Real or not?
For the second year, we are having a debate about whether or not we should get an artificial tree. We stuck our toe in the water last year by buying artificial garlands to hang over the dining room sliding glass doors (and liked them well enough that we never took them down all year, sigh--a sort of indoor echo of the chrismas lights on the front porch).
The advantages would be that we could put our tree up anytime, which would probably mean we got it up earlier in the month and could enjoy it longer. We wouldn't have to do it together (it's hard for us this busy time of year to find a night when we can both go to get the live tree). It would be less of a fire hazard. We wouldn't have to worry about water spilling on the floor. We could have a bigger tree than I am willing to pay for with a live tree. We wouldn't have to struggle with the lighting (though we also wouldn't have the whole assortment of different kinds of lights we have on our tree now). I wouldn't have to saw it in thirds and get it jammed into the green waste can on a specific garbage pickup week.
The drawbacks are that it would be one more big thing to take up room in our little garage. It wouldn't feel as magical as the live tree feels to me. It wouldn't smell as nice. It wouldn't have our funky mix of lights (the inside of the tree has big traditional lights in colors and clear, including some that blink; the outside of the tree has white and colored mini lights). I am afraid of making a mistake buying such an expensive item I don't know anything about. What happens when some of the lights burn out? I love the thought when I put up the tree that I am following a spiritual tradition that is thousands of years old. I don't know if an artificial tree would have that same feeling. It would be converting one more biodegradeable thing into a plastic thing that will eventually stay in a landfill for hundreds of years.
So there I am, still stuck on the question. . . I know many of you have artificial trees--what do you think?
Much love, Sandra
The advantages would be that we could put our tree up anytime, which would probably mean we got it up earlier in the month and could enjoy it longer. We wouldn't have to do it together (it's hard for us this busy time of year to find a night when we can both go to get the live tree). It would be less of a fire hazard. We wouldn't have to worry about water spilling on the floor. We could have a bigger tree than I am willing to pay for with a live tree. We wouldn't have to struggle with the lighting (though we also wouldn't have the whole assortment of different kinds of lights we have on our tree now). I wouldn't have to saw it in thirds and get it jammed into the green waste can on a specific garbage pickup week.
The drawbacks are that it would be one more big thing to take up room in our little garage. It wouldn't feel as magical as the live tree feels to me. It wouldn't smell as nice. It wouldn't have our funky mix of lights (the inside of the tree has big traditional lights in colors and clear, including some that blink; the outside of the tree has white and colored mini lights). I am afraid of making a mistake buying such an expensive item I don't know anything about. What happens when some of the lights burn out? I love the thought when I put up the tree that I am following a spiritual tradition that is thousands of years old. I don't know if an artificial tree would have that same feeling. It would be converting one more biodegradeable thing into a plastic thing that will eventually stay in a landfill for hundreds of years.
So there I am, still stuck on the question. . . I know many of you have artificial trees--what do you think?
Much love, Sandra
posted by jed-laura | 11:07 AM
3 Comments:
with an apartment, and a little toddler, a fake tree is the only way for us to go! We love ours, It is steady, and won't fall over, and we got it at a cheap price. If you have a slightly bigger budget than we do (and that's not hard at all), you can afford some more realistic looking trees. I think it is in some ways less wasteful to have a fake tree, because it can last so long. I don't go for the pre-lit trees as much because I enjoy putting the lights up each year.
Best of luck- let us know what you decide.
We switched to a fake tree from a real one, and I thought that I would hate it, and it was somehow sacreligious (spelling?), but you know I really like it! You can put it up any time, never have to worry about watering it, and you could leave it up year round if you were so inclined and decorate it for each season. We have the kind that is not prelit, so we use our own lights, and its great, we can use any lights any way we want, plus we don't to worry about it burning out. And its safer, and SO much LESS messy, no more prickly things stabbing into my feet. I guess if you were worried about the smell, you could always hang a pine tree air freshener. :) I wouldn't go for one of those colored ones, that's just not right, but I like ours. We had 2, we got them from KMart, but we gave one to a widow who was treeless last year. It really was quite cheap, but looks nice, and if you were worried about plugging up a landfill, you could just will it to somebody. :) Good luck. Love Alicia
We certainly would not trade our tree for a real one any more. Ours has the lights already on it and Carole then puts the decorations on it. It is neat because it revolves when plugged in. Love Dad and Carole
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