Fake Christmas trees have become very popular in recent years because they are easier to handle than real trees and eliminate both the cost and hassle of buying a tree every year. But, do fake Christmas trees take away from the holiday fun?
Growing up, my family and I used to drive down to a Christmas tree lot in Half Moon Bay every year to cut down our tree. It is called Santa’s Tree Farm, and they provide you with a saw and the freedom to choose any tree you want from the lot. My brothers and I would search the rows and rows of live trees until we found one that we thought was the best. My dad would then cut it down and load it into the back of our car.
We always ran into some sort of problem that added some difficulty to the day, such as one year when our car got stuck in mud and we had to wait for hours until we could get it out. Despite this situation being far from ideal, my family and I still laugh about this day every year when it comes time to get a Christmas tree. Even though it was much more difficult than setting up a fake tree, it is the source of some of my favorite memories during the holiday season.
Picking out a tree and decorating it all together has always been a huge part of Christmas for my family. It is a day that we all spend together, from getting the tree to decorating the house to putting up ornaments. My brothers and I get all of the decorations out of the attic, and we listen to our mom as she tells us where she wants everything to go. We strategically place the tree so that the bad side is hidden against the wall and then struggle to wrap lights around the tree. We end up making a huge mess as more and more pine needles fall off each time we put up a new strand. And, of course, there is always at least one glass ornament that gets shattered in the process of decorating the tree.
Having a fake tree limits the possibility of creating memories with your family during the Christmas season. Instead of searching for the perfect tree and spending time decorating it together, you just pull it out and assemble it within a matter of minutes.
Although fake Christmas trees offer a few benefits, from being easy to set up and more cost efficient over the years, they just do not provide the same experience as a real tree. The Christmas season is about spending time with family and making memories with loved ones, but taking a fake tree out of a bin simply does not provide the same holiday spirit.
