The Great Christmas Debate - #2 Real Tree Vs. Fake Tree

freshpopcorn

It has to be fake for me.
Now I don't mind the smell but it reminds me of grave wreaths we get at Christmas.
Cleaning up/etc.I'd be fine. I wouldn't be a neat freak.
The main reason I voted for fake is because I have so many light, baubles, etc that a real tree couldn't cope with it.

otnomart

I voted fake.
Christmas tree in my family home was bought when I was born and it was such a pleasure to unpack it together with the decorations, year after year, it was like an old friend.
(Mind you, its fake needles can give fierce paper cuts !)
It is lasting forever and still looking great; we have bought a replacement only because we wanted something smaller.

We tried a real tree maybe 2-4 times, and did not like the shedding, it went off pretty quickly.

The fake one can be put up as early as you like, and stay up as long as you like.

Mind you, if I had a garden I would go for a real tree outdoors !

CheerLouth

After much thought, although I do love our real tree, I went with fake for the following reasons:

- Fake one can be up for much longer than the real one
- It's like an old family friend taking it out of the attic
- We have the Nebraska one from Homestore & More & it's so full and green and I love it!
- I always think the real tree is either too full & we are chopping bits off it, or it is too skinny


On the other hand, I hate taking the bugger down - I can never get it back in the box the same way it came out :P

Loughc

50 Votes posted so far with a 64% 36% split. I don't think this will be as close as the sweets poll was.

washiskin

My chocolate tuppence worth is fake trees all the way. It's the only way I can have as many as I have.

Loughc

Only 55 votes but a clear leader. Stil 3 Days to cast Your Vote!

Toots

Fake

I voted real, even though I actually have a lovely fake one. We always had massive real trees growing up, and if I had a house I'd 100% be getting a real one (I'd still put up the fake one somewhere but the real one would be the "main" tree) I live in an apartment and the first few years here we did have real trees but the every time getting it out of the apartment after Christmas was a nightmare. There would end up being pine needles all over the common areas and we'd be ages hoovering it all up.

We bought a fake tree as an experiment one year, and despite the lack of amazing smell, the ease of removal and lack of mess make it a winner for apartment living. We still do a massive real tree in my parents every year, so I can still get me fix of the Christmas scent.

Posy

Fake tree for me, all the way!!

I've never had a real tree, always plastic.

Mine is a fake BT tree. It's slim so fits beautifully in the corner, which a real tree wouldn't.
I also prefer a nice symmetrical tree. Plus I have a dog and used to have cats, so I like to be able to wrap the branch around the baubles so they can't be pulled off the tree by naughty pets!

Staph

Fake

I can see where you're coming from Posy. But I like the frisson of tension of having delicate ornaments on a real tree .... and pets, just adds to the christmas season! :pac:

OUTDOORLASS

Fake unfortunately. With houses so well insulated nowadays, real trees have major droop problems well before the big day, with
baubles touching the ground. I would love to have a real tree. Grew up with real tree always, and nothing nicer than coming downstairs
each morning to the lovely smell of pine. But back then, there was no nonshed trees, so for the next 6 months, you would regularly get a fine prick from random spines still stuck in the carpet.
We bought an artificial one about 10 years ago, bought it in sale after Christmas so bought a decent one. a 7 footer...... and shes just gorgeous when she is decorated in all her glory....
We live near a wood, so in December I can be seen taking some small bits off the real trees, and tucking them into our fake tree.
Lovely real pine smell then, so maybe I have the best of both worlds.
My brother refuses to go fake, and travels about 30 miles to a Christmas Tree farm, where he picks the tree he wants, and it
it cut fresh there and then. Hashtag real Christmas Tree Envy....

Posy

OUTDOORLASS wrote: »

We live near a wood, so in December I can be seen taking some small bits off the real trees, and tucking them into our fake tree.

I do that, except with my mantlepiece garland. Lovely and piney.

touts

Fake

Had an expensive "real look" fake tree for years and I was very happy with how real it looked etc etc etc. I still put it up in one room BUT a few years ago I got a real one for the showpiece in the living room. I did it because I wanted our son to have the memory of going and picking out the tree from a local tree farm. I thought we'd do it for one or two years but I have to say now real is best and we still do it. The smell, the look, the size. Everything about it is better. The perfect plastic fake one looks awful in comparison. I can't see us going back to a fake one for many years. Yes they are hassle but now that's enjoyable hassle. I keep mine in a stand with water and I've found is lasts for the whole Christmas period. It can drink about 2lt of water a day the first few days and that keeps it fresh for longer. Just go to a farm where it was cut that day and they will cut the bottom off the stump for you. Get it home and into water within 2 hours seems to be the trick. The ones you buy on the side of the road could have been cut in East Europe two weeks before and no amount of water will make them last once you get them home.

Loughc

And the winner with 60.32% of the votes and 38 votes is...


Fake Tree


So the artificial tree wins out

Week's 3 debate is now live!