Maybe because I didn’t grow up with Christmas. Maybe it’s because I like them huge, but to me it’s a no-brainer.
I love going and picking out a tree at the tree tents. It is stupidly stressful because if I’m spending between $150 and $200 on a tree, it better be fucking perfect. The asshats at Home Depot (which has the cheapest big trees by far) never know when they are getting new ones in, and don’t even bother calling first, you can’t get a person who knows anything.
As I said, we like them BIG. 12 feet+ is hard to find! But once I get it in the house, I love the smell. I even love the sap and the needles. It’s Christmas to me! I love the fact that my tree is different every year. I love the imperfections. And really, I love the results. (See my post on celebrating the holidays in a mixed religion home).
I don’t love finding needles in June (which happens). I also have to move out my thick shag rug and sofa for the season, but at least I don’t have to store a big fake tree along with my shitload of other decorations in my basement and attic-free house.
We are in Florida, so Christmas trees don’t grow naturally here. It’s very hard to get in the spirit of the holidays in Florida when it’s 80 degrees out. So to me, a real tree gives me that real Christmas feel I crave. I would go chop one down if I could (well, not me, that’s why I keep Mr. Ana around) but going to a tent in a parking lot is as close as we get, and I still get to watch my husband wrestle with a 400 pound tree.
According to the research I did today, environmentally, surprisingly real trees are WAY better. Fake trees are made of PVC, usually in China. Many of the chemicals used cause cancer. They are thrown out every 3-4 years and never break down in a landfill. They must be transported overseas to get here. For every real tree cut down, another is planted. It keeps Americans working, both on the farms and transporting them, and the trees are completely biodegradable.
There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Which do you get, and why?
2021 UPDATE! I’m all about the fake trees now after my neighbor had a million little spiders hatch on Christmas morning!
Selena Cooper says
We have allergies, so we have a fake tree. :\
Ana says
I never thought of Christmas trees and allergies. Makes sense!
SchevA says
Aside from the true meaning of Christmas, nothing is more exciting to me than picking out a real tree!! Every year of my life I have had a real tree, up until 2 years ago ( my little man is terribly allergic. CRAP!!) . I even have a secret mixture I add to its water to keep the tree lasting longer 😉 I started a tradition with my daughter when she was about 3 yrs old. We picked out a tree together and then we had about two inches of the trunk cut off and we saved it. Wrote the year and the whole family signed it. More kids, more names through the years 🙂 Now, what will I do with 12 or 13 pieces of wood? Coasters? Table leg leveler? Who knows. They don’t take up that much space and my daughter and son have some good memories to share …..
If there was any possible way to have a real tree in my home I would do it in a heartbeat. But the kiddo suffers from many medical problems and I just can’t add one more on purpose. So alias, last year I bought a fake rotating white light/ color light kick ass tree ( as far as a fake tree can be) . It serves its purpose and my son sits and watches it like TV.
So hurray for the real tree buyers! I’ll live vicariously through you!! I think several of us could live through Ana’s tree!! 😉
Ana says
We cut off a piece of the trunk last year and kept it. I like that you made it a tradition!
Kerry says
Growing up in MI, we always had real trees…from MI. The trees here in FL just don’t seem to the same to me, i dont know why, they just dont. Add to that a dog who will chew on it and cats who will climb it and a fake tree just seems easier to me. Plus I hate stringing lights, I totally suck at it.
I do miss the smell of a real tree though…so I usually buy a real wreath, that helps. And I get pine sticks from Bed, Bath & Beyond that hang in your tree. Oh, and Yankee Candle Balsam & Fir. It’s artificial pine smell all up in my house!
Ana says
The trees come mostly from North Carolina down here.
IveGotLotsToSay says
Ive had both real and fake. We’ve gone faux these last few years for many reasons. I am allergic to the pine despite the many years I weathered it to have that pine fresh smell-Benadryl is my friend. One year when I had a real tree, I took some of the branches from the tree farm and decided I was going to use the limbs to drape on the top void of my kitchen cabinets. So pretty..all those pine branches beautifully draping down. What a fucking mistake and not one of my most brilliant ideas. Because as we all know..watering or not, eventually the needles start to fall. Except that when you do this in your kitchen above the cabinets, the needles fall every time you close the cabinet doors. And I mean a lot. Like thousands every time I closed a cabinet door. It rained pine needles and I swear it went on for months after that despite removing the limbs. But hey that’s how I roll. Where there is room for epic disasters, Im somehow involved. 😀
Ana says
lol. I know, I swear I wouldn’t be surprised if I find needles….well, use your imagination.
Tonya Coleman says
We get real. I love real trees, especially the smell. While I do not love pine needles in the summer, it is worth it to me. I tried a fake one once and it just didn’t seem right. We live in the midwest and there are tree farms all around so it is really cool to go and pick one out. Although, it takes me forever to decide on a tree and sometimes we go to two or three places only to go back to the first tree I fell in love with. 😉