Comments on: Are Artificial Christmas Trees a Frugal Alternative?

By: Julian Jones

Julian Jones — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:26:38 +0000

My family always has a live Christmas Tree. Since our kids are grown and living away from home we have been using a wonderful onlinestore which has fantastic customer service and beautiful table top live Christmas Trees which may be planted after Xmas. They specialize in gift shipping anywhere in the United States. http://aruntx.com/

By: Greg J.

Greg J. — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 18:27:42 +0000

I have literally never lived in a house with a real Christmas tree in my life. However, after doing some research (I challenge you to do the same) we are switching to the all-natural version for 2009.

Here are the top reasons we are switching:

1) 90% of fake trees are manufactured in China. Real trees are grown in the U.S. and a lot are from local farms.

2) Fake trees can be replanted (with a root ball) or chipped into all-natural mulch. No plastic that will be around the next 500 years.

3) Most fake trees are made of a type of plastic known as PVC. This is a known source of lead.

We have 2 children in the house – lead poisoning is a real threat. Have you ever seen the warning labels on fake trees (and lights)? “This product contains chemicals, including lead, known to the State of California to cause birth defects or reproductive harm. Wash hands after use”.

How many people let their kids help them decorate? Do you then make them wash their hands? Because the kids will definitely stick those hands in their mouths/noses/eyes at some point and ingest lead. NOT GOOD!

Hope the real ones are as good as people say!!

By: Artificial Trees

Artificial Trees — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:30:23 +0000

We had 3 artificial trees up for Christmas ‘08, and it was a little work, but the effort was worth it. I can’t imagine attempting to manage the same setup with real trees.

By: Never teh Bride

Never teh Bride — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 20:34:50 +0000

Lydia: Ours looks great, and there’s no secret… it just took a good long time to arrange everything. I’d spread out the branches, then step back and look. Adjust some more… you get the picture. It wasn’t fun, per se, but it was satisfying to see our faux tree looking so nice after a while!

By: Lydia

Lydia — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 22:02:23 +0000

I always have a hard time with artificial trees. I bought a beautiful pre-lit tree last year and it seems that after being smashed into a box for a year it just does not look very good. I can’t seem to get the branches to spread out like they should and the tree looks kind of smashed. What is the secret to getting the tree to fluff out and look like it did before? Does anyone have any tips for me? It is a little late for this year but I will save the tips for next year. Thanks and Merry Christmas.

By: Never teh Bride

Never teh Bride — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 23:39:32 +0000

I grew up with real trees, which may have something to do with why I opted for a fake tree once I bought a house. I remember the real trees being terribly expensive and my mother having to finagle a siphoning system for the water reservoir. The needles got everywhere, and the one year my husband and I had a real tree, it let out a pool of sap that dried hard.

Plus, I can’t see killing a whole fir tree for a few weeks of holiday atmosphere.

By: Brian Bain

Brian Bain — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:43:26 +0000

I haven’t bought our tree yet this year, but we typically spend $15 for a douglas fir. I’ve seen them advertised as low as $8 this year. If I got a permit to cut any type of tree I like from the national forest it would cost me $5 (though wild trees don’t have the “christmas tree” shape).

I’m not making the switch anytime soon to plastic. I’ll probably start making the trip to the tree farm to cut my own next year when my son is old enough to walk.

By: Allie

Allie — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 20:22:40 +0000

Real trees have a definite environmental benefit over fake ones. The materials that go into fake trees are not environmentally friendly, and are known to off-gas in the home, which is very unhealthy for your family. Plus, as real trees are growing, there’s a CO2 benefit, and they can be mulched/composted after the season is over.

Buying a tree with the root ball in tact is generally more expensive, but then the cost is going into something that will be included in your landscape. Some people even dig that tree up to bring back inside the following year, although that’s a lot of effort.

Another greener option is to buy a vintage aluminum tree from ebay or an antique store. Kitschy, shiny, no new materials used in production, can be used year after year, and aluminum can be recycled. So if you’re looking for a way to pay once and not have to buy a tree every year, this is a better way to go.

We’re actually going tree-free this year. I’d rather spend the money on a nice meal, and with a new dog, I feel like the tree might be a disaster waiting to happen.

By: Trish

Trish — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:29:07 +0000

My husband has suggested getting an artificial Christmas tree several times, but so far we have always purchased a real tree. Personally, I don’t care for the look of fake trees – they just look fake, unless you spend tons of money, and I’m not really interested in doing that.
Also, when we purchase a real tree, we are supporting local business. If we were to purchase a fake tree, most likely, we would end up supporting a large chain company. When possible, I try to support our local businesses.

By: Michelle

Michelle — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:19:47 +0000

We always use artficial trees. I hate the idea of growing a tree just so you can cut it down and decorate for a month and then toss it. What a waste! I’m not a “tree activist.” I just think they should be enjoyed growing outside. The whole fresh tree industry seems frivolous to me. How much time, energy, and other resources are spent on growing these trees and transporting them to parking lots to be sold.