Real or Fake? Which Christmas Tree Is Best?

Have you put up your Christmas Tree yet?  Do you have a real tree or a fake one?  Is one better than another, in regards to the environment?  It's close.

For many families including my own,  we used to buy a real tree.  Yes, it was sometimes difficult to keep watered, but it was something we could do together.  When I was a kid, we didn't think too much about the environment.  Things are different today.

So which is better?  As I said, it is close and it depends how you use them.  If you go with a fake or artificial tree, and you use it multiple times (at least 5 years) things tend to even out.  Most of the fake trees come from China, and they are made of plastic, and you have the fossil fuels from the boats and cars to transport them to wherever they are being sold.

Now if you get a real one, you are probably supporting nearby farms and those farms can certainly create a fair amount of jobs.  There are about 15000 different farms that grows Christmas trees and employ about 100,000 Americans.  But there are a lot of resources that go into growing these trees.  7 years to grow, lots of water.  They do help clean the air while they grow.  And you can have them composted after they are done.

So what option is best?  Overall, a real tree is probably a little bit better, but if you have limited space, and use your fake one year after year and almost never replace it, it comes pretty close.  Just have fun decorating it.  And Merry Christmas!