I took the fam to cut a ten foot Scottish Pine in California Kentucky today.
What a great experience we had!

My question here is do you all favor "real" Christmas trees or the "fake" re-usable type trees you buy at a department or big box store, and what are your pro's and cons regarding the environment and the like.

-KKB

I got the real thing baby. Aint nothing can replace that smell it fills the house with :)

Plastic baby....of course, buying a tree is too hard since we move every few years, and its been in the family for like 10 years B)

You're never going to get one of them plastic ones into my place, that's for sure. As fuji already mentioned, that pine smell is one of the big things as far as Christmas is concerned. Plastic trees also look butt-ugly. No, thanks!

I don't buy the environmental excuse some have, either. If a person was so pro-environment/nature why would he or she buy plastic crap like that? Nah, that's not going to fly.

KKB's "Scottish Pine" is more commonly called a "Scotch Pine", and is not really good as a Christmas tree, as they tend to lose their needles quickly. Any real tree buyers should also try to avoid White Pine and White Spruce for the same reason. A Blue Spruce is pretty, as the underside of the needles has a bluish tint, but the needles are very sharp, even skin-piercing. Excellent feline-deterrant, though.
I recommend buying either a Douglas Fir or a Balsam Fir. These tend to be a little more expensive, but the Douglas will keep it's needles, and Balsam's have the best smell, if you break off a twig, it smells like tangerines.
Also, never get a fresh tree at Walmart or any other mass-sellers, they are actually cut weeks before you get them.
I worked for a landscape/tree nursery company for a while after High school, and used to sell trees. I've always had a fresh tree, but this will be the first year we use an artificial. We had a really nice pre-lit plastic tree given to us by some friends that moved, so we're using that. No tree smell, but far more convenient.

Last edited: Monday, December 04, 2006 at 12:40:03 AM

My family has always gotten a real tree for christmas. We have a small 3 ft. Tree for some of the older ornaments though.

Of course it's always a hassle with the live trees... Getting them in and out of the house, and even before that actually *FINDING* a good enough tree.

It depends on the location.

@Fishtank:

We cut our own Scotch Pine on a farm. Fresh as can be.
$30 for a ten foot tree aint bad, eh?

I'd say that's a good deal. 10 ft may not sound like much, but you would easily end up paying over 80 or 90 for one of those at one of the normal dealers. And if you get 'em fresh, they'll last.

I second exactly what fuji said.... It's the smell.

All natural here.

We went out Saturday and tromped around in the snow until we found the right one. A nice Noble fir. Whip out the bowsaw and down it comes.

There's a place near us that we've been going to for years. It's run by a nice family, and they always give out spiced cider, coffee, popcorn, and candy canes. My daughter always wants that to be the first place we try.

The tree made it into the house on Sunday, and man, what a great smell. I'm still a great fan of the real deal.

And, for those with the weak excuse about reusing a fake tree, I reuse the real one by giving it to the Boy Scouts. They chip them down and reuse them for compost. Much better than my old neighborhood where we dragged them out onto the frozen lake for a HUGE but short lived bonfire. (No fuji, that's not a suggestion ;) )

I would do the lake thing :)....

Since I live in south TX fake is my only choice... When I grow up though.... Fake :) I would probably not even buy a Christmas tree... I don't see a point...

Last edited: Monday, December 04, 2006 at 8:07:26 AM

^ Humbug!

We bought our real tree yesterday from the local Lion's Club. They get them from a local tree farm, so they're freshly cut and support the local economy. One year we bought a real tree w/ roots which we planted once the season was over and it turned out to be a lot of fun.

We chose the real tree over a free fake one offered by my mom-in-law just for the feeling, the nature and the aroma. Somehow the cat seems to enjoy it more and there is something special about lying under a pine tree sitting in your living room.

I don't really see how this would be an environmental issue since most Christmas trees come from farms and are grown for this very purpose. They're managed and replanted just like any other crop.

Generic CO Blue SPruce - prelit

Bahh Humbug,

Christmas is an expensive nusiance. All the stores playing those miserable cheesy songs in theirs stores, friggen have to wear earplugs to get a gallon of milk. Then there's the poorly written and horribly acted christmas movies and shows on T.V. Makes me want to gag and go rent an extra violent film to push those horrible images out of my head. And don't get me started on all the crazy people in the stores and on the road cutting each other off to get to the "best" present.

Sorry, my wife made her christmas budget last night and the sum was quite atrocious. I could take a trip to a few tropical places for less. But yet again I will spend a huge amount of time and effort for a holiday that I do not believe in and believe it does way more harm than good. (think of all the little children in China and India slaving away to make all the poor little children in the U.S. A dozen toys each). All to make my little wife happy.....

Sigh, well I'm going shopping tonight and she says it has to be a real tree this year. I'll see if I can find the cheapest one possible.

Timber country up here, go real or go home. In fact, a lot of the wal-mart stock comes from right around here in Oregon City. On a Christmas note, why isn't putting up xmas lights in 30 degree weather with a three year old even being considered as an interrogation tactic at Gitmo?

Does the fake ficus tree I've had lit year-round count?

After searching for trees in 6 feet of snow at -30 deg C (-20 F) for ten years I said to h??? With it and got one of those pre-lighted plastic models. Easy set up and take down and less fire hazard. Even bought some spray on pine smell in a can. Call me lazy if you want.

Abbadon

Plastic for me... As pine trees dont grow here.... In fact hardly anything grows here.

We split the difference and alternate plastic and real trees over the years.

There's nothing like the smell of a real tree, but you have the needles mess, the need to water the tree repeatedly, the fire hazard, the disposal of the tree, the cost, the time needed to stalk, hunt, and kill the tree, plus the idea that the tree farmer will likely replant a genetically-modified species in a Christmas tree monoculture that provides little benefit to wildlife compared to a more sustainable mixed-age and mixed-species stand of trees.

We put up our plastic tree this year and tried one of these newfangled ornaments where you add balsam oil to simulate the smell of the real thing. Doesn't work too well, unfortunately.... Doesn't exactly fill the room with the balsam scent.

Ah... Balsam... My parents sent us an LL Bean balsam wreath.

Makes me want to go to Maine.

@ Abbadon- good to see you post! Lazy. (I'd do the same thing with those temps... Or move south ;) )

We have a fake one, my mom decided it is too dangerous for our floor and it takes too much time to clean it up.

No X-mas trees. In fact, I don't do X-Mas (Buddhists have sucky holidays) XD

Generic..............................sigh

^ kinda agrees

Generic, I wish we got real ones like we did back when I was 10 or something and all the years before that.

WWWWWWHHHHHHAAAAAATTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!

Theres plastic chistmas trees??

OMFG I am such a Hippy!!!! :P

Last edited: Thursday, December 07, 2006 at 5:56:09 PM

I have a plastic prelit/predecorated tree thats about 2 feet tall. Its buried somewhere in my apt.

Ba humbug

B

Real