What do you prefer: real or fake trees?

[Prof. Alexander Brighton]

What kind of Christmas tree does everyone like? It can be a a real tree including palm trees and any other real tree or an artificial one.

I prefer real trees. When I was younger I used to go with my dad every year to pick out the perfect tree. We did eventually get an artificial tree for a couple years before going back to getting a real one. The downside about real trees is that we can never put it up until mid December.

[February Fortescue]

Definitely fake. No worries about watering it or it dropping needles. I also don't have to locate a new one each year.

The one I'm currently using i purchased from a local charity about 5 years ago. It's themed around The Polar Express. The multicolored lights are glued on and look perfect. All I have to do is plug it in and hang up ornaments which were perfectly chosen, and enjoy. It works for me, since I only share my home with two dogs

[Prof. Sindor Aloyarc]

My preference aligns with Feb.

As lovely as a real tree is, the right fake one is more my speed. Either I’d like it to appear as real as possible (there will be balsam fir candles burning in any case to keep the illusion and atmosphere festive!) otherwise I like there to be some specific novelty/theme. Such as ours is medium sized with a very bare bones vibe made of white wire with white lights built in. We typically have done mostly purple, blue, and silver balls and other similarly colored dripping looking and cone-like shapes, with some small, many silver-balled garland like pieces draped over each of the wire “branches” to make them look a little more whimsical and treelike than just the industrial aesthetic.

While I have many fond memories and look back with nostalgia on my younger years (me and one of my brothers used to look forward to picking out the perfect tree with Dad come the holiday season), love the ease of reusing a fake one year after year, and lack of regular watering/cleaning or certain other kinds of worrying that come along with a real tree.

Taking it one step further, I also am more than happy having my partner put up all the decorations himself. He’s a bit particular, so it works for both of us. And, hey, I’m pretty good at putting hooks into ornaments, so

[Prof. Kendra Givens]

I prefer fake trees. I grew up with a fake tree always. They don't require any clean up or watering, they can hold pretty much any ornaments you need them to, and they last for a long time. Oh, and you can get exactly the height you want. I think they're just reliable and easily manageable. You also don't get stabbed by sharp needles as you're trying to work with the tree and you don't get covered in sticky sap.

Now, since I've lived with my boyfriend for 3 years, we've had a real tree. He's always had a real tree. It's a big deal in his family (and a whole family event at that) to go out and pick the perfect real tree from the field and have it chopped down just for you. While I do enjoy the family tradition aspect of the real tree, I still stand by what I said about the needles, watering, and sap. It's a mess. I'm the one who waters it, and I don't think I've watered it in a week with all of the gifts under it now. This particular type of tree has soft needles and it's very pretty, but it's also very frail and can't hold anything heavy. A lot of my favorite ornaments couldn't go up this year because of that. The star on top is also crooked, because the tree doesn't have a straight branch at the top. It smells really nice, but we've had to get the dog away from it a few times because he likes to eat foliage.

I will keep trying to convince my boyfriend to transition to buying a fake tree, but I doubt it'll happen. At least not for a long time.

[Gail Allen]

I am absolutely a real-tree kind of Ga(i)l.
We've always had a real tree - and NEVER watered it. Our foot for the tree doesn't even have a place to hold water and it usually stands for about a month - it all depends on the kind of tree you get whether they need this or not.
I find the fake ones also *look* really fake, so for me it's a real one or I might almost as well not get one - though this year I am celebrating Christmas somewhere else than usual and there the tree is a fake one and well... it's alright too, but for me, I will sooner have a real one.
It's better for the environment too in many cases even though this seems counterintuitive. This is because these trees are planted purposefully and - which is important to this argument - replanted when they are cut down. And young trees collect more Co2 than older trees that are no longer growing as fast as they were when they were young so the constant replanting of young trees will optimize the Co2 capturing abilities of the field they're on. Fake trees are made of plastic and while they are kept much longer than a real tree it is still surprising just *how* long you have to use a fake tree before it will overtake the real ones in terms of sustainability. So that's another reason I like to get a real tree. It supports the planting of new and more efficient trees.

[Prof. Maxim Trevelyan]

I am definitely on the “real” tree side. We get a tree that is more on the smaller side and appropriately wrapped up and put in soil (or whatever substance similar to it). Sure, it drops needles and such, but that is easily remedied with a sheet put under it or just by using a vacuum. After the holiday period passes, we plant the tree on the property or in the appropriate spot in the forest. By the time I left home, we had nearly 20 “Christmas” trees on the property. Our family’s and now my own reasons were pretty much all that Gail already wrote about.

[Harry Walles]

I have never had a real tree at home but I know a few people who did. And after careful consideration I think that although real trees give a bit stronger Christmas feeling, they can be a huge pain. They constantly drop needles and their scent is very strong, which becomes a huge problem especially when you have pets at home. Therefore, I think I will stick with the fake tree. Additionally, you do not have to throw it away and buy a new one each year.

[Lucia Dinapoli]

Although I can see the appeal of a real tree, and having the tradition to pick it out with your family seems so nice I have to say I prefer a fake one. Not only are you picking the environmentally friendly option, but it’s much less messy, easier to assemble, and you still have the tradition of decorating it together. I also am very sensitive to things as an asthmatic and would probably find it gets on my chest too much to enjoy it!

[Prof. Gustavo Flores]

This is a hard question! Right now, I have to go with the "fake tree", but 5 years ago I would have definately chosen the real tree. It's been years since we have been using fake trees but real trees bring back my favorite Christmas memories when I was a kid, because back then we used to decorate with real trees, however, some years ago, one December, Christmas Day was fast approaching and I didn't see my dad with any intentions of getting a Christmas Tree! I was feeling very disappointed because I couldn't imagine Christmas without a Christmas tree! So I decided to solve that issue and buy the tree by myself! The best real trees had already gone so the only choice I had was to get a fake one but I don't regreat it! Now I can see the benefits of having a fake one, specially the fact that you don't have to get a new one every year, and I really like the one we have because it's green with simulation of snow that looks really nice. That is an effect that we could never get when buying a real one. My fake tree has been with us for 5 years and it still looks like new, so I'm glad I picked that option