We use a fake one every year. I bought 2 new ones year at Target's clearence.

Fake...I hate the clean up with the real ones.

I like the smell of the real ones, but I prefer a fake one, cuz of the watering/fire hazards and clean up of the real ones.

We have 2 fake ones..

We have a fake one. I love real ones but our cat doesn't seem as interested in the fake ones. Also, a couple years ago I got the lights on "just right" and haven't taken them off yet. We just store the tree assembled in the basement. Makes set up and removal a breeze!

I adore a real one, but I use fake since the mess is so bad. Actually I have a prelit one too so it saves lots of time -- no detangling mess.

Fake

we have a fake pre-lit tree

Fake prelit - I can't stand the mess. That and I'm terrified of fires.

Fake. I don't want to deal with the mess.

Fake

i love a real tree.i get mine the first weekend in december.and hardly ever have a mess,i have them drill a hole in the center of the trunk,and i hardly lose any needles,but last year i hit kmart when they did their 90%off clearance.and i got a martha stewart pre lit 7 ft. tree for 17$,and the prelit wreath to match for 2$.so i guess its artifical for me for a while.awesome tree though.

Fake - I like the real ones but I can't stand the mess with the needles

fake for us. we still have the very first tree i bought when i was 18 years old(back in 1998) and it still looks good!

we do have a smaller one though that we had to buy back in 2001 cuz the one i had was too big for the house we bought, lol.

Artificial, but it looks real!
Live trees wreak havoc with my allergies.

Artificial trees for sure, I put 3 up every year.

Real for me - A 9 foot frazier fur -

Fake baby!

Anything to take the work out of the holidays is worth it to me. I have some fir oil that I sprinkle some ornaments with and refresh every week and you can't tell the difference between ours and the real ones ;)
-Mike

You can't match the SMELL of a real tree. Last year we had a fake one, but we'll probably go with the traditional REAL tree this year!!! You just can't beat it!

We had a real one for years, but this will be our 3rd Christmas using an artificial tree. I don't miss the mess and will never go back to a real tree!

I love real trees, I thought about an artificial one but my kids said NO!!

Fake. I can't kill a tree for Christmas and keeping one alive through the holidays is just too much more stress.

I like the smell of the real ones, but I prefer a fake one, cuz of the watering/fire hazards and clean up of the real ones.

same here. I have one in my living room and a smaller one in my kitchen/dining room. I love to decorate trees!

I prefer real but have used a fake this past year and since I own it and it's beautiful it is probably what I will use for the next few years. There is no clean up and not as much of a fire hazard.

I would love to have a real one, but we have a fake pre-lit.

I just compensate by buying some fresh swags from the local nursery and put it on the coffee table so when we're all gathered around opening presents, you still have the "smell" of Christmas

I have a fake one. The kids wanted a white one since we don't get snow.

Fake-prelit

We cut our own REAL one!:yup:

Fake, because I put so many lights on, and leave it up so long.

We always had a real tree until our oldest son was born, he has too many allergies and asthma so we have done the fake ones the last 9 years.

fake....I need to buy one that has th lights on it but I love alot of white lights...tons of them and I havent seen one that has enough on it for me.....I make my self sick putting so many lights on the tree....literally...lol

Fake, they are sooo much easier! However I love the whole looking through the tree farm for the perfect tree and cutting it down and being all bundled up....I could go on. I guess I like the romantic notion of getting a real tree, then reality sets in and we get it home and my husband starts cussing because he can't get it straight etc. So, we have had an artificial one for several years now.

Real. Love the smell.

We have always done real but DH and I have talked seriously about flipping to a fake. We always hate cleaning up after the real ones. If we did decide to go with the fake we would have to take the kids to the Christmas tree farm every year to get a wreath or something lol. If not they would throw a fit.

We have a fake pre-lit (read: pain in the a$$) that is on its way out the door this year...every year, except for the first year we had it (I think 2001), it has had at least one bough that we can't figure out why it won't light...last year, it was the whole bottom section, every other bough! We will buy a new fake tree, but maybe not this year, as dh has been pushing for a real one for several years, but like all living greenery, I can't keep it alive, so I've been able to keep us from having to have one...now that we have kids and are living back up north again, though, he's wanting to do the whole, "drive into the middle of nowhere, chop down the tree, drag it home" thing...I can't stand to be cold, so I'm just as happy going to Lowe's or somewhere and having them strap it to the car! MUCH faster!!

Those of you that have pre-lit trees...I'm wondering if they're better now than they were when we first bought ours, as it was probably the first or second year they had pre-lit trees...do yours come in sections (ours has three), where you have to find several cords and hook them into a main socket in each section of the tree, or are they simpler now? this will be the deciding factor as to whether or not we buy another pre-lit tree...TIA!

Usually fake, but this year dh wants a real tree so, that is what we are getting. I do not look forward to the mess at all

We used to get a real tree, the whole cut it yourself deal, until a couple of years ago DS14 and DS17 started to complain about going out in the snow and freezing temps. Now we have a fake one and everyone is happy again!

All 5 of our trees are fake.

I've always had a real one. Love the smell of pine.

Fake, pine gives me a headache. Plus its hard to find a perfect 15' tree.

fake....I need to buy one that has th lights on it but I love alot of white lights...tons of them and I havent seen one that has enough on it for me.....I make my self sick putting so many lights on the tree....literally...lol

I'm right there with you. I need to buy a pre-lit. It takes me HOURS to get my lights on perfectly.

fake...my brother was working at sears and got a beautiful one for 90% off...paid 10$$$!!

Real, Love the smell and walking around the farm with the family to find the "perfect tree." A real "Christmas Vacation" moment lol. When our youngest was around 3 we would point to a tree and tell her "go look at the green one" lol she would run from tree to tree saying this one?? Nooooo the green one, she finally caught on and we cried with laughter. Kids! Good memories! We don't usually have too much of a mess. Guess we have been lucky so far, although we have had one fall over once lol. We finally had to just lean it in the corner lol I also put up 2 smaller fake ones. I love the lights!

fake. had a real one at the office one year at the bosses request, lets just say he wanted a real one the next he'd have to take care of it, lol we bought a fake one for there too lol

We have a fake. I like to put it up too early to have a real one.

We have 2 fake 6ft that I put up really early and then we also get a real on around Dec 8th

we go to a Christmas tree farm and ride in a hay covered trailer pulled by a tractor and then we pick and cut our own tree...its a family tradition since before we had children

we also had our real tree fall over one year all 9 feet of it...needless to say I lost a lot of ornaments that year

most Christmas tree farms will give you the limps that they cut off and you can make swags and garland out of it so you can still get that smell but with less clean up

I love the smell of a real tree but I and one son have asthma and all of us have allergies so we have a fake prelit tree that I bought on clearance from Target 5 yrs ago and it still looks great (despite the "help" I've gotten from kids putting it up). I'm thinking though of trying a real one this year, or maybe just some greenery to see how we handle it. We do have a real tree in the front yard that was a twig when we planted it but is now taller than our 1 story house.

Fake. Some of them are so life-like you can't even tell (except for the fact that they don't have a pine scent, needles, sap, and possible bugs).:D

I love a real tree... there's nothing more Christmassy than that smell!

Even when you cannot put up a real tree (there are many reasons why) you can always gather a bunch of long branches (often free where they cut X-mas trees') place them in a large heavy base vase, tie a gorgeous thick festive ribbon around the middle - you could even add those mini decorations/wrap wire-ribbon to the branches for a more festive look.

Fake ~ I got a 7 ft prelit one from walmart last year 75% off :D

Fake--we bought a real one that we could plant after, but they said we could only have it indoors for 2 weeks, and that's just not long enough, we planted it right away, then bought a fake one. Tree goes up on BF and stays up until after New Year.

I'd really love to have a white one, so every other year I could altenrate green and white. I love the white trees with pink or blue decorations--but I wouldn't want it every year.

Real real real! I will never have a fake tree.

Real - growing up we always had fake trees then when I moved in with my boyfriend he introduced me to real trees and ever since that is what we had. I don't think I would ever go back to fake. Love the smell and how it looks.

Growing up, my family always had a real tree each year until we moved to Australia when I was 10. There, my parents got on the fake tree kick because real ones weren't as easy to find. Back in the states now since '94, they have a pre-lit fake tree they love, but when I got married my wife and I decided we'd use a real one each year that we were able. 3 out of 4 years isn't bad, I'd say. :)

Real. Its our Tradition. last year we went out to get our special Tree and it actually snowed- it was great! The next day school was called off and we decorated and did homemade decorations/baked cookies...

I love a real tree... there's nothing more Christmassy than that smell!

Even when you cannot put up a real tree (there are many reasons why) you can always gather a bunch of long branches (often free where they cut X-mas trees') place them in a large heavy base vase, tie a gorgeous thick festive ribbon around the middle - you could even add those mini decorations/wrap wire-ribbon to the branches for a more festive look.

What a GREAT idea! I always wanted to be like the Griswalds and drive out to the tree farm(minus the ummm accident & frost bite) and pick out a tree but I fell in love with the fake prelits-guess I will stick to the movie...but what a great way to get that fresh tree scent in your home!

Fake pre lit I like the real ones but I just don't have what it takes too keep in alive long enough.

Fake! Can't stand the smell of real ones.

Usually fake but last year our dog decided the tree branches were nice removable snacks. And our cat decided to test some of her nine lives on eating through three different light strings. So this year it'll be real until I can snag a fake prelit one after Christmas for dirt cheap.

Fake all the way b/c of allergies and the mess they make.

Fake - can't leave a real tree up from Nov 1- Jan 1st!!!

I love the smell of a real one. Decorating the real ones I have to wear gloves and then use a dozen boxes of Kleenex. So we use a pre-lit tree and candles. :D

Fake pre lit I like the real ones but I just don't have what it takes too keep in alive long enough.

That's me

We have a fake one, but always get a real one. We have a tree stand that you only need to water once a week. And there is a great tree farm close to us if you don't mind walking hills
;)

We have 1 of each.

Fake for me too. I can put it up and take it down whenever.
I usually go to the woods and cut down some geenery to decorate. I get some smelly stuff to. I love the smell of real trees, but hate the mess.

Fake pre-lit. We decorate too early in the season to use a real one. :yup:

Fake. There is no good way to keep a real tree alive that long in Southern California. This way I can have it up a really long time (Thanksgiving till Jan 2) without it drying out and becoming a fire hazard. And it makes it easier for DH and DD's allergies :-)

Gotta have a real one. I'm a christmas geek though, love to go Griswold on the house with lights, and even the best fake trees still look plastic to me.

Fake. I am allergic to real ones

A real tree. We never have a huge mess problem, just keep it filled with plenty of water. I had to decorate hundreds of fake trees over the years in stores and a fake tree just feels like "work." A real tree is a holiday!

That said, I also have a fairly sizeable collection of really FAKE trees in pink, silver, lime green, blue etc in smaller sizes that I put around the house. If a tree is fake, I want it to look fake and sparkly.

And LOL at the 'Griswold" remark.

Fake, prelit. My boys all have allergies to trees and asthma. Have to be careful.

Fake, but I put my own lights on so I can change between white lights and colored lights depending upon my MOOD that year!

Also-for those of you that say you miss the pine smell of a real tree--- Just buy some Glade Potpourri Pine Sccented aerosol spray and spray your tree down when people come over!!!!!!! That's what I do!
(I actually use the "Christmas Tree" from bath and body works-YUM!)

We have a pre-lit fake tree, just because it is easier

Real. My mom loves her fake tree but I can't stand them. I don't see why you bother to put all that work into a fake tree that looks like that!

Real!!! Family outing to the tree farm, Christmas card picture, and tree decorating all in one day!!! We have 3 trees in our house, but we do have a fake one in one room.

I have used a fake tree for the last 8 years and gave away my tree on freecycle and now when I am looking the trees I like are $300 to $400 so I may just buy a real tree this year and buy a fake when they are reduced. I do love the smell of the real trees tho.

fake

Fake, because the real ones die too soon and you can't leave them up near long enough....although I really love real trees....the pine scent and all....just reminds me of christmas....but I have to have my tree up for over a month....so real one's just don't cut it....:(

We have always had a real 10-12 foot Fraiser Fir, but this year we bought a 9 ft Fake pre-lit tree, so we will see if we like it. I also put up 5 other "smaller" trees around the house. I am definitely going to have to get some real branches to make swags out of for the smell. I love that fresh pine scent.

Everyone says the real one's don't last but we but ours up on the Saturday or Sunday after Thanksgiving and leave it up until New Years. It looks beautiful every year. How long do you guys leave your trees up?! If you keep it watered you shouldn't have any trouble. Just don't put any crap in the water - like bleach or sugar. You only add sugar to boiling water on the very first night because you have cut the tree. Other than that you are doing more harm than good. (I used to work for a florist)

I owuld love to get a real one but the son have severe allergies,..so a fake one it is.

[QUOTE=Princess7915;934481]Everyone says the real one's don't last but we but ours up on the Saturday or Sunday after Thanksgiving and leave it up until New Years.


I think it depends on where you live. In Southern California, it's too dry that time of year--there is just no good way to keep a tree fresh that long. And a lot of us worry about the fire danger (especially this year, I'd guess). We usually get more Santa Ana winds in December, so the humidity is even lower...just not worth the risk.

They do smell great, however.....:)

Fake. I can't kill a tree for Christmas and keeping one alive through the holidays is just too much more stress.

Same here. I love plants and find it depressing to hang pretty decorations on a dying tree. :(

We have a non-lit fake tree from TreeClassics. It's gorgeous! So dense and full - I love it! We keep this one by the picture window and it's so dense the outside light doesn't filter through the branches.

Adding: we bought the non-lit version because I like variety in Christmas lights. We've done multi-color c-7 LEDs and mixed up clear and yellow lights. Both turned out so pretty!!

I love the smell of a real tree, but I hate the mess, the constant watering, etc. I grew up with fake trees and dh and I had fake trees most of our Christmas' together. We have a fake prelit tree and it is still very pretty and much less hassle.

Elena

I have always put up a fake tree, but my husband wants to put up a real one. I don't want to spend alot of money on a live tree when I have a beautiful fake tree. Home Depot has the 5-6 ft Douglas fir trees for 19.99 on BF. Has anyone had any experience with them? I have hardwood floors in my living room, and do not want to have sap everywhere. And I have a 7 month old who puts everything in her mouth, so I don't particularly care to have needles everywhere. (Guess I shoud stick with the fake tree!) Anyway, I would appreciate any input. Thanks.

I haven't had a douglas fir in many years as I have been doing artificial, but what I do remember is that they keep their needles well and they are beautiful trees. What I didn't like about them was that they are very soft trees and heavy ornaments must be put more in the middle and not on the tips.

I prefer the Frazier Fir - but any Fir is good as far as I am concerned. I don't like Pine personally.

I usually get Douglas or Frasier Firs, I love the look of pine trees but generally they don't have strong enough branches to hold ornaments well. The firs are generally cheaper in cost than pine. We would get ours from a local grocery store which actually had fresher trees than the lots for $25 (about 6-7' tall). We use to go to one that brought them in from a farm in the Northern part of our state (Montana) but they went up to nearly $50 for a tree. We have a fireplace in the Living room so they dry out very quickly so don't want to pay big bucks and have it dropping needles in two weeks.

I put a big sheet on the floor first (you could also buy a tree bag) than put up the tree, than the tree skirt. When its time to take the tree out, I wrap it really tight in the sheet and haul it out with minimal needle dropping. The tree bag can do the same thing but sometimes they don't fit the tree well (girth wise). I love fresh trees but last year we went to fake because of the fireplace drying the trees out too much

Fake, DH puts sooooo many lights on it that the branches on a real one wouldn't hold all of the lights.:eek:

we have a fake pre-lit. I love it! :D

Fake!! My wife's asthma acts up with the real tree's!! She ended up in the ER one time too many one year and I took the tree down two weeks early and bought a fake. Still have it.

I have two fake trees. DH is scared to death to have a real tree catch on fire or something.


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