Real or fake?

Do you prefer real or fake Christmas trees?

Ive only had artificial trees for my son's room. He always wants lots of color and themed stuff and stinking tinsel stuff that the cats make a mess with. Growing up we always went to the Christmas tree farm walked around for 2+ hours drinking hot chocolate until we found one we all agreed on. A week before Christmas we would go get it and decorate as a family. I followed that little tradition until my son no longer believed which is when I started doing the Yule tree. I always decorate a small oak in the yard with fruits and berries and other natural ornaments. The inside tree is decorated with the same stuff just on a smaller scale. I literally start getting acorns, pine cones, sweet gumballs, sticks, I dehydrate the fruit and make garlands with cranberries. Then I make a big sun every year to hang in the outside tree. We have a little winter solstice ceremony and after Christmas what hasn't fallen off the tree I take down and burn with sage and rosemary bundles. Easy clean up and its all natural.we used to do the 10 ft trees but that's just too much tree so now I try not to go over 6ft. My sons tree is artificial 4 ft. We take the ornaments off and leave everything else, put big bags on it and it goes to the barn in one trip still assembled. I love decorating but I hate undecorating.

It's got to be real for me, but I don't have one anymore as I got fed up of the cat knocking it over every night. We usually go to my daughters for xmas now and he knocks hers over every night instead.

I hate seeing dried up real Christmas trees so mark me down for artificial please. But, they aren't fake. They are very real just like all the people inside my head that keep telling me Chistmas is coming. Ha! ha!

I prefer real, but NOT cut down. We always used to get potted trees and then we would plant them after Christmas.

That said, my kid has severe allergies, so we have to use fake now.

Awww, ****. I was just reading the ‘What made you smile thread?’ and @randomguy’s response about boobies and figured this was on the same subject. . . Oh well.

Anyway, Christmas trees? Fake. Just easier all-round and discarded, dried-up Christmas trees tossed out at the end of the season make me feel sad. We do go out and pick fresh pine boughs for garlands though.

ringwood said:

Awww, ****. I was just reading the ‘What made you smile thread?’ and @randomguy’s response about boobies and figured this was on the same subject. . . Oh well.

Anyway, Christmas trees? Fake. Just easier all-round and discarded, dried-up Christmas trees tossed out at the end of the season make me feel sad. We do go out and pick fresh pine boughs for garlands though.

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Haha I was thinking the same thing, shows where our minds are

I also agree about the fake trees - they look almost as good, are less messy, can be re-used year after year, and are cleaner, and you don't have to worry about your ornaments getting dirty, or lost in the branches and accidentally throwing them away.

They also don't usually have random sharp branches and sticks in there to poke you, and you also don't have to worry about accidentally bringing bugs into your home. I guess that puts me decidedly on Team Fake Trees

I like mini fake trees because they're good for allergies. And they don't shed. Plus I'm not big on pine smells.

I've only ever had fake ones.

I always wanted to have that cozy-winter-drinking-hot-chocolate-looking-for-trees to bring home at the tree farm, but it never happened. Real cozy though.

also, I've heard people complain up and down about the real ones being a mess/and possibly harmful to your pets? don't know the accuracy of that, just tidbits I've read online.

But yeah..fakes ones. Boooo

threejewels said:

I've only ever had fake ones.

I always wanted to have that cozy-winter-drinking-hot-chocolate-looking-for-trees to bring home at the tree farm, but it never happened. Real cozy though.

also, I've heard people complain up and down about the real ones being a mess/and possibly harmful to your pets? don't know the accuracy of that, just tidbits I've read online.

But yeah..fakes ones. Boooo

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They can be messy. As far as the being harmful, it could be the flocking maybe. Im sure once I start looking I will discover all sorts of no-nos that my vet would love to shame me for.

The retail manager in me hates them both.
Real Christmas trees do look cool when they're on fire though.

Lonely girl 28 said:

I like mini fake trees because they're good for allergies. And they don't shed. Plus I'm not big on pine smells.

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Yeah that's very true

threejewels said:

I've only ever had fake ones.

I always wanted to have that cozy-winter-drinking-hot-chocolate-looking-for-trees to bring home at the tree farm, but it never happened. Real cozy though.

also, I've heard people complain up and down about the real ones being a mess/and possibly harmful to your pets? don't know the accuracy of that, just tidbits I've read online.

But yeah..fakes ones. Boooo

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Yes real Christmas trees are very messy.

threejewels said:

I've only ever had fake ones.

I always wanted to have that cozy-winter-drinking-hot-chocolate-looking-for-trees to bring home at the tree farm, but it never happened. Real cozy though.

also, I've heard people complain up and down about the real ones being a mess/and possibly harmful to your pets? don't know the accuracy of that, just tidbits I've read online.

But yeah..fakes ones. Boooo

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Yes...they can be harmful to cats. Its the oils, resin and sap that can be toxic to cats. Then there's the issue of the needles if swallowed can cause problems with the soft tissue of the throat and mouth. Also, the danger of the cat climbing the tree and possibly being injured by any broken ornaments. Oh and the fertilizer used to maintain the trees may be toxic to animals. Maybe this year I will just throw some lights on my house plants.

Claudia1794 said:

Yes...they can be harmful to cats. Its the oils, resin and sap that can be toxic to cats. Then there's the issue of the needles if swallowed can cause problems with the soft tissue of the throat and mouth. Also, the danger of the cat climbing the tree and possibly being injured by any broken ornaments. Oh and the fertilizer used to maintain the trees may be toxic to animals. Maybe this year I will just throw some lights on my house plants.

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The lights are a good idea. I'm low maintenance myself.

NoxApex(N/A) said:

The retail manager in me hates them both.
Real Christmas trees do look cool when they're on fire though.

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Like literally on fire or with lights on it?

Lonely girl 28 said:

Like literally on fire or with lights on it?

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Lile literally on fire.
They burn super wildly.
It looks cool. Here's a demonstration.

NoxApex(N/A) said:

Lile literally on fire.
They burn super wildly.
It looks cool. Here's a demonstration.

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That poor chair...

Lonely girl 28 said:

That poor chair...

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I think it was a prop.
It's a demonstration for fire retardant spray to prevent things like the tree on the right from happening which is an untreated tree.

But yeah, they flare up quick and go all wild, it's cool.

If I had to choose I guess it would be fake as they're less hassle. I remember my parents got a real one years ago, and after a week or so it dumped all the bristles all over the floor, caused a right mess.