Metal or wooden: an extreemely hard decision

By Adam Truong, staff writer
Thursday, December 21, 2006

One of the favorite holidays is quickly approaching, as we begin marking down the X's continue to fill the calendar until it reaches the big O. It won’t be long for the celebration of goodness, cheer, and peppermint lattes. But tensions will grow high over one question that is on everyone's mind, a question that has baffled scientists for ages, “Should we get a real or fake Christmas tree?”

Fake Trees
A fake tree has all of the tree with none of the mess. It won’t be a high-maintenance pet that sheds and has you circling the plant with a broom stick.

The fake tree also has the upper-hand, because it can't die. That means it won’t odorize your house with the nasty, “dead tree” smell. You can assemble the tree weeks before the real trees go on sale, allowing you to celebrate Christmas year round. So what does that mean? More personal time to spend with your tree and to admire the ornaments.

The time it takes to put a tree together brings me to the next point, the cons of fake trees. Those who have attempted this feat before know that it can have you pulling your hair out in no time. Beside the assembly madness, a fake tree is very expensive. Nearly $300 for a decent one, a fake tree can really come up and bite your wallet.

On the other hand, this one-time expenditure will last you for years to come, provided that you have space to store your tree. At this point, you will need to commit to your tree for many more years to come. No matter how much you want to switch trees or maybe get a different size, you paid $300 dollars for the tree and your conscience won’t let it go to waste.

Real Trees
Noble fir, Douglas fir, and various other trees are waiting for you at the local parking lot sale. It is hard to resist stopping by and checking out the wide selection. With a real tree standing at the front of your house, your house can look and smell great. A tree is meant to add Christmas cheer, and with a real tree, the love is in the air along with the great smell. It will refresh and brighten any house. Ranging from only $30 to $80, there is a tree for every house.

However, there is that major transportation issue. Arriving at the lot and picking out your perfect tree, you can easily overlook the fact that there is no possible way to transport it to the house. And for the millions of people who have switched to the small hybrid cars, nature has thanked you by growing gigantic Christmas trees for you to carry. At the end of the season, the tree also starts to die and “leaves” start to fall everywhere. A mess and a hassle, a real tree can be a bad idea for many people.

Although both trees have extreeme pros and cons, the real tree wins in the long run. What is the point of a Christmas tree? A tree is obviously erected to spread Christmas cheer. A fake tree cannot compare to the feeling of waking up to the smell of a Noble fir, the sight of a 10-foot tree, and the fluffiness of a genuine Christmas symbol. The $40 that you spend at the parking lot sale is well worth every penny, and you can be satisfied that there is at least one plant in your house that will stay alive.