Friday, December 4, 2009

Real or Fake?

Of course I'm talking about Christmas trees... My opinion on this has changed several times over the years.
As a kid growing up in Montana, we always had a real tree. I don't even think I was aware of the fake trees. I think I was oblivious to most stuff and primarily concerned with what was going to be UNDER the tree with my name on it.
As a teen my Grandpa Alger moved in with us and along with him came his fake tree. It was hideous! Picture a green broomstick with four or five rows of branches. Nothing in between but a skinny green garland "bracelet" here and there for the broomstick part. It was not attractive. A few years into that my sisters and I were really wanting a real tree, my mom accommodated us she got us real trees. It was all about real trees for me after that.
But let's face it people, FAKE trees are not what they used to be, THEY ARE WAY BETTER! I have seen some really beautiful ones and did you know some of them come with lights already on them! HOW CONVENIENT IS THAT?!
There are pros and cons to both. A real tree has a great smell, it looks a little different every year and great memories can be associated with going to pick it out or chop it down, etc. A fake tree doesn't drop needles every where, you don't have to drop $20-$75 per year, just once. And like I said, if you get a good one, you don't have to mess with the lights and wrapping them around and around and around until you're all giddy in a dizzy holiday stupor. Plus, you don't have to risk being attacked by a bat who was carried all the way from the forest because somebody chopped it's house down and brought it to the city and you ended up with it's house in your house thus avoiding a series of rabies shots during the holiday season. That's always a plus in my book.
This year we are going with option C and borrowing a fake tree from Matt's mom so we don't have to spend any money whatsoever on a tree. She's so good to us! Thank you MJ! And thanks to Aunt Kathy for giving me the idea for this post and to Amy for helping to inspire me with her comments. I sure do appreciach'ya!

5 comments:

Kathy said...

It is a hard decision! You are right about the fake trees these days - they are so beautiful and the lights already part of the tree. It is so tempting - but alas - we continue to get real trees. And some of our "picking the tree" memories are not all that happy! But we continue to do it - mostly just off to Home Depot for the best price we can find. I love the smell. But there are so many air scents these days... it gets more and more tempting every year. I make it sound like it is a "bad" thing - it's not - I'm all for fake trees. I just don't have one...yet.

Gregg said...

you are so funny....hope your funk is gone. I look forward to reading your blogs at lunch everyday at work. I was just in Tai pan trading the other day noticing the beautiful fake trees with the lights on already. Very tempting but we still get real trees too...It must be a Busath thing..Love Aunt Jan

PS Gregg set up this account so it looks like he is responding...Its always going to be me...

Becky said...

I don't have much to say, because I already wrote about the same thing, for tomorrow's post. But, you covered what I hadn't...so it won't be a repeat. I'm so glad you are posting everyday too!

PS. I have a pine sent I got for super cheap last year, at Pier 1's after Christmas sale. So cheap I got two. Want me to send you one? I'm gonna. Once again another great post.

I love our aunts comments! Well, I love our cousins comments too...well, all comments are good. N-EEEE-WAYZ.

Anonymous said...

Right now I love my fake tree b/c of all the pros you wrote. Someday, though, I will be back on the real tree wagon.

Holley said...

I love REAL trees but we have not had one for many years. We invested in a FAKE tree in an insane after Christmas sale and it was a good decision because even when we're broke which is ALL the time. We can still enjoy our home and be surrounding by beautiful decorations that give our house that wonderful GLOW.