Do You Really Want an Artificial Christmas Tree?

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Decorating Your Home with an Artificial Christmas Tree

These are stories from two completely different people on why to buy an artificial Christmas tree and why NOT to purchase one for this holiday season. You can read and make your decision before you decorate your home.  

When I was young, we went to the woods behind our house each holiday season just after Thanksgiving and cut our live Christmas tree - dragged it back to the living room, trimmed it and decorated with some store bought and some homemade ornaments. Now, it's mostly artificial. Here are two tales of artificial Christmas trees to consider.

The songs we sing

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Hey, who can ever get sick of that tune? It's a classic. Your mom and dad sang it to you when you were still in diapers.

Okay, please tell me I'm right here, because my parents sang that thing over and over. Anyway, as you already know, that wonderful Christmas season is on the way.

What are your holiday plans?

Although it may seem like we just did the holiday thing, it is right upon us once more. Time flies folks. So, what are you doing for this uplifting and gleeful Christmas season?

Are you sticking around the old homestead and decking it out with millions of lights, statues, props, and nativity scenes? This sounds like a blast. Maybe you can finally beat that neighbor's dazzling array.

Live or artificial Christmas tree? Read all and then decide

When it comes to Christmas, the tree is always a big deal. Do you even know the reason we prop a decorated tree up in our living rooms? In all honesty it has nothing to do with Christianity like many people assume.

In fact, it might even be related back to the pagans but Christians took the holiday and decided to celebrate Christmas on December 25th. Christ was most likely born in the Spring. Okay, you probably didn't want to hear that, but it is a tradition worth checking into to satisfy your curiosity. But, that is another story. Let's get back to the tree.

Regardless, we all love to get that tree up and decorated each and every year. I think many of us have it up by the beginning of December. What can we say? We love the holidays.

Tree preferences - To each his / her own

Personally I prefer an artificial Christmas tree. Now, I know what you're thinking. How could I possibly prefer a fake decoration over the real deal? Well, it comes down to a few basic things.

• you don't have to deal with the yearly routine of going out and paying a high price for a tree that's going to die soon.
• you don't have to deal with cleanup when you have an artificial Christmas tree.
• you don't have to dispose of the tree after Christmas is done
• an artificial Christmas T]tree is less likely to catch on fire.

Ah ha, you didn't think of that one did you?

Now, the second story - A bit less controversial

We live in Minnesota. There are many tree farms in the central portion of the state due to the sandy soil. It is a tradition with many people to spend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon searching for the perfect Christmas tree and cutting it down.

The tree farms add to the economy of the state. Christmas trees are one of the leading exports from our state. Because we want to support our local tree farmers and because trees are very reasonably priced, we have always had a live tree for the holidays.

More convenient

In the last few years we have been discussing how much simpler it would be to have an artificial Christmas tree. It would mean no longer having the messy clean up that needs to be done when the tree is brought in and taken out of the house. It would also mean that every year the tree would fit the space that we have for it.

Artificial tree improvement

The manufacturers have vastly improved on the way the artificial Christmas tree looks.

Is it live or ..

My sister purchased one last year and I had to feel the branches before I knew that it was not a real tree. She did have to pay a great deal for the artificial Christmas tree, but she bought it during the prime season.

Shopping for trees - Look for discounts in price

If you look for specials after the holidays you can usually find them discounted. You can also purchase the artificial Christmas tree that is pre-lit, this would really cut down on the work, however I would be concerned about having the bulbs burn out.

There are replacement bulbs available but you never know when they are going to take these bulbs off the market and then you are stuck with a tree that does not have its full lights on. And, we all know that a Christmas tree needs to shine!

This holiday will be different

After taking out our Christmas tree last year and cleaning up the needles from the carpet, we decided that we would invest in an artificial Christmas tree for this year.

Buying after Christmas

We checked several post season sales, but did not find a tree that we liked. We decided that we would try to get one at a preseason sale; this would also save us from having to store the tree over the summer.

Are we wishy-washy? No, just loyal to our tree farmers

This year the tree farms started airing commercials about how beneficial the tree farms are to the environment and also the states economy.

After hearing this commercial several times we decided that we would continue to support the local tree farmers and purchase a real tree. We will wait and get an artificial Christmas tree when we can no longer manage a real tree.

With that said, if you are determined to go the artificial route, then by all means get what you and your family want. Do your shopping early for the best selection. Here are a few ideas on ...

Where to find artificial Christmas trees

If you are looking for a nice Artificial Christmas Tree to celebrate this holiday season, then you may want to check out Lowe's or one of the other many home improvement stores. Also, K-Mart or Wal-Mart have large selections and good prices. These massive stores typically offer a variety.

Oh and don't forget that with an Artificial Christmas Tree you shouldn't have to buy one for next year either!

Baby Christmas Gifts