Artificial or Real Christmas Tree!?!?!
December 2, 2011 by Aimee • 15 Comments
Since 2006 when my photographer (hubby) forced me strongly encouraged us to buy an artificial tree {for the sake of marriage bliss} decking the halls has been a blast for the entire family! When the Christmas Decor came out of the attic my type A tendencies would take over. I’ll tell you a little story that nearly took us to the Big D and I don’t mean Dallas. (Not really, but just sayin’ it was BAD).
Granted we had Christmas Decorating spats prior, but when I was four months pregnant with Big B and in need of a little extra help they intensified! My photographer’s idea of a trip to the tree lot has always been, grab the first already netted tree, strap it to the car, drive home and make it beautiful with three strands of lights and a few hodge podge ornaments! Mine has always been a bit more OCD involved! I enjoy walking through a fancy tree lot farm, because their trees are BEAUTIFUL! But when I see the prices and the frugal side of me sets in I know in all seriousness we can’t swing it {granted I like to do this every year and I know it’s a little weird, but it goes under my definition of “fun” so don’t start totally siding with my photographer}. After admiring the beautiful trees we’d end up at Lowe’s Garden Center to actually buy our Christmas tree.
At Lowe’s, I had a reoccurring problem each year. Think think think…what did I tell myself to get this year!?! Oh yes, Douglas, no that’s what we got last year and it shed right away, what was it!?!? Frasier, yes, that’s it! Wait let me check again with my mother in law and make sure that’s what they always buy because ALWAYS love their tree!!! Once it’s narrowed down I like to remove the nets from at lease 5-6 trees and shake them a bit to see how the branches lie. Check for obvious bald spots, and of course check it’s height!!!
Were that the end of the story, we may still have a real Christmas tree, but in order to put the tree on the street for trash pickup following Christmas, the tree must be bare! In 2004, I was very pregnant with my second baby and needed help with destringing the tree! My photographer was more than willing to help strip the tree of its lights and drag it to the curb…until he saw what it entailed! He didn’t have an appreciation for my amazing ability to string lights thoroughly! After a few moments of frustration, he got out his wire cutters and began chopping the tree and the lights! His one goal was to get the tree de-lit so it would be picked up from the curb! He tossed all the torn up wires in the trash and shook his head in disbelief! The next year, guess what…I talked him into a real tree! Seriously, I did! He’s a sweetie that’s for sure! But, when the following Christmas came around and I was due in January with Baby #3, I knew it was my turn to give a little! We went artificial and SIX years later, every light on our beautiful Costco tree still glows! We may or may not go back, I’m just not sure. The simplicity definitely wins out at this stage of life, and surprisingly, I really think it’s pretty!
Artificial for sure!! No need to sneeze all through the Holidays!
We got a tree from Lowe’s (post-christmas sale) two years ago and love it.
LydiaYou’re so right! I think it’s been long enough now that he and I both don’t remember that part as much!
I bet you got yours for such a deal!
xo, Aimee
We actually do real every other year because we go to my in-laws out of state so the years we leave for Christmas we use our fake tree. Nothing tops a real tree! The smell…mmm.
BUT-I do hate the mess and the upkeep. And how expensive they are! Good luck
Ok, we have ALWAYS done real-my husband is like morally opposed to fake or something. Maybe he had some traumatic childhood experience or something-who knows. BUT, I convinced him to go fake this year and after it was all finished he looked at me with this stunned face, “whoa-that was REALLY easy.” I’m all, “told ya so.”
Thanks so much for linking up at my first ever party and helping make it a big success!
I’m allergic to real trees although I enjoy them I can’t live with one in my house. My OCD also works better with an artificial tree since it is more “standard” right out of the box. I just love that you and your husband have wored with each other on this!
I love real trees!! It doesnt feel Christmas-y to me without one.
What a darling kid photo!!! I love a real tree, because I hate the idea of positioning those little squished up fake branches to where they look right. So a real tree it is, for us. Still, we’ve gone from an 8 1/2 foot tree in our living room to a 4′ tree that we set on the windowseat in our [former] schoolroom. Love it, especially now that trees are $5 per foot around here.
I think artificial trees are more work, or maybe we’ve just had bad luck with ours. Pulling them out, straightening all the branches, checking all the lights. Assembly. Taking it appart again, trying to stuff it back in the box. finding a place to store it… We bought 3 fake trees in 5 years. The lights shorted out, the base broke, branches got lost in a moves…. Now we get real trees.
We bought an artifical tree 20 years ago while stationed in Germany. And last year as we realized that several branches wouldn’t stay up, I told my kids that the next year we were getting a real tree and they started getting upset. They said one of their favorite parts of Christmas was putting the tree together and then the lights and then talking about all the ornaments and where they came from as they put them on the tree. They said they wanted their kids to experience the same thing. I never knew how much they loved the whole process!
What a funny post! I can totally relate to several of your hassles. We like ‘em real, but I’m debating getting an artificial one just for the simplicity. Great idea to have one in each bedroom so there are no squabbles!
We have an artificial tree because it’s way too hot to have a real tree here in Australia. I think you made a great decision!
I am actually hosting two linky parties at the moment and I would be so honoured if you could join in. One is a Pinterest party at my blog 5 Minutes Just for Me. The other is a Christmas tree link up at my Christmas blog. Please pop by if you have 5 minutes to spare!
Best Christmas wishes,
Natasha.
Great post! We decided last year to make the switch to real trees (even though we were both brought up on artificial). Two things played into the decision. First, we had a pre-lit tree that had completely bare sections, which seriously irritated me. Second, we had major storage issues. The only place we have to hold a fake tree is in our detached garage, which is in no way weather/critter proof. When we went to get out the old tree last year, we found that birds had gotten into the storage bag…eeeew! This will be our first with a live tree…ask me in a few weeks if we’ll do it again next year!
I love our real trees!
This post cracks me up! I have always had real trees ( we even cut our own) because in the country where we are they are usually a better price then the big box store. I, like you, am a bit of an extreme Chrustmas Tree girl. (aka- I get the biggest one we can jam through the front door! I don’t know if I will ever be able to bring myself to switch (but check back with me once we have kids!)
Merry Christmas.
We have used an artificial tree for years. The smell of pine is overpowering to me.