It’s not Christmas without the sweet smell of pine lingering throughout your home. That is why real Christmas trees are a necessity for the perfect Christmas season.

Real trees are in many ways better for the environment than fake trees. According to an article published by nature.org, they can be recycled and don’t create large amounts of pollution like fake ones do during their production. 

The National Christmas Tree Association also stated that for every one tree sold, Christmas tree farmers plant three. This supports the growth of our forests, which means more trees are fighting against the effects of climate change. The study states that restoring our forests is one way to naturally reduce 30% of our carbon emissions.  

The tree farming industry employs around 100,000 Americans, many making their living off of their sales. Buying real trees supports the farmers who work all year to make what they can in such a short season. Del Val senior August Savacool has grown up on a Christmas Tree farm that has been in his family for three generations.

“Growing up, my brothers and I would always help out and I have a lot of good memories surrounding it,” said Savacool.

He also says that helping people find the perfect tree gets him into the holiday spirit.

Thinking of all the hard work and dedication that went into growing a Christmas tree just makes it that much more magical. 

The experience of picking out the perfect tree is a tradition for many families. The quality time spent with family and the memories made are not characteristics shared with fake tree shopping. 

Senior Maiya Viscel explained how much she loves going to a farm every year with her family. She also added how much she enjoys setting up her tree.

“I love the smell and I love decorating it with my family,” said Viscel. “We always drink eggnog when we decorate. It’s such a fun family tradition.”

This is a feeling that fake trees cannot fulfill, as they come pre-decorated in many cases. 

Christmas without the fallen pine needles covering the floor or the feeling of finding that perfect tree isn’t the same.

“Fake tree, fake Christmas,” said Viscel.

Fake Christmas trees are a necessity to help make lives easier during the holiday season. 

The holiday season is costly, with buying presents, decorations and food for the perfect celebration. Buying one fake Christmas tree allows families to save money in the long run.

Although the one tree may seem pricey, overtime it saves people from buying a $75 tree each year. Fake trees last at least ten years and can be bought with lights or without lights, saving even more money. 

These trees don’t only save people money, but they also save the environment. Natural trees are vital to keep our air and water clean by filtering out harmful chemicals and gasses. Cutting down these trees for a holiday season is unnecessary.

Real trees take about seven years to grow, so cutting down trees and not planting new ones is harmful to ecosystems and a loss of soil and water. Animals in the wild use these trees as shelter, which pine can provide all year. As well as wild animals, domestic animals can get sick if they eat the trees or drink the water. 

“They [the trees] do not shed, and my dog won’t eat the real needles,” said senior Bridget Conlon.

As most domestic animal owners are not home all day, there is a risk of one’s animal getting into the tree while no one is home, leading to many risk factors. 

Additionally, when not treated properly, real trees are highly flammable. Not being able to water it, or not watering it enough, leads to the tree potentially drying out. Since these are real and fresh wood, the dryness of the tree can start a fire. 

Many people buy live trees because they love the smell that a real Christmas tree brings to their household.

“We put scents in the fake tree to get the real smell,” said Conlon. 

Others put fragrances throughout their house in things like candles or sprays to keep the holiday smell in the air.

Having so many decorations inside and out of the house can take time to set up, but fake trees can be easily stored somewhere and put up within minutes, allotting time for other things to do. 

“The fake ones are so much easier to set and clean up and are overall less expensive than getting real trees,” said senior Samantha DeTample.

Save the stress and money during the busy holiday season and buy a fake Christmas tree.