As the weather cools down and fall begins to fade away, the excitement of the holiday season sets in, with people all around preparing and decorating for the “Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” Undoubtedly, as people begin decorating, the well-known tradition of the Christmas tree will be popping up in homes throughout the nation. The decorative tradition of the Christmas tree also comes with the choice between an authentic tree, harvested from a farm or a forest, and an artificial tree that can be bought in various stores in many shapes and colors.
Although it is the topic of great debate whether real trees or artificial trees are better, there are many reasons why people favor one tree over the other.
As far as real Christmas trees go, many people take a liking to them for a multitude of reasons: their nostalgic and traditional values, their natural beauty and looks, the scent they bring to your home, and, though it may not seem so, the fact that cutting your own Christmas tree benefits the environment.
Given that the Christmas tree tradition derives from using real trees, I can see why authenticity is so appealing. Yet, along with these positive attributes, multiple negatives come with harvesting and maintaining a real Christmas tree. Finding the right tree at a suitable farm, harvesting, decorating, and maintaining it throughout the holiday season are some difficulties in enjoying a real Christmas tree. Many people dislike real Christmas trees as they are “dirty,” and their needles make a mess when they fall off the tree, especially if it is not watered.
Artificial trees make the entire Christmas tree process much easier and more attainable, with many positive traits just the same as real trees. Although artificial trees may not have the same ‘authentic’ look as real ones, many artificial trees are very detailed in order to look realistic. Also, buyers can choose artificial trees of various shapes and colors to fit their decorating preferences.
Setting up a fake tree is much easier than setting up a real tree, with the artificial trees having a stand built in rather than putting the tree into a stand. Even decorating an artificial Christmas tree is an easier process than that of a real Christmas tree as in some artificial trees, lights and other ornaments are included. Even with all the great features of artificial trees making the whole process more straightforward, there are some considerable negatives.
Artificial trees lack the same traditional values as natural trees and pale in comparison to real trees regarding looks, scent, and other aesthetic traits. The artificial Christmas tree’s main downfall is that the processed plastics and other materials that make up the trees negatively affect the environment, especially in the processes in which they are produced.
Considering my personal experiences with Christmas trees, real Christmas trees considerably trump artificial trees. This is because real Christmas trees are much more pleasing aesthetically, and the efforts taken to enjoy a real Christmas tree allow for fond memories to be made and traditions to be upheld. So even though they may take more work and are becoming less popular every year, real Christmas trees still have a better environmental impact and allow for a better holiday experience.
