Is your Christmas tree real or fake?

So you guys are extra busy during the Holidays? My Mom likes to put up two of them, one for each end of the house. I love it when people decorate their outdoor trees (pine usually) for Christmas... it's nice to share with the neighbors and less fortunate. We usually put our tree up the day after Thanksgiving but it seems like Saturday night (after Thanksgiving) has been more convienent these past couple of years.

There are some really pretty artificial trees out there

Plus you're saving a tree.

No need to kill trees the fake ones are pretty in their own right.

You've saved at least one tree

Poor tree, I wonder if Jesus really wants us to kill trees just to decorate them.

Good idea & Happy Holidays! (it is only Thanksgiving but the Christmas sales are starting and only weeks away)

The best species for use are species of fir (Abies), which have the major benefit of not shedding the needles when they dry out, as well as good foliage colour and scent; but species in other genera are also used. Commonly used species in northern Europe are: Silver Fir Abies alba (the original species) Nordmann Fir Abies nordmanniana (as in the photo) Noble Fir Abies procera Norway Spruce Picea abies (generally the cheapest) Serbian Spruce Picea omorika Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris and in North America: Balsam Fir Abies balsamea Fraser Fir Abies fraseri Grand Fir Abies grandis Noble Fir Abies procera Red Fir Abies magnifica Douglas-fir Pseudotsuga menziesii Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris Stone Pine Pinus pinea (as small table-top trees) Several other species are used to a lesser extent. Less-traditional conifers are sometimes used, such as Giant Sequoia, Leyland Cypress and Eastern Juniper. Blue spruce can also be used as a Christmas tree, but has very sharp needles, making decorating uncomfortable. Virginia Pine is still available on some tree farms in the southeastern United States, however its winter colour is faded. The long-needled Eastern White Pine is also used there. Norfolk Island pine is sometimes used, particularly in the Oceania region, and in Australia some species of the genera Casuarina and Allocasuarina are also occasionally used as Christmas trees. Some trees are sold live with roots and soil, often from a nursery, to be planted later outdoors and enjoyed (and often decorated) for years or decades. However, the combination of root loss on digging, and the indoor environment of high temperature and low humidity is very detrimental to the tree's health, and the survival rate of these trees is low. These trees must be kept inside only for a few days, as the warmth will bring them out of dormancy, leaving them little protection when put back outside into the midwinter cold in most areas. Others are produced in a container and sometimes as topiary for a porch or patio. European tradition prefers the open aspect of naturally-grown, unsheared trees, while in North America (outside western areas where trees are often wild-harvested on public lands [1]) there is a preference for close-sheared trees with denser foliage, but less space to hang decorations. The shearing also damages the highly attractive natural symmetry of unsheared trees. In the past, Christmas trees were often harvested from wild forests, but now almost all are commercially grown on tree farms. THERE ARE MANY TYPES OF TREES USED. I BELIEVE THE FIR TREES WERE MOST POPULAR (PINE) FOR REASONS GIVEN (above) BUT EVERGREENS, IN GENERAL, ARE MOST COMMONLY USED ANYMORE. MY FAKE ONE IS A BLUE SPRUCE ; )

That's wonderful, you've spared a living trees life.

Cheaper too ; )

Thanks. My kitties are really sweet when sharing a cat nap, but they are curiouser and curiouser when awake! (Alice in Wonderland curious)

Maybe you could get an ornamental one (mini) or decorate outside trees if you wanted?My kitty loves to lie on the velevety tree skirt and nap but he doesn't climb it. (well, one is new so we don't know how he'll react)

Plus there are bugs in the trees! The Pine Spittle Bug... check it out ~ http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/entomology/christmas/slideshow2.html

The real ones usually look better and definitely smell fresher.

They sell a lot of Holiday scents that remind me of Christmas, plus pine wreaths for decoration and aroma.

Aww, the Charlie Brown kind? They do sell real pine wreaths, cheaper than trees, just to add the smell. We started with a mini tree with mini ornaments, then a hand-me-down, then we bought a pretty fake one and people ask if it's real every year... so I'm content.

Sorry, allergies suck!