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I’ve never had a real Christmas tree before. I’ve always had artificial trees, the ones made of plastic and wire, and figured that most people did. While I don’t know the statistics but if the number of Christmas tree stores springing up on the side of major roads is any indication, I might actually be in the minority! Either way, I prefer artificial trees and here are five reasons why:

1. Nothing to chop down, pick up, or dispose of: You don’t need to hop into the car, go to a Christmas tree farm, select one, strap it to your roof, and then drive it home. While that is part of the fun of getting a Christmas tree, that’s also a pain to do. It’s also not as ecofriendly as getting an artificial tree since you’re chopping down a tree and then disposing of it somehow.
2. It’s cheaper: I picked up our current artificial tree on Craigslist for $20, which sure beats buying a real one each and every year (not including transportation costs.
3. It’s safer: If our Christmas tree gets too dry, the heat from the lights could cause it to catch fire. It’s a real problem, check out this US. Fire Administration page all about Christmas tree fires ^[3].
4. It’s reusable: I mentioned it earlier as part of the cost but it’s worth repeating because its reusability is one of the reasons why I think it’s so ecofriendly. Certainly plastic and wire are less friendly than actual wood, but you have to chop down a tree (then toss it) to get your real tree when the artificial one only needs to be made once.
5. It’s non-allergic: Lots of people are allergic to Christmas trees, hardly any are allergic to artificial ones! (unless you count dust)

If you celebrate Christmas, I’m curious, do you prefer real or “fake” Christmas trees? If you prefer the real ones, I’d really like to hear the pluses from someone who has had them and swears by them. I can see the benefits, but not having experienced them I would feel disingenuous trying to list them.

(Photo: scottfeldstein ^[4])