Real or Fake? Christmas Trees, that is.

[A. Leese]

After a long discussion on which sort of tree is the best, I figured I may as well post a poll on here to get us all in the holiday spirit.

[D.J. Fluck]

My family always goes for a fake tree...its less of a hassel and you dont have to water and clean up the dead needles that fall off the real one...plus alergies are the other reason we go fake..

[gniticxe]

While it doesn't help at all with the alergies, most Christmas tree places have a little shaker. They put the trunk (?) of the tree in the base and it vibrates, knocking off most of the dead and near dead needles :) It makes set-up and take-down of the tree a little less messy. Personally, I love the smell of our Christmas tree whenever I walk in our door - it has long been associated in my mind with the Christmas spirit (awwww). So my vote went to the real tree, but my mom wants a fake one for the setup reasons you mentioned DJ. lol, it has also been a long tradition with my father to go to one of the cut-your-own Christmas tree places and get one...its has always been...interesting

[Elgin Clock]

Fake all the way Baby!!!!!!
Give me a Plastic, Metal, Fiberglass, Carbon Fiber, or Lexan tree any day of the week!

It don't matter what it's made of as long as it's fake and it don't smell like a real tree!!!


Here's some more questions: Tinsel: Yes or No?
Lights: White or Rainbow?

[Christina]

I'm definitely a real tree girl. Christmas just isn't the same without the smell of a real Christmas tree in my house. My tree is usually a white light tree (but since I'm pretty much on my own with my Christmas tree since my mom is in South Korea until March) I'm not sure whether or not it'll stay white this year. I think it will though. At my dad's...he has rainbow lights. But, either way, it's gotta be real.

~Christina

[Clark Gilbert]

We always have a real chirstmas tree, nothing beats the smell of that real chirstmas tree...it just puts you in the holiday spirit....plus we always have white lights...


:) :D

[David Kelly]

if we had a *real tree, i would prolly burn it down...lol i'm a huge pyro:D :p

so we go for fake

[gniticxe]

Originally posted by David Kelly
if we had a fake tree, i would prolly burn it down...lol i'm a huge pyro:D :p

so we go for fake
Is anyone else out there as big of a Simpsons fan as me? I'm sure there are, but reading that post reminded me of the Simpsons episode where Bart snuck down early Christmas morning and accidentally caught their tree on fire with one of his presents :) The funny thing was that the tree was a fake tree and after it melted, it congealed into plastic sheet of tree. Bart then hauled the "tree" outside and buried it in the snow. In the end, I think he blamed it on burglars...hehe
I already posted that I'm all for the real trees, but I'd like to add that I prefer the white lights, but we can't have tinsel because my cat eats it (stupid cat) and tinsel doesn't go to well with his digestive system...

[D.J. Fluck]

Ha...that was classic..........what was the toy called? it was a remote control fire truck....it was something stupid i know...but that episode was funny...i liked how everything burnt into one plastic "dish"

[Carolyn Duncan]

REAL TREES!!!! I just went and bought mine yesterday, and my car still smells like it :D. This year is my first year dealing with Christmas stuff alone so my tree is small. Usually we have a large, real tree in our living room with multi colored lights and tinsel. My dog doesnt eat the tinsel but his tail gets it everywhere...
I usually have a different kind of tree in my room. I have a Hibiscus tree in my room that I decorate with purple and silver stuff. The cool thing is that it would always bloom on Christmas :). Anyway, what type of ornaments fo you guys put on your trees? I know some people who only put little wooden ornaments on their trees, i put al kinds of stuff on mine. Those ornaments you make in kindergarten, I still got em nd they go up every year, and so do the glass balls and old fashoned stuff that has been around longer than I have been alive. (we still have aluminum tinsel from waaaaaay back, but we dont use it anymore) So share your decorations.
edit: Just a thought, where is your box for Menorahs? or the Kwanza candle holder, I don't know what thats called. Did I forget anything?

[mnkysp6353]

my Hanukah Bush is usually real. I decorate it with blue tinsel and white lights. I want to motorize it this year so it will sing and dance.

[Andy Baker]

My family has been going out for the past few years and cutting down our own tree from a friend's small tree farm. There is nothing like it. The tree is fresh and will stay green until March.

Our eldest daughter really enjoys picking out just the right tree.

Andy B.

[Carolyn Duncan]

Originally posted by Andy Baker
My family has been going out for the past few years and cutting down our own tree from a friend's small tree farm. There is nothing like it. The tree is fresh and will stay green until March.
Our eldest daughter really enjoys picking out just the right tree.
Andy B.
I used to go to a tree farm in VA. It was really great. The just right tree for me was always one that looked soooooooooo ugly at first but once we started putting some of the bigger ornaments on it teh gaping holes wouldn't be quite so bad and it would really turn out to be like a Charlie Brown tree.

[Simon]

The best part of christmas preparation is going to get a real tree. Anyone whose gone out and walked around to find just the right one knows what I mean. Getting a fake one is just to easy. Christmas is a time to be with family, going to get a real tree as a family is one of our biggest traditions. My opinion is that you should spend the hour and a half with your family to get a real one as opposed to just going to walmart and be out of there in less than fifteen minutes.

[Elgin Clock]

Originally posted by Simon My opinion is that you should spend the hour and a half with your family to get a real one as opposed to just going to walmart and be out of there in less than fifteen minutes.

Fake trees are better for 1 simple reason and trust me I have done it before.

The tree goes up the day after Thanksgiving and comes down a few days before Valentines Day!

It prolongs the experience- or was it just that the procrastinistic nature in me "forgot" to take it down?!?!?

FAKE TREES 4-EVER!!!

(can you tell I have allergies yet?)

[D.J. Fluck]

Originally posted by Elgin Clock
The tree goes up the day after Thanksgiving and comes down a few days before Valentines Day!

hahaha that sounds like our christmas lights setup and takedown....

[Carolyn Duncan]

Originally posted by Simon
My opinion is that you should spend the hour and a half with your family to get a real one as opposed to just going to walmart and be out of there in less than fifteen minutes.
15 minutes nothing! You spend 45 minutes standing in line waiting to pay for the fake thing. I like haggling over prices for real trees. It's soooo much fun. :D

[Shannon Maloney]

well, you could go to a lot with your family and spend an hour trying to decide what tree you want to get, or you could do what my family does...spend all of thanksgiving weekend puting up eight fake christmas trees....yes i said eight. The family tree (the one the presents go under), the formal tree (silver and gold only), the two disney trees (yes two) are all 7 ft trees....the other trees are table top trees, each themed (of course), the island of misfit toys tree, the Hershey's candy tree, my tree, and my sisters tree.....and we don't stop there with the christmas stuff....the outside of our house is completly outlined with those big lights and little lights are on the bushes....oh and inside the house there's a train layout that goes around three of the big trees....
i think that's everything....

[D.J. Fluck]

Here are My Top 10 Reasons that Fake Trees are Better (In no particular order)

10. There are millions of different shapes and sizes of real trees, which could make selecting the right one take forever

9. money: When you spend 50 dollars a year or more on a tree, the costs add up, but with a fake tree, you spend 60 dollars or so every 5 to 10 years

8. common question "Well now that I bought a tree, how am I going to get it home?"

7. When you finally get your tree home, getting it in the front door without knocking over things is a real challenege.

6. Allergies: many people have allergies to pine needles, unless you want to spend christmas with your nose clogged, fake is the way to go (This may not apply to everyone, but it is a good reason).

5. The dead pine needles from the real tree make the floor dirty

4. Caring for the real tree: with a fake tree you do not have to worry about the needles turning brown and dying if you forget to water it

3. After Christmas Cleanup: it was always funny to watch dad struggle with getting the giant tree in the bag for disposal

2. After Christmas Cleanup Pt 2- Trashmen in many areas have strict rules on disposal of trees and how they need to be bagged and placed

1. With Fake trees you just unhook the segments, place in it the box, and shove it in the attic for another year

[Clark Gilbert]

Ok those are some reasons but they arent all true.....


1. Most tree lots have them in groups and most people know what kind they want.

2. Getting it home isnt that hard....tie it to the top of a car...hang it out the trunk...fit it in the back seat...have a van, truck, or suv..

3. getting it around the house normally isnt a problem, you have to have a really big tree if it wont fit through the door on the front of your house or back..

4. Most trees dont have a lot of dead pine needles that fall off...

5. Caring for a tree isnt that hard.....give it enough water the first time and it will last a long time before it needs it again

6. about the bag....buy a tree bag...put it on before you put it in the house for the first time....tuck it up...put a skirt around the base of the tree and when you want to take it out of the house...pull the bag over the tree and carry it out....no mess at all..

7. most trash guys will take a tree....most cities even have special trash pick up for trees..just put it out and they will take it..

:)

[D.J. Fluck]

Originally posted by Clark Gilbert
1. Most tree lots have them in groups and most people know what kind they want.

Problem: They may know what type they want...but many people spend a lot of time deciding on size...i know this for a fact because my grandpa ran a tree lot for his local YMCA befor he passed away, what he always told my dad was many people are scatterbrained and do not know what they want and they change their mind

Also: Most people dont drive vans trucks or SUVs....plus people dont like to transport on the roof...

The tree bag is cheap and tears easily...thats the problem....plus when u have a man 5'10" (my dad) trying to put the bag over a 8 foot tree without dumping it over can get funny...

[gniticxe]

I don't know about all of you, but for me, that deciding which Christmas tree argument is kinda fun. When you take a step back and look at it...its really funny. Who cares if you get this one or that one? You'll forget by tomorrow, and it will look the same under all the ornaments and lights anyway.

Oh, and here in Delaware (woohoo!) I would say a good third of the vehicles on the road are vans/suvs. Although it seems the soccer/robotics mommies ;) seem to be increasing the market for stationwagons :rolleyes: , but I guess they can hold a Christmas tree just as well. But thats coming from a 56k user who likes real trees ;)

[EddieMcD]

It really doesn't matter which kind my family gets. Actually, we go about 50/50 on either one. I actually hate putting together the fake (wait, don't they prefer to be called artificial ;) ) tree. But decorating is fun. I myself prefer either plain colored lights, or the white lights that have 15 different sequences programed in (for some odd reason, I hate flashing colored lights).

And just as long as Santa leaves something under the tree, I'm happy. :cool:

[A. Leese]

Just wanted to say this real quick..I'm from Florida and I've never had a real tree. Not many people do here becuase, well, yea. Trees are really expensive to buy and my allergies would go crazy anyway. My grandma always used to have a real tree. I guess I go for fake b/c its what we've always had. I dunno. Bye all. Gotta jet to third block. ~Ang

[Kyle Gilbert]

Just one question littlefish180.... have you ever seen snow? i can remember a few people that i used to go to school with that were from florida and they had never even seen snow.. it was funny to see the look on their face when they actually saw it in real-life not just a picture.....

and just for that reason i would hate to live in florida... there truely is no "White Christmas".. that would drive me crazy... :D

[D.J. Fluck]

I have lived in Kokomo, Indiana for all 16 years of my life, and i if there is one thing i really dislike, well its snow...its so cold, and my car gets stuck in it (my car sucks, i know..but thats not the point) and its a general pain...i actually liked when it was 70 degrees last week...

Florida! Here I come! (In a few years)

[EddieMcD]

The snow rules!

Ironicly, it's December, and I'm still wearing shorts. Wasupwidat?

[Elgin Clock]

Eddie,

What about today's weather??? Dark enough from all the fog in the air to look like winter but 65 degrees out??? What's up with that???

Right now it's 1:30am and it's about 50 degrees out! Curiouser and Curiouser; definately not like the "normal" northeastern weather I'm used to and had to deal with last year during build time!!!

Bring on the Nor'easter's!!!

I'm ready to do some spins in my car!!! :D

-Your neighbor to the near West- Elg

[EddieMcD]

I took a quick step out at about 4:30 this morning (geez, I'm never up that early except for a competition). Anyhow, it was really nice out. I was out stargazing for a few minutes. But it's warm here, and I'm on in island! Again I say: wasupwidat?

[A. Leese]

Yes, I have seen snow. I have a million relatives in both the Carolinas and NW Ohio. I've also seen it in NJ/NY a few times on school trips. I'm not that cut off from the world. lol

[Matt Leese]

Originally posted by littlefish180
Yes, I have seen snow. I have a million relatives in both the Carolinas and NW Ohio. I've also seen it in NJ/NY a few times on school trips. I'm not that cut off from the world. lol
What would having relatives in the Carolinas do with seeing snow? ;)

For those who wish they were having snow, I can give you a report from the snowiest city in the country: we've had snow twice this year. Yes, twice. And it's Decemeber. I'm taking this as a good thing for now as I get quite tired of the snow after a relatively short period of time. But it is very unusual. So I think the lack of snow is rather universal on the east coast at this point in time.

Matt

[EddieMcD]

How much snow?

[Carolyn Duncan]

Originally posted by Matt Leese

What would having relatives in the Carolinas do with seeing snow? ;)
Matt
Maybe it's because you are a yankee but...
parts of North Carolina get more snow than Virginia. I'm not yankee bashing, I just find it fun to pick on y'all sometimes. ;)

[Elgin Clock]

Ok I'm not Southern bashing or anything but uh....is saying "Y'all" a prerequisite/corequisite to living down south??? My cousin moved down to FLA. from CT a few years back and when she comes and visits us she says y'all alot, and denies that she says it and also denies that she has an accent to go along with it.!! It's pretty funny!

:D

[Matt Leese]

Originally posted by Carolyn Duncan

Maybe it's because you are a yankee but...
parts of North Carolina get more snow than Virginia. I'm not yankee bashing, I just find it fun to pick on y'all sometimes. ;)
I think I remember the last time North Carolina had snow. It was a couple years back. Everything was closed for about a week. I think it might've been about 6 inches of snow. ;) Basically, anything south of Maryland doesn't get an appreciable amount of snow. That includes both Virginia and North Carolina. :-p

Matt

[Greg Ross]

Originally posted by Elgin Clock
is saying "Y'all" a prerequisite/corequisite to living down south???
I don't live in the south, and never have, but y'all comes in very handy at times.:D