Ask Lemmy

Real every time. I feel bad for the poor tree but nothing beats the smell of a fresh Christmas tree in December.

Real. Every year, my partner and I and other partners or friends are welcome to join us, go out into the forests and legally cut down a tree.

It's a pain in the ass, it's adventure, it's a party, it's fun. It's also way cheaper than just buying one. I think we paid like $13 for the state park purpose licence this past weekend.

I have a tradition I made up for this, too. Every year, I cut a puck off the bottom of the tree before I put it in the stand. I drill a hole through it, label it with the year with a marker, and hang it from the tree. I think this will be our 7th year? It hasn't been decorated yet because our living room is super small and a disaster and the tree is currently in the kitchen.

I find that the challenge gives purpose to time, and gives us excuse to socialize more in these dark months.

As an asthmatic, fake trees are the only way to go. The mold real trees have and produce as they die often cause croup cough among asthmatic. You only need croup for one Christmas before you figure out it's just not worth it.

Artificial mainly because we spent a fortune on a good one like 10 years ago but I don’t have to shell out $150 for a new one each year. Plus it’s pre-lit.

Y'all put up trees every year?

I use a real tree because I have cats that would eat the plastic one, and I feel that plastic trees are worse for the environment.

I can't put a full sized tree up no matter what because of a bad kitty.

I used to put a fake one up so I didn't have dropped needles and when it gets dry it is a huge fire hazard.

Neither, I have a 5 foot tall Gumby instead. It was a carnival prize and is wrapped in lights and decorated with smaller Gumbys, Pokeys, Blockheads, Prickle and Goo. No Nopey though.

Nope!

I just hire someone to stand in the corner after I cover them in lights.

We have a cat tree we use. So artificial.

When I can, I get a real tree. After Christmas, I trim all the leaves and branches off the trunk and put those in the municipal compost bin. I then put the trunk in storage and let it dry out for a year or two. Once dry, I'll carve them into things like walking sticks, wizard staffs, etc.

Artificial. While it was a ton of plastic I can't get over cutting down a tree every year. Seems wasteful to me. My artificial is exactly the same as it was 10 years ago and I have no need to replace it.

Never bothered with putting a tree up, but I've always kinda wanted to steal this idea:

Real f'sure.

A lot of states sell Christmas tree permits every year, so for 5-10 bucks plus gas I can harvest my own tree(s) sustainably.

It's rad.

If you can't find yourself in any of the states above, it's likely you live in a state with state-run Christmas tree programs. Texas, Oklahoma, any state not in the half of the US listed above will have other state resources for Christmas tree permits and many private tree farms, which are maybe 10 dollars more but offer the same service:

Buy a permit, drive there, choose a tree, chop it down, take it home.

Fake one. Bought it a decade ago and its still doing just fine.

Real, but I keep it in a pot and it goes outside the rest of the year. It's about 3.5' tall at the moment and gets a little bigger each year. I've had it for 4 years now

I haven't had or put up a Christmas tree since I was a child. I don't see the point. I don't do any seasonal decorations. Time moves so fast that it's like a week later I'm taking down a bunch of shit I paid money for and can barely use.

I am surprised at how many artificial tree users there are. Way more than I expected.

I have mostly lived where I could just go get a real one from the woods if I wanted to, so I guess that gives me a bias. If I couldn't have a real tree, I dont think I would want one at all.

I am not much into christmas, but the whole bringing a tree home with a connection to nature makes it worthwhile. Love the smell of a fresh tree too.

Never had issues with needles or bugs so I find that strange as well. I mean sure, the tree drops some needles at the end, but that is what the skirt is for. The few outside of that is just a single day of vacuuming that you would be doing anyways.

Neither. Cutting down a healthy tree for a little ritual seems extremely wasteful to me. I don't care much about Xmas so I don't have a fake tree, either. I do have lights up in the apartment, but they're up year round. I like the colors.

Why would i want a real tree? They're messy and EXTREMELY FLAMABLE

I feel like I'm "not allowed" either.

I grew up in a very religious household/extended family. When I was 19, I became agnostic. But I actually really enjoy the Christmas season and decorations. It doesn't have a religious tie to me, but it has a nostalgic tie to me.

My husband is VERY jaded/exhausted/raged by Christianity as a whole. Their very existence pisses him off. So naturally, Christmas pisses him off.

But in a fantasy world where we could all get past this bullshit -- I'd honestly be happy with either. I grew up with artificial trees, but real trees always seemed better. But killing trees to be a decoration in your home for a month seems wrong..

Final answer- artificial tree would be my choice if I decorated.

Aluminum pole. No tinsel. It's distracting.

Neither

I hunt my own free range tree. It's satisfying having a hand in is death. Feels good to take that chainsaw to it's body, cut it down in the prime of life, strap it to my truck, let the wind whip through its slowly dying limbs. Drag it inside my house and hack parts off until I'm satisfied it fits. Stand it in my dining room and drop fresh water into a bucket with screws attached that is designed to prolong it's eventual demise. Then after a couple days of letting it slowly warm, we gather as a family and decorate it's festering body with glittering lights, shiny baubbles, and memories of years past. Before we then place gifts below it's slowly dying limbs to exchange with each other on the day we celebrate the world breaking and entry champion for the past 1745 years. After that I wait a few days, rip the glitter off, and toss the remains outside, either in the trash to be buried and gone, or to the graveyard of the trees, where it can finish rotting with others of it's kind.

It's a lot of work, but oh so satisfying.

Doesn't feel like Christmas without the smell of a real tree. I go out back and cut a small one.

Real.

Cut it down at a tree farm that has a Santa workshop.

none, my house keeps getting messy despite expending few hours of cleaning every week, no time for extra chores

Real.

Pricey? I just go out in the woods and take one for free.