Poll: Fake tree or real tree?

[woo me with science]

Surely this isn't a sensitive topic like the Olive Garden.

[HopeHoops]

1. Real if we're home, gumball machine if we're traveling.

We got a gumball for our wedding 23 years ago. If we aren't going to be home for Christmas, instead of a tree we fill the machine with red & green M&Ms, put a Santa hat on it, wiggle eyes, a red pop-pom nose, and a string of lights up the stand and then set a dish of coins within easy reach of it. I'm yet to hear a complaint about this.

[woo me with science]

4. That's wonderful!

What a great way to spread Christmas cheer. :)

[WolverineDG]

6. How cute!

and not to mention creative!

dg

[jobycom]

49. That's adorable! nt

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. Other: No tree.

That's not out of anti-Christmas grinchiness, but self-preservation. I have cats. Cats who like to climb and chew and take things apart. I have a little fake tree on my front porch, but none in the house; I'd spend all my time repairing the tree and picking up ornaments.

[woo me with science]

5. LOL.

Ours try to climb it before the ornaments are on, but they leave it alone afterward. Go figure.

I knew a family that decorated only the top half of their tree because their dogs would take ornaments off the bottom. Funniest looking Christmas tree I ever saw.



O8)

[woo me with science]

3. I was a real tree zealot for a long time, but we have switched to fake.

1. cheaper
2. last forever, and we like to keep it up a long time
3. no watering and sweeping up needles
4. actually looks good for a fake tree
5. They don't die.

I really miss the smell, though. :(

[GoCubsGo]

7. Other

A happy Festivus for the rest of us.

[MorningGlow]

8. Real

Reason: the smell, the smell, the smell. And it's a family tradition to go to the tree farm up the road--petting zoo, giant side, mountain of haybales to climb, and big gloppy Santa cookies (10 lbs. of icing) and donuts. It's not Christmas without it!

[Crystal Clarity]

11. Same here-the smell and the traditions have me sticking w/real-for now

But I must confess that the easy maintenance of fake trees has it's own sort of appeal for me. Plus they make them much more realistic-looking then they used to years ago. Maybe someday I'll go that route.

[Tikki]

9. No tree... the grown son puts up a family tree at his home.

The Tikkis

[Iggo]

10. Fake tree.

A real tree is an unacceptable fire hazard.

[madmom]

12. Fake..can't see cutting down a tree for a week of decorations.

[Crystal Clarity]

15. Yeah it's more work then I'd like but

I keep mine up till after New Year's... usually about 3+ weeks. }(...:hi:

[Arugula Latte]

25. Well, they do grow them for that purpose. It's a crop.

Then they plant more every time.

Just saying.

[Kali]

26. a WEEK?!!?!?!?!!!!!

crap, I leave mine up until spring!:rofl:



















OK - I TRY to get it down by the next family birthday - which is Feb 7th.

[madmom]

31. Small house, usually take it down new years day, before going back to work.

[tigereye]

41. we used to feel really good if we got it down before Valentines!

Much better now-usually mid January.

[Lars39]

13. Had to vote Other this year.

Bought a $3.50 poinsettia from Aldis to go on a table. That's the only place anything could go this year. :D

[Bennyboy]

14. no tree.

Moms in SC the kids are scattered, not really a Christian or a consumer....

[tigereye]

42. actually it's really an ancient custom that predates Christianity..

http://www.history.com/topics/history-of-christmas-trees

[Lucian]

16. Fake trees are easier to clean up after the holidays.

So are Festivus poles.

[Haole Girl]

17. Artificial tree

With my husband's allergies, we really don't have an option.

Also, I'd feel too guilty destroying the life of a tree for my own temporary enjoyment.

[Flaxbee]

18. A small, fake pink tree

With gold garlands and pink and white twinkly lights :)

I do miss the smell of a new tree, but don't like cutting down a tree for a short period of time - I know they're grown specifically for that purpose, but it still seems wasteful.

To get a nice pine scent, I'll get a few real branches and put them around the house.


But I love our little very obviously fake tree. :) We don't really do gifts, nor do we do the whole Christmas folderol, but I like seasonal decorating.

[nolabear]

19. I love a real tree. We had this silver horror when I was a kid.

My mother liked the idea of "style", which in our little Mississippi trailer was kind of funny. She fell in love with a silver job with red ornaments and a color wheel. I swear, for years I connected Christmas with the "zzzzing!" sound of pulling those branches out of their paper sheaths, like pulling a sword out of a scabbord. It wasn't personal; it was an image, kind of cold.

I started collecting two things when I began a family, a new Christmas CD (or tape or download now) and a new ornament every year. Now that the sons are not living here any more and we live in a tiny place I haven't had a tree in a couple of years (we go to the in-laws a lot) but I miss it badly and this year I want to get a little tree and load it down with those years' worth of kid-made, symbolic, hand made (by us) origami, Mardi Gras beaded, chaotic family ornaments.

You've inspired me, by George! Off to find a little tree tht needs to be leapt on by a cat! WooHoo!

[woo me with science]

20. Charlie Brown trees appear to be popular this year:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_07196996000P?sid=IDx20070921x00003a&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=07196996000P

[Bunny]

21. I got that one for my office!

It looks pretty cool, and every single person who sees it comments on my Charlie Browner.

[thirtiesgirl]

22. no tree

...in my tiny apartment. I don't have room to decorate, and no one to share it with. I grew up with a fake tree that my mom's had since the '60s. It's very big and real-looking and was beautiful every christmas. She doesn't put it up any more since she's bed-ridden, but we had some nice christmases with it.

These days, if I had the space and people around to share it with, I'd probably go fake. I like a little kitsch, so I like the idea of fake trees of a different color. I love the pink tree idea suggested above. I'd probably go for silver with lots of red & green ornaments, or maybe a faux green tinsel colored tree with lots of twinkly blue lights and silver balls.

[some guy]

23. other.

no tree
grinch me. :)

[Arugula Latte]

24. I have an aversion to fake trees.

Plus, we live in Xmas-tree-growing country, so we've got to get a real one.

[Kali]

27. other

kind of real, kind of fake

we go and cut a few juniper branches and I try to tie them together with baling wire so they look somewhat like a tree, stick them in a bucket of water then tie them to the various nails or curtain rod holders or window latches with heavy "invisible" carpet thread.

yes it is called ranch-rigging. that's me!

love the smell. hate to kill a tree (also they are all too big to take a whole one)

[GReedDiamond]

28. Fake tree, with fake snow...

...and instead of traditional ornaments, it has, amongst other things, Sid Vicious, The Blue Meany, The Yellow Submarine, The Beatles, lowbrow art, Dan "Potatoe" Quayle, vintage 70s Yippie! Pot Leaf buttons, and miniature disco balls in it.



I haven't had a tree since my kid was little...and have had no room for one for a long time until moving into a larger place earlier this year.

I just wish they made these fake trees in 'Merca.

By next year, I hope to have an American made (in the early 60s, to match my furnishings) aluminum tree with tri-color rotating spotlight.

[tigereye]

43. when an old band friend was first dating her mohawk-wearing, hard-core

band- playing fiance', and I went to visit at the holidays, that was the kind of tree they had!


:rofl:

[GReedDiamond]

52. Sounds like my kinda people...

...Happy Christmas tigereye.

[tigereye]

54. and to you as well!

:hi:

[hobbit709]

29. No tree, have no reason to put one up.

[struggle4progress]

30. I don't need any more of them. After the first five or six years, I ran out of space for them.

I have no experience with artificial trees, but the natural trees don't age gracefully: after just a few Christmases, I ended up with a whole living room full of naked stumps and brown pine needles all over the floor

I don't want to be a Grinch, but if I want to look at a stand of dead trees, I can't see a good reason to use the living room: I could just go outside and look around my yard

:shrug:

[MrsMatt]

32. Real

Our tradition is to walk to the local nursery (five blocks), purchase a tree, and drag it home. Preferably, during extreme weather (i.e. below 0, and or storming). We got ours this year just yesterday, during the height of the blizzard in the Minneapolis/St Paul area.

We like the smell - and like supporting tree farmers (We're both farmer's kids, and I work with tree farmers, so we're aware what slim margins the operate on.

[Burma Jones]

33. Fake Tree......started when my son would occasionally go asthmatic

That was 11 years ago, my son outgrew the asthmatic episodes but the tree still looks pretty good, so, we keep it.

[KamaAina]

34. None for me this year

going back East for the holiday.

Were I sticking around, though, the tabletop-size Noble fir that Safeway had for $16 might have followed me home. :-)

[Brickbat]

35. Real, cut from my own land. It makes the other trees healthier.

[csziggy]

36. "Kill a Tree for Christ!" - hubby's cheer for this time of year

We used to get potted trees and plant them after the holidays. We ran out of room so we don't do that anymore.

I want a holly tree for the front yard - maybe I'll get one and let it decorate the front porch until after Christmas!

[tigereye]

44. my parents used to plant em afterwards- some of em are huge now.

[csziggy]

55. Some of the ones we planted have gotten big. Some got killed

When Mom ran over them. LOL. They were not planted in the best location.

I like the idea of getting a holly for this Christmas - I'll have to see if I can find one for a good price.

[xchrom]

37. only real will do for me. nt

[Deep13]

38. real...

My father was a Christmas tree farmer, so I realize I'm biased. Still, I think it gives me some insight into the reeasons why a real tree is preferable. Most of the reasons are environmental.

1. a tree farm is better than cluster housing or a strip mall. It provides homes for animals, does not contribute to drainage problems, produces oxygen.

2. The tiny amounts of pesticides used on trees is insignificant compared to the toxic petrochemicals needed for a plastic and wire tree.

3. Tree farmers are usually small businessmen. Sears and Walmart aren't.

4. fake trees do not last forever as a usable tree, that is until they end up in a landfill. Then they do last forever.

5. a real tree looks like a tree and smells like a tree. A fake one looks like a giant, green toilet brush. Real trees can be mulched.

6. real trees when properly watered pose hardly any fire hazzard. If somehow they do catch on fire, the result is wood smoke. A fake tree releases toxic chemicals when burt.

7. No one has fond memories of going to Kmart to buy a fake tree in a box.

8. Fake trees are usually made in China like everything else. Real trees: USA! USA! USA!

[tigereye]

45. like your thinking!

:hi: They are more "green!" :rofl:

[blueamy66]

39. I voted other.

We buy a living tree every year and then plant it in the yard.

:-)

[tigereye]

40. You can't beat the smell of a real tree. It's traditional and you can have it

mulched afterwards. No fake ones for me.

[TommyO]

46. Other, we've used both, and will continue to alternate as need be

This year, it's an 8' real Frasier Fir that we got for free, we've gotten the electricity sipping LEDs up, and the rest of the ornaments are going on over the next few days. Next year, it will probably be our very good looking pre-lit artificial tree.

[tk2kewl]

47. Real... just got it this past weekend

[woo me with science]

48. Wow, what a great memory you made.

You win the thread. :)

[tk2kewl]

51. A tradition in the making

My wife and I have been getting our tree at the same place for 6 or 7 years and we took the same picture of putting the star on the tree last year.

:)

[jobycom]

50. Mine's fake, unless you count when I lived in a house and tossed lights over a bush.

Excuse me, not "bush." I prefer to call them "Freedom Shrubs." :)

My parents had a fake tree, so I got used to a fake tree. Traditions die hard, if at all.

[edbermac]

53. Fake, I developed an allergy to real trees.

A few years back after I got a real one, underneath my eyes got puffy and swollen. Very strange.

[lillypaddle]

56. I don't see a tree

must be fake.

[guitar man]

57. Fake

I loved the real trees we used to go cut on the farm when I was a kid, and I resisted the fake trees for years, but finally gave in and bought a fake one a few years ago. It's just so easy and mess free to take care of.

Here's this year's creation :)

[MrSlayer]

58. Fake tree.

Because that's what my wife wants. I'm utterly indifferent.

[michreject]

59. Real

8' Fraser Fir. 100 bucks (counting 20 tip)

[JonLP24]

60. Go with a cannabis plant instead

Police find pot plant adorned as Christmas tree

BERLIN - German police say an "old hippy" is facing possible prosecution for his version of the, ahem, highest Christmas tree - a festively decorated two-yard-tall marijuana plant.

Koblenz police spokesman Ralf Schomisch says officers raided the apartment of the 58-year-old man following a tip Monday and uncovered a cache of 5.3 ounces (150 grams) of marijuana.

Then in the living room they discovered the tree - a pot plant adorned with Christmas lights. The suspect, whose name was not released, said he had planned to decorate it further and putting presents under it at Christmas.

But it was not to be. Schomisch said Thursday that authorities "had to destroy this pre-Christmas dream" and seize the plant as evidence.


Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/offbeat/articles/2010/12/09/20101209christmas-tree-pot.html#ixzz185FOcWcv

[axelfox]

61. Because right now is

very hecktick

[denverbill]

62. I like real trees but it's just so wasteful. I tried a living tree once but that didn't work out.

[Bertha Venation]

63. Real tree. Need the fragrance & freshness it brings into the home.