Here comes Santa Claus ... and a sleigh full of confusion about Christmas trees. Better to buy real or better to buy articial?
Popular myths are that real trees are bad for the environment, articial trees make more nancial sense and real trees are just a
hassle, but read on for some facts that will set the record straight and some thoughts that might turn your head on some of the
more subjective sides of the debate.
If your No. 1 concern is the environment, your No. 1 choice should be a real tree. Growing, using and recycling real Christmas
trees is good for the environment. Research shows that when compared on an annual basis, the articial tree has three times
more impacts on climate change and resource depletion than the natural tree. Real Christmas trees are biodegradable and
can even be recycled or reused for mulch, and every year the circle of life continues. Articial trees are petroleum-based
products and most are imported from overseas. Many are thrown away seven to 10 years after they're purchased, and every
year the landlls where they will stay (literally for centuries) get a little bit bigger.
Still don't like the idea of cutting down a tree? Remember that just like the Halloween pumpkin you carve with your kids or
the fresh-cut owers you buy for a loved one on special occasions, real Christmas trees are farmer-planted and hand-
harvested specically for people to enjoy. And, for every real Christmas tree harvested, a new tree is planted.
If it's your wallet that worries you, keep in mind that it's no surprise that articial thin gs frequently cost less than real
things. True, not everyone agrees "you get what you pay for," but there's a second economic case to be made for buying a
real Christmas tree: Real Christmas trees provide real business for real farmers. Fully 100 percent of real Christmas
trees sold in the U.S. are grown in North America.Every choice is a trade-off. What you gain with the ease of an
articial tree, you lose in the experience of a real tree. To be fair, this is subjective. But years from now, which do you
think you'll remember more warmly: assembling a plastic tree you pulled out of the attic that looks exactly the same
year after year, or bringing home and decorating a real tree that you enjoyed hunting for with your friends and
family? Selecting a real Christmas tree makes memories. The hunt for a real Christmas tree can create an
experience - everything from the scent to the search - that simply can't be manufactured and that no articial tree
can replace.