Fake Pine or Fresh Fir? Christmas Is Upon Us, But The Topic Of Favorite Tree Type is A Hot One!

Yes, Christmas is almost here, but the debate over choice of Fake versus Fresh Christmas Tree Rages On!

When it comes to choosing a fake, er, we meant, “artificial” Christmas tree over that freshly chopped balsam fir one, the debate over whether convenience of having that fake tree stored in the home all year, or the tradition of going on an excursion to buy a fresh tree rages on.

I know that many would agree with me on this: I can’t help but love the smell of fresh pine from the Christmas wreath that greets me at the door this time of year!

And the fresher pine or fir tree scent that emanates from a fresh cut Christmas tree provides a real pick me up around the holidays (barring the unfortunate notion that a head cold or head congestion could put a real damper on things when it comes to pine scents).  There is no need for one’s health to get in the way of great traditions like Christmas tree trimmings.

As far as Christmas traditions are concerned, the planting of a large, fresh tree for future decoration by family members inside the has been a relative new activity for Americans.  According to the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA), the national trade association representing the Christmas tree industry, they had this to say about the history of Christmas trees being placed in the home:

Most historians agree that the first decorated Christmas trees appeared in the U.S. in the mid 1800s. These trees were cut from natural stands of timber that surrounded the population centers of the time.

The NCTA does go on to state about the tradition of decorating the tree that,  “the use of decorated Christmas trees evolved over the subsequent 150-year period to the production and distribution system that we know today.”  You can read more about what the NCTA says about these interesting Christmas tree traditions, here.

In the category of prices, there are some very fancy artificial Christmas trees that you can buy on Amazon.com. The cheapest artificial tree I saw for sale was the LightMe 32 LED 1.97 Feet Artificial Snow Christmas Pine Needle Tree Decorative Light for Indoor Christmas New Year Holiday Decor that was selling for $16.69.  The most expensive artificial tree for sale that I saw on Amazon.com was the 16′ Pre-Lit Fresh Cut Bridgeport Douglas Fir Artificial Christmas Tree – Clear Lights. And the price tag? $6,012 dollars. Quite a hefty sum, indeed, but the best news was that this tree comes with free shipping! Although, there was only one left in stock to purchase at the time I eyeballed it online.

As for the tradition of planting Christmas lights on trees and bushes located on the outside of the house, we will leave that conversation for another time.  The good news is that both fake tree and fresh fir or pine Christmas tree options are available for choosing.

Feature image courtesy of www.Freeimages.com