Real Versus Fake

100% real Grand Fir Christmas tree from our friend, Mr. Jim Fox!

It’s right about now that the stores put away the left over Halloween décor and costumes, and before we can even say “Happy Thanksgiving!” the Christmas merchandise is stocked on the shelves.  So it seems to be a perfect time to address a very sensitive subject for our family—artificial Christmas trees.

Now, we’re not saying those that have ever bought, or plan to buy, a fake tree will be eternally shunned from our family.  We just think there are a few Christmas tree myths that we need to bust as we approach the Christmas season.

Myth #1. Artificial trees are better for the environment.

                Wrong! Artificial trees are made from plastic and whether it’s today or ten years from now, there will be a time when the trees will disposed of — adding unnecessary plastic waste to our landfills. Also, plastic trees contain polyvinyl chloride, which is a plastic that contains numerous cancer-causing carcinogens and are extremely dangerous during production. And don’t get us started on all the lead that’s in plastic trees and its repercussions. Yikes!

Myth #2. Real trees are bad for our environment because they are cut down.

                Wrong! Each acre of Christmas trees provides the daily oxygen requirements for 18 people. And for every tree that is cut down, 2-3 seedlings are planted in its place. This means Christmas tree farmland is constantly being cultivated to grow more trees. You can’t get more environmentally friendly than planting thousands of trees every year!

And every year trees are recycled for a number of purposes. (Stay tuned for a future post on how trees are recycled in Bakersfield!)

Myth #3. Buying an artificial tree is an economically sound purchase.

                If you think buying a fake tree is a smart decision economically, you are WRONG! The majority of artificial Christmas trees are made in Korea or China. So if you buy a fake tree your dollars are going overseas. Buy a real tree and support American farms, American families, American businesses! And may we add, now is not the time to skimp on our national economical state.

So let’s keep it “real” here—buying a fake tree is not the better option.

And besides, when you purchase a tree at a local Christmas tree lot (preferably an Alpine Christmas Tree lot) you don’t just go for the tree—you go to the lot for the whole experience of picking out your family tree, saying hi to Santa, getting a cup of hot chocolate--the whole sha-bang! 

Keep this tradition alive. And if it’s not a Christmas tradition for your family, well 2011 is a good year to start!

We’d love to hear from you! Do you prefer a real tree or a fake tree? And why?