until it was so root bound it was pretty much done. By then the 6" tree we had gotten a few years before was now maybe 4 or 5 feet tall so we use that one now. It’s low maintenance and takes all of 3 minutes or so to ‘get it’ and put it in place. It’s ‘green’ in that we’re not cutting trees (although I think almost all of them are grown on farms nowadays) and it’s living and breathing. It’s a bit of a Charlie Brown tree but we like it - I consider it ‘unique’.</p>
<p>We have not been able to put up a tree for the last 7-8 years because we were going out of town over the holidays. I have this lovely, dried grapevine thing that my m-i-l gave me that we put lights and a few decorations on. Maybe 3’ tall. Kind of circular as you look down on it but definitely tree-shaped from the side. Can sit on a table, or a piano, or outside on the porch. I would never be able to bring myself to put up a fake tree, but this is more a piece of art. (She also gave me a pretty cool, smaller, artsy white wooden thing that is a cute Christmas tree. I use it as a centerpiece on the dining room table.)</p>
<p>You could also buy a potted evergreen tree and decorate it and then plant it after the holidays.</p>
<p>We had a live tree for 20 years, we bought artificial, pre lit - two years ago - best move we have made. It’s beautiful, easy, no shedding, no watering, no “bad spot” to hide, cheaper … can’t believe it took us so long to make the switch!</p>
<p>I did the potted Norfolk pine for years with fairy lights and some of the ornaments the kids made in nursery school.</p>
<p>I liked it.</p>
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<p>All the same arguments could be made for replacing your lawn with astroturf. But for me the fake just ain’t as good as real. I’m sticking with a real tree until I’m too old and feeble to put it up.</p>
<p>I’ve done the fake tree too, but it just lost its appeal for me after a few years. I also have allergies, which was why we got the fake tree in the first place, but since I missed the real tree experience, I just dosed myself with claritin. I completely agree that there’s nothing like a lit Christmas tree, especially on Christmas Eve. I guess there really isn’t an alternative to something that’s symbolic in nature. I think I’ll go work on my H.</p>
<p>If there were artificial trees that felt and smelled like the real deal, I’d do it. As it is, I have a hard time getting in the winter holiday spirit here in south Texas. It’s just too warm and sunny. So a real tree is a must.</p>
<p>Having said that, we did skip putting up a tree for the past few years because we spend Christmas day at a friend’s house a few blocks over and they really deck the halls. In the days before Christmas, I would take out the presents and stack them up on our coffee table. All the different wrapping papers looked very pretty and festive.</p>
<p>I grew up with fake trees (due to a parent’s allergy) and honestly because of that I never really saw what’s so special about a real tree. It’s the decorations and lights that make the tree, not the branches.</p>
<p>For 20+ years we had a great artificial tree. Every few years we left it in the box and got a real tree. </p>
<p>Unfortunately we downsized last Spring and got rid of the tree and most of the lights and decorations. We had planned on having the house sold and being on the road as full time RVers. That is not going to happen until February at the earliest. </p>
<p>So my wife bought another cheap artificial tree complete with lights. It is pretty hard to mess with tradition.</p>