What's The Best Christmas Tree? A Christmas Tree Buying Guide

Pros of a real Christmas tree:

• Natural Scent: real Christmas trees provides a refreshing and authentic aroma that fake trees cant replicate

• Environmentally Friendly: When they are sustainably grown and harvested, real trees have significantly less environmental impact. Especially if you support local Christmas tree farms.

• Biodegradable: When you’re done, most farms have their own Christmas tree removal or disposal program so your tree can be recycled or composted after the holiday season.

• Unique Character: Each tree is unique in shape, size, and plumage adding to its natural charm.

Cons of a real Christmas tree:

• Maintenance: Having a real Christmas tree usually means you need to feed and water it to keep it fresh and prevent dryness.

• Allergens: As pine and fir trees, the main types of real Christmas tree pollinate often, their pollen and sap from the stump can trigger allergies.

• Shedding Needles: Real Christmas trees are prone to shedding needles, which can be messy and require frequent cleaning.

• Pet toxicity: Pine sap is toxic to most household pets including cats and dogs. Ingesting pine sap can lead to vomiting, drooling, lethargy, and gastrointestinal upset. So if you have pets that you don’t keep an eye on, it could potentially poison your pet if they drink the tree water

• Cost: An annual expense that can add up over time. Especially if you’ve never had one before, having to buy things like a Christmas tree stand, mat for the needles or a cover for the base. These can be an extra cost that you don’t consider as part of the purchase that you will need if you choose a real tree.

• Disposal: Requires proper disposal after the holiday season. If you live outside a region that have their own Christmas tree recycling program, you have to pay to dispose of it yourself.

Of course like real Christmas trees, fake trees have many of their own advantages as well

Pros of a fake Christmas tree:

• Cost-Effective long term: Since you only really buy a fake Christmas tree once, its typically a one-time investment that can last for many years

• Convenient: Compared to a real Christmas tree, fake Christmas trees are usually easier to set up and take down. Often coming in multiple light parts or with their own box or storage.

• Quicker Clean up: Since a fake Christmas tree isn’t alive, there’s no need for watering or needle cleanup, meaning clearer floor space and no need for mats or covers.

• Allergen-Free: As most fake Christmas trees are made from a mix of metal and plastic, they’re a great alternative Christmas tree for people with allergies to pollen or tree sap.

• Consistent Appearance: Always looks full and perfectly shaped, with evenly distributed branches. Plus re-styling them doesn’t take much as you can bend or reposition them into your preferred distribution (just try not to break it)

• Storage: As mentioned before most fake Christmas trees come in parts and with their own box, so provided you have space at home, they can be easily stored away for use year after year.

Cons of a fake Christmas tree:

• Lack of Natural Scent: As the tree isn’t alive it has no natural scent. Therefore it doesn't provide the authentic pine scent associated with real Christmas trees.

• Environmental Impact: Made from synthetic materials, most fake trees can contribute to pollution during production and often need to be dumped rather than being able to be recycled like a normal tree.

• Initial Cost: while getting a cheap fake Christmas tree is possible, quite often you get what you pay for compared to a real tree. A fake tree with more features or style will come with a higher up-front cost than the equivalent in a real tree. However, as mentioned previously you only have to pay this cost once theoretically so while the short-term cost may be high, long term it swill be a net saving

• Artificial Look: Some cheap fake trees, look fake. Which is absolutely fine if you’re just after a tree to decorate. What comes along with that is that as a result, some fake Christmas trees may not have the same natural charm and character as a real tree. If that matters to you, this is something to be conscious of

• Storage Space: unlike a real tree which you can throw out when done, if you want to keep your tree to use for the next few years, you’ll need storage space, bag or a Christmas tree storage box for when its not in use. Which doesn’t work if you don’t have the space or don’t want to spend the extra money on dedicated storage.

Small Christmas trees are great to get if you're looking to save on space, or if you're looking to grab a small tree for your kitchen. Small and mini Xmas trees tend to be compact(between 30cm and 3 ft tall) and pre lit or decorated, meaning that its an easy compact festive display that you can pop into your home or office. Most of these vary between $5 and $50+ in price and make for great accents to your home at Christmas in an addition to your own big tree.