The excitement of Christmas takes off on a whole new level when it’s time to set up the Christmas tree. But before you set it up, you have to pick whether or not you’re planning to have an artificial Christmas tree or a real one. There are pros and cons to either choice so just weigh which one would be best for you.
With artificial trees, you don’t have to worry about the needles drying out. The needles won’t shed on your carpet so you won’t constantly be vacuuming them up. You won’t have the hassle of any pets constantly nipping at the needles like with a live tree.
You don’t have to decide if it’s fresh enough so that you don’t have to trim some of it off the bottom in order for the tree to have a longer, fresher life. You don’t have to fret about fastening the stand screws tightly against the bark so the tree won’t tip. By using an artificial tree, you can just drop the base securely into the stand.
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Purchasing an artificial tree means you won’t have to wonder if you brought any pests inside your home that can damage your houseplants. Plus, there’s not the allergy factor with artificial trees like there can be with real ones.
Unlike real Christmas trees, you can buy artificial ones during the year and you won’t have to wait until the last minute to bring it home. You can get a jump on getting your Christmas items in place so that when the holidays arrive, you’re not out in the frantic shopping pace. With the ease of availability, you can buy more than one for different rooms in your house. You can get one for your children to decorate.
On the flip side, real Christmas trees have a wonderful scent. They smell like Christmas. The limbs are fuller and you won’t have a plastic pole poking through the limbs. The tree won’t have a plastic appearance.
The branches are easier to decorate than the sometimes thicker branches of artificial trees. Since the branches are attached to the tree, you won’t have the frustration of trying to match color coded branches to little slots.
Real Christmas trees are easier to take down and get out of your home. When the season is over, you can bag your real Christmas tree and many cities have a recycling program where used Christmas trees are turned into mulch, thus helping the environment.
With artificial Christmas trees, you have to remove each branch by section and make sure they’re labeled. Then you have to store them in boxes or plastic containers so that the branch tips won’t break off. Once you get it packed away, everything has to be lugged into storage or the attic. There are positives and negatives to either choice. You just have to decide which is the best choice.