One of the biggest controversies in the holiday decorating world is the matter of having a real or fake Christmas tree. Both have pros and cons but it is mostly a matter of personal preference and the amount of work one needs to spend in order to get what is wanted. 

The biggest factor of both is the money spent. A real tree is able to be purchased for an average of $50-100, but from experience they are usually less than that. Buying a fake tree, which is on average $400, costs about four times as much as a real tree would. That being said, a real tree dies and so you would have to repurchase one every year if you wanted to have a tree, whereas the fake ones are able to be stored away and used for multiple years. This is also the way to earn your money’s worth on the fake tree. 

Another factor that turns most people away from a real tree is the amount of work that they believe needs to be put into it. With a fake tree, setup is fairly simple and there doesn’t have to be any worry about watering and cleaning up dead pine needles that fall off. As someone that has always had a real tree, they really are not that much more work than a fake one. Once the tree is in the stand, it must be watered every other day and occasionally need pine needles vacuumed off the floor, but besides that it takes care of itself. Additionally, in some places, a company will come to your house and take the tree to a pond to use as a fish habitat after your tree has died so that is a good way to reuse it.

As convenient as fake trees might seem, there are some definite downsides to them. Most come with lights already attached which at the time seems amazing, but once part of the strand burns out it becomes a hassle to have to cut off the lights and string new ones on. Along with that, you have to be really dedicated to setting up the tree as it could be as much work as setting up the real one, as with the real one you need to have it screwed into its stand properly or else it could tip over.

This isn’t to say that a real tree is always the way to go. The smell, which for some is the scent of the holidays, can at times be overpowering. Plus, a tree is dying every time you purchase one so it affects nature as well. After Christmas, you don’t have the convenience of packing up the tree in a box and putting it in the closet or attic. You have to find some way to get it out of the house and get rid of it somewhere. However, fake trees could be considered a waste of plastic as once it has worn out the only option of getting rid of it is to throw it away. 

Overall, both trees have things that could be important to think about before making your purchase. Either way it is embracing the holiday spirit which is the most important thing, especially this holiday season.