<p>I love a fresh Christmas tree, but my daughter mentioned she didn’t like the idea of having a tree dying in our house for a month, and she has a point. We’re actually going to have two trees this year, so I thought it a good year to hunt for a good-looking artificial tree. Any brands you’d recommend (or not)? Easy to put up and take down is important, too. Do you recommend the pre-lighted kind?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>I actually found a really nice prelit one at Target last year. I like a fresh tree, too, but I was getting so tired of putting up the lights and then watching the needles fall for weeks. I kept threatening to buy a fake one and I’m so glad I did. We got the top of the line, as the cheaper ones were either to sparse or a weird color of green.</p>
<p>I want a fake one, but the family has voted me down. They view it a sacrilige. We loved cutting them down at tree farms for years, but have been too busy for the last few. The nice quality real trees at the local nursery are about $100. If you want a good fake tree, it pays for itself in a few years.</p>
<p>We have had a potted Norfolk Pine Tree for years which has been quite serviceable (and easy).</p>
<p>Fake sounds so crappy…so I have an artificial tree 
due to allergies, we don’t have a real tree, even though I used to go through the pain of putting one up and walking around sneezing and getting hives from decorating one.
I’ve finally given up and bought the “fake” one.</p>
<p>Don’t know where you live or if you have a yard that will accept a tree, but I highly recommend buying a balled (or potted if you must) tree in the fall (Colorado Blue Spruce are the best in my opinion because they are easy to find and look right) and a good wheeled base (simply made with plywood and wheels bought at home improvement center).</p>
<p>If you get the balled tree, you must find a suitable water tight container to keep it in (lots of options here), but they usually survive transplant better than a rootbound potted tree. If you get the potted tree, a simple tray underneath it on the wheeled platform will keep the water from ruining things.</p>
<p>Now, if you are in a cold climate (north of the Ohio River) where the nighttime low temperature is typically below 32 at night, you can only bring the tree inside for about 1 week to 10 days or risk it thinking it is spring and starting its new season’s growth.</p>
<p>If you live in a more temperate climate, 2 weeks is fine if the tree is near a window with direct sunlight.</p>
<p>If you live where the ground freezes, dig your planting hole before Thanksgiving and cover it with plywood, fastened to the ground.</p>
<p>The wheeled base is necessary because they are heavy. Be careful rolling it over door threshholds, where wheels can trip.</p>
<p>After Christmas, give it at least 2 days in an outdoor protected area (don’t want to freeze the rootball) or in your garage before planting in the hole you dug.</p>
<p>The result is a tree that smells as good as any tree you cut yourself and one that isn’t killed in the process. And your yard gets a tree.</p>
<p>If you must go artificial though, I highly recommend the prelit trees. They generally do a good job stringing them and the lights last about as long as the tree (3-5 years).</p>
<p>Now why would you want to put an American farmer out of business?</p>
<p>we used to do real trees, however we had a dog that would always lick the water out of the base, so we invested in an artificial tree and have been using that since. Last year we purchased a second tree (a white one) for use in the kitchen as my mom’s ‘eagles tree’ which she loads with all of her eagles ornaments. It was quite humerous. (she’s probably the biggest eagles fan i know)</p>
<p>i also have a 2 foot artificial tree on my desk at work which i have lights and ornaments on. it’s pretty cute.</p>
<p>
You can buy a new tree every year just like you cut one down every year. You will just live in a forest sooner. Or donate them to a local park.</p>
<p>Now putting the 3rd world artificial tree farmer out of business, that is a problem.</p>
<p>I hope I never have to get a fake tree. I’d miss the lovely pine smell that a real tree provides. Spraying around some fake pine scent to go with the fake tree just doesn’t cut it. If I ever get too old and decrepit to put a real tree, I’ll probably switch to having no tree.</p>
<p>We had to get an artificial tree because our golden retriever would tug at and eat the branches; it’s a miracle he didn’t break any ornaments. The downside is our artificial tree sheds more than he does. In high school I seasonally worked at [Peppermint</a> Forest](<a href=“http://www.peppermintforest.com/]Peppermint”>http://www.peppermintforest.com/), so my family really got into Christmas. :rolleyes:</p>
<p>We actually have two trees because we have so many ornaments. :o One is a 6’ [slim</a> tree](<a href=“http://www.peppermintforest.com/trees_slim.shtml]slim”>http://www.peppermintforest.com/trees_slim.shtml) and the other is a 7’ [trim</a> tree](<a href=“http://www.peppermintforest.com/trees_trim.shtml]trim”>http://www.peppermintforest.com/trees_trim.shtml). We also have a 2’ feather tree for Old World ornaments.</p>
<p>Some stores sell a sort of body bag that you can zip your tree up in if you have the space to store it in one piece. Assembling and fluffing it doesn’t take much time, though.</p>
<p>Happy with my fake tree? very. it takes a bit to assemble, but its part of the xmas tradition. 3 points-</p>
<ol>
<li>looks real, and is made to look like a very nice tree- no deformities from nature</li>
<li>only pay for it once, no hauling huge tree bak and forth, no annoying needles to clean up, no disgusting sap- smell can be a bit much.</li>
<li>Fire resistant- watch the beautiful tree, go to bed ez knowing house wont light up.</li>
</ol>
<p>Our fam. decided to go ahead with the fake tree and we’ve had it for years now- looks as good as ever- we store it in a long box in the basement with the rest of the christmas stuff</p>
<p>sushi: I have way more experience than I would like with artificial trees. We have had an artificial one for about 15 years because I have allergies. Real trees are TERRIBLE if you have anyone with allergies to anything. They are full of mold and all sorts of bad stuff, even if you aren’t specifically allergic to trees.</p>
<p>So, here is what I have learned over the years with my artificial trees. I have had three artificial trees. The first two were way too big and I gave those away. The third one is a slim tree–I definitely recommend that. The others are too big around the bottom unless you have a huge space. I have a tall one (about 9 ft.) but I wish now I had gotten a smaller one. I put my own lights on the tree and wired them on so they can stay on. The tree is in three sections that come apart and the branches fold in. Get that kind; don’t get one that you have to put together with separate branches. If you get the kind in sections, you can put the lights on each section with all the cords coming out and down one side in the back. Then you put the sections together, plug the cords in your power strip and you are set. It’s worth the time to get the lights on right and then never have to do that job again. I fold the tree sections in and store them in my basement storage room.</p>
<p>I didn’t buy the prelighted kind because I was afraid those lights would wear out. This way I can replace the lights if I ever have to.</p>
<p>We always get a real tree for a fullsize tree. We also have 2 artificial table- top trees that I use as “theme trees.” One year I hosted both a quilt bee and an alumnae sorority function. One theme tree had sewing-related ornaments as well as a measuring tape and spools of thread. The other had owl, key and fleur-de-lis ornaments since those were the symbols of my GLO.</p>
<p>Any brands or materials that make an artificial tree with a really natural look? How much should I expect to pay for a top of the line 6 ot 7 foot tree? I’d sort of like an artificial tree, but have memories of nasty looking ones from my apartment days.</p>
<p>For years, we had real trees, but I got tired of maintaining it. DH does not enjoy decorating the tree, so DD and I were always left to string the lights, put on the ornaments, keep the tree watered, remove the ornaments and lights after Christmas, etc. Although we have a tree skirt, there were always pine needles to pick up and I just generally became tired of it all. Last year, we purchased a beautiful pre-lit artificial tree from Hobby Lobby. It’s a 7 1/2 foot tree and is very easy to set up. The lights (we chose clear) are beautiful and the branches are very full. We burn a pine-scented candle and visiting family members thought the tree was real. We got the tree on sale for 1/2 price and I believe it came to just a smidge over $200. When you consider we were paying anywhere from $80 - $100 per year for a real tree, I feel like that was a bargain.</p>
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<p>A natural look hard to achieve because the fake trees look “too good” – perfectly symetrical and every branch perfectly placed, with no odd shapes or bare patches that are part of the charm of a real tree.</p>
<p>bookie - i’m the same way with allergies. i could be around the real trees in like ‘short bursts’ of time - but not for any considerable amount. i remember getting up christmas morning and taking allergy medicine before going into the living room.</p>
<p>I remember one year we had a real tree and when we put it in the stand my mom stepped back to look at it and the next thing we knew it fell over and was laying on top of her on the floor. I just about fell over from laughing.</p>
<p>One advantage to an artificial tree I forgot to mention- it has bendable branches! This is a real benefit if you have heavy ornaments or if you’re trying to artistically arrange garlands.</p>
<p>Last year, we went to Paradise (and had dinner with cheers and her H) and got back less than a week before Christmas. We tried to find a real tree and called within a radius of 100 miles. There were NONE left! I’d never heard of such a thing. So we put up our big artificial tree. It was our first Christmas without a real tree…</p>
<p>We usually have several trees - one real one - usually about 6 feet high or so, and several smaller artificial ones around the house (too many collected ornaments - plus the lights look so good). And in our great room, we have these gigantic, high windows all around it. So about ten years ago, we bought a used 14-foot-high artificial tree. It’s very impressive and we could never have dealt with a real tree than big.</p>
<p>Anyway, no real tree last year, but we did get some pine garland for the smell. And you know what… I didn’t really miss the real tree…</p>
<p>…that much…</p>