Artificial Christmas trees have
undergone vast improvements in the past
decade (much to the dismay of the live
Christmas tree business). Artificial
trees have come a long ways since the
tacky aluminum Christmas trees of the
1960's. Thanks to ever advancing
manufacturing technologies, artificial
Christmas trees now have many advantages
over their live counterparts.
- Life like -
Today's artificial trees are so
life-like that it's difficult to
tell that they're artificial unless
you actually touch their needles.
- Safety - Live
Christmas trees by their very nature
are prone to fire. And when they do
catch fire, they often burn very
quickly and very hot, presenting a
safety hazard to the household. Such
fires have been responsible for many
a Yuletide tragedy. Artificial
Christmas Trees on the other hand
are flame resistant. Most of them
are made with PVC-based material
that will not burn easily even when
directly exposed to flame.
- Economy - Live
Christmas trees must be replaced
every year and they must be disposed
of after each Christmas season.
Artificial Christmas trees on the
other hand, can be used for many
years and will actually save you
money over a period of time.
- Environment -
Proponents of live Christmas Trees
often point out that artificial
Christmas trees are not recyclable
and do not decompose as live trees
do. While this is true, we also must
consider that when an artificial
Christmas tree is purchased, it can
last many years, often decades. This
certainly mitigates any negative
environmental issues.
- Clean Up -
Let's face it; live Christmas trees
are messy. Their needles get dry and
fall on the carpet. An artificial
Christmas tree may lose a needle or
two on occasion, but they simply
don't create the cleanup mess that
live trees do.
- Pre Lit - Many
artificial trees are assembled with
lights already in place. With these
trees, the tedious work of hanging
lights on the tree is already done
for you.
- Pine Scent -
Given the quality of today's
artificial trees, there is really
only one advantage to a live tree -
the scent. Even I have to admit -
there is nothing quite like the pine
scent of a fresh cut tree. However,
with today's widely available
assortment of potpourris and scented
candles, it's quite easy to
re-create even this scent.
So the real question left is: Why buy
a live Christmas tree?
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Frank Ross is a 20+ year veteran of the
Information Technology industry. He has
worked in corporate America at various
management and administrative levels,
but for the past few years has struck
out on his own - from his home. He and
his family own and operate 3
product-based e-commerce websites
(including
MySilkPlants.Com) and manage several
others.
