Real vs. Artificial Christmas Trees?
By Shannan Massillon ('25)
Have you ever wondered which Christmas tree will be better for the holidays? Then look no further, in this article, I'll be informing you about the advantages and disadvantages of real and artificial Christmas trees to help you next year!
Artificial Christmas trees are a reusable way to celebrate the holidays. Although it could be more expensive, these trees tend to last longer because of the material they're made of. There also tends to be less work involved you don’t need to trim the tree or water it or sweep anything up. It's much easier to set up and they reduce fire risks because most artificial Christmas trees are made from fire resistant material. The majority of artificial Christmas trees make it easier and safer to hang string lights on since they often come with built-in lights.
Here's a few artificial trees with bulit-in lights!
Photo courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens
Real Christmas trees have more meaning behind them and it's often an exciting tradition for many families!
Photo courtesy of Reader's Digest
Real Christmas trees have that sense of tradition whereas pulling an artificial Christmas tree out of a box doesn’t feel the same as going to a Christmas tree farm. According to a 2019 survey for the Christmas Tree Promotion Board, people who purchase real Christmas trees are more likely to highly value creating new holiday traditions with family than those who prefer artificial trees. Also, unlike artificial Christmas trees, real Christmas trees bring a scent of nature to your homes!
In my opinion, artificial Christmas trees are the best route to go because there's less work involved! All you have to do is get a Christmas tree out of its box, set up the lights if it doesn't come with them built-in already, and ta-da! A great bonus is that you would be helping the environment since fewer trees would have to be chopped down, and that also means more homes for animals!
As you can see both artificial and real Christmas trees are great, but it all depends on what works for you and your family!
Cover photo courtesy of Good Housekeeping
Banner photo courtesy of Greenpeace