Every year, the tradition was the same. It started with my dad lugging a giant box of tree parts down the steps. Then my sister and I dove in and created piles. As the air filled with the scent of cookies (which was my mom's tradition — baking during assembly), we tried hard to make sure every tree piece was perfectly bent. If the tree looked too stiff, it would look bad in photos. Plus, ornaments would be much harder to hang.
This is the scene that plenty of families have never gotten to witness. And personally, I haven't partaken in it myself in quite some time. My husband insists on a real tree, specifically one cut right at the farm. It's a nice tradition, especially now that we have a child who's excited to help out. Still, there's something that makes the ritual seem a little empty.
You'd probably assume that it's the other way around. What's more festive than standing out in the cold, surrounded by identical trees, trying to find the one to take home and decorate? Plus, the smell is fantastic. But even though I like how things are, I still miss the past. Here's why an artificial tree still makes a lot of sense to me.
It's much less messy.
I'm pretty sure that pine needles are still inhabiting the tiny little townhouse where my husband and I spent our first Christmas together. Finding needles embedded in the carpet was a real issue until at least March or April. When you buy a tree, you're signing on for the mess it creates. We only just recently got a car with a roof rack, so those needles were also inside the car for a couple of years.
Fake trees are less expensive.
The price of a fake tree at the start can be a little crazy, but if you hold onto it for years, it's a wise investment. This year, we spent around $60 for a tree. Again, it's a great tree — but it'll expire right after the holiday, if not sooner. An artificial one will just go right back in the box to make its annual debut next December.
I don't have to worry about disposal.
For the past two years, our dismantled live tree was sitting outside, waiting for disposal. The same went for the whole neighborhood. For weeks, the garbage collectors avoided it. They obviously had their own schedule as to when they'd take the tree away, but we were never told when. That means that we, along with our neighbors, had dead trees on our front lawns for about three weeks. It was a depressing scene.
I don't have guilt about cutting down a tree.
I know that these trees were literally planted just to be cut down, but the thought is still upsetting. Trees are incredible for our environment. Not only do they give out a bunch of oxygen, but they also serve as the home for plenty of woodland critters. Cutting one down just for decoration always feels a little wasteful.
Fake trees save time.
Again, it's a tradition I've grown to love. But when we get a Christmas tree, it takes an entire day. We have to find the right farm, drive there, walk around, find "the one," and make sure it's not dry — and then there's the cutting, prep, and payment. Then we load it on top of the car. Even when it's secure, there's still that lingering feeling of the tree falling off and causing an accident. None of these things happen with an artificial tree. You can take your time with tree assembly and multitask.
Real trees are more of a hazard.
Christmas trees can literally burst into flames when they're not properly taken care of. My husband and I always make sure our tree is watered, but all it takes is a couple days of forgetting. Artificial trees can also catch on fire, but the New York Times reports that it's far less likely. The ratio is three to one.
Artificial trees are less painful.
I get that this is my fault, but the tree we selected has super-sharp needles. Putting ornaments on this year was like high-fiving a collection of knives. And the pain will only get worse as the days go on. It's so bad that we need to make sure our toddler always has shoes on when she's around the tree, since one fallen needle might cause a world of hurt. Artificial trees are much softer and easier to manage.
