Real or Artificial? Here's How to Decide Which Christmas Tree to Purchase

Beyond deciding what to gift everyone or how to travel this holiday season, there's another conundrum you might be grappling with: Should you buy an artificial Christmas tree or stick with a real one? It'll come down to preference, but here are a few pros and cons to help you decide.

Real Trees

Provide Family Tradition

Taking a plastic tree out of storage every year isn't quite the same as heading to a Christmas tree farm or local nursery and bringing home a fresh, live tree. For many people who celebrate Christmas, a genuine evergreen is a festive and romantic symbol of family, tradition, and nostalgia. In many households, it's a non-negotiable, seasonal staple.

A 2019 survey for the Christmas Tree Promotion Board polled 2,000 American parents with children ages 17 and younger who celebrate Christmas. The survey revealed that people who purchase real Christmas trees are more likely to highly value creating new holiday traditions with family than those who prefer artificial trees. In the same survey, participants said getting a Christmas tree was their favorite holiday tradition growing up and continues to be one of their favorites to experience with their own children (just behind buying presents for under the tree). So if you're on the fence, according to these survey takers, a real-deal tree is simply irreplaceable.

Create Family Fun

This tradition isn't just about having the tree, it's about going to get it, too. It's a fun December activity for a bright, chilly day. Little ones will love joining in to choose their favorite spruce for the living room, and it's the perfect weekend errand to get the whole crew in the holiday spirit.

Add a Natural Scent

Christmastime comes with its own bouquet of seasonal scents, but the smell of fresh pine needles might be the most magical. Sure, you can always light an evergreen-scented candle or stick a Douglas fir diffuser on the coffee table, but it's hard to find something that comes close to the natural woody musk of a freshly cut Christmas tree.

Easily Recycled

For many years, the chopping down of real Christmas trees was misrepresented as detrimental to the environment, but that's not exactly right. They're a sustainable crop like any other natural crop, and the Christmas Tree Promotion Board says, "Christmas tree farmers make sure planting and harvesting are balanced to protect the environment. In fact, for every real Christmas tree they harvest, they plant at least one new tree." What's more, they're completely biodegradable and recyclable, which means they can be repurposed for mulch, instead of going to waste once December passes.

In contrast, artificial trees have three times the impact on climate change and resource depletion. They're made from plastic and steel, require more energy to produce, are shipped over from overseas, and will eventually sit in a landfill. According to a life cycle assessment of the comparative environmental impacts of both real and fake Christmas trees, the WAP Sustainability Consulting company concluded that "one real Christmas tree generates fewer environmental impacts than one artificial tree." However, a fake Christmas tree can have a smaller negative impact on the environment if the customer keeps it for five years or longer. Even still, once that tree is out of use, it can't be reused or recycled.

Support Local Vendors

What better way to support small seasonal businesses than by getting a real Christmas tree from a local purveyor? While fake trees often come from large chain stores and are mass-manufactured overseas, that family-owned-and-operated Christmas tree farm or charming local nursery will greatly benefit from your business.

Reduce Initial Expenses

How much a Christmas tree ends up costing will depend on a few factors, like where you live, who you're buying from, and what kind of tree you're getting. But it's a myth that artificial Christmas trees are always the cheaper option—at least on a one-to-one basis. Based on data from The National Christmas Tree Association, the average price per real Christmas tree in 2018 was $78, while the average price for a fake Christmas tree was $104.

Artificial Trees

Reusable Holiday Decor

If your biggest holiday concern is budget, this might make your decision easier. Although the average price of an artificial tree was nearly $30 more (at the time of purchase) in 2018, a faux tree can be used again and again, letting you off the hook from buying a real tree year after year. If you plan to display your fake tree for five (or more) Christmases, it could end up being the more economical choice.

Offer No-Mess and No-Maintenance

Yes, real Christmas trees are fabulous—but they're high-maintenance too. It's one exceptional houseplant you'll need to tend to on a daily basis, and not everyone has the time or patience to commit (which is totally fair). One of the obvious reasons to get an artificial spruce is to eliminate the hassle of watering, sweeping, trimming, and worrying about the right placement for optimal freshness. And you won't need to lug it to the end of the driveway or a nearby recycling program after the holidays.

Reduce Fire Risks

Most artificial Christmas trees are made with fire-resistant materials, potentially making them safer to string lights on and less to worry about. This may be top of mind if you've dealt with any sort of fire scare in the past or simply don't want to risk it.

Allow Customization

You can't exactly request the specific tree of your dreams from Mother Nature (which, to many, is part of the charm), but ordering an artificial tree lets you customize it to your taste. Whether you prefer the look of a tall-and-lean Kingswood fir, a voluminous Blue spruce, or a rustic Ponderosa pine, human-made trees offer whatever you need—even if your preferred tree variety isn't naturally available where you live. You can also buy them pre-lit, deckled with pinecones, or frosted with illusion snow.