Artificial Christmas Tree

[marbel]

This is the year we're finally going for an artificial Christmas tree.

 

We love real trees, but over time we've seen how they affect our son's allergies. So, we started talking last year about getting a fake tree. Buying at the end of the season is the smart way to do things, but we never do things the smart way. Actually, we thought we'd be moving before this Christmas and figured it would be easier to buy after moving. But, we didn't move and it's highly doubtful we could be moved by Christmas at this point.

 

So, no reason for that long story. What I want to know is: what do you look for in an artificial tree? Some say pre-lit, some say not. Do I want one that folds up, or one that we take apart? Etc.

 

Thanks!

[delaney]

We have a prelit that we got from Amazon years ago on clearance. It is WONDERFUL. It does break down into 2 parts for easier storage. I love the idea and smell of a real tree but hate chasing down needles after it is gone, remembering to water it, and I like my tree up longer than a real one would permit.

[OrganicAnn]

Make sure you know how tall your ceilings are. Trees appear shorter in shores with really high ceilings. Decide if there is anything special you want - flocking, colored lights, type of branches/needles/color. Floor models are also sometimes put on sale very cheap.

 

There are sales of Christmas trees before Christimas, but you have to keep your eye out for them.

 

I bought one a couple of years ago on sale at K-mart that had everything we wanted. I even called my DH and asked if we could have a 9 foot tree. He said sure no problem. Well only one side of our Living Room is over 9 foot - we have a slanted ceiling. So we have to have the tree only on that side. Which is fine, just a little funny.

[Spryte]

We use one for allergy reasons, too.

 

Prelit is much easier! Make sure the branches are sturdy enough to hold ornaments. Our last came apart into 3 pieces, and those folded up. It was fairly easy to store and put together.

 

I prefer the trees that look real... My favorite was our tree that finally retired last year... I bought it at the wholesale florist warehouse years ago. It was beautiful. Unfortunately, we no longer own a business to gain access to the wholesale florist, so we're on the hunt for a retail tree, too. I'm thinking of trying Costco, and our local high end garden shop. If you come up with other leads on good places to try, I'd love to hear them!

[AnIslandGirl]

My parents just purchased a pre-lit tree from Hammacher Schlemmer's "World's Best" collection. It is absolutely beautiful! Pricy, but so much better than any artificial tree I've ever seen in person.

 

http://www.hammacher.com/Search/Default.aspx?Action=3&Page=0&SH=QT1jaHJpc3RtYXMgdHJlZX5CPWNocmlzdG1hcyB0cmVlfkM9MX5EPTIwfkk9U2FsZVByaWNlfks9NH5MPTF_TT0yfk49Mn4&SI=94ba73b4-da94-49c5-8cf5-076838373845

[Susan in TN]

We have always had an artificial tree due to allergies. My advice is to buy the best quality tree you can afford. They will all likely involve some folding and taking apart. Our tree is pre-lit and comes in three sections; you fold down the individual branches.

 

You can get some nice quality trees online at places like Balsamhill.com. Very pricey, though.

[Haiku]

All I can say is NO FLOCKING!

 

I have a terrible allergy to it that gives me an awful rash. Avoid flocking at all costs.

 

Tara

[gardening momma]

In addition to paying attention to how tall your ceiling is, consider the diameter of the tree. We just went by how our tree looked in the store, and it was on display way high up, so we couldn't even stand next to it to get a physical sense of how wide it was. If I were buying a tree now, I'd measure in my house how much space I'd want it to take up, and then check the dimensions in the store (on the box or sign).

 

Ours is not prelit, and is the type that you take apart branch by branch. Then the trunk is in 3 pieces. We had to relabel most of the branches--they're numbered, and many of the paper tags have fallen off over the years. We just replaced them with masking tape and numbered those.

 

I grew up with real Christmas trees, so for a long time I really didn't want an artificial one. But it was dh's job to vacuum the fallen needles, and one year he put it off too long, and when he finally did vacuum them, it clogged the vacuum so bad (several times--he was able to unclog it), that it finally killed the vacuum. MY vacuum. The one I got for free before we met because of an awesome deal where I bought a sewing machine & got the vacuum free. And it was a good one.:glare: So no real tree anymore for us. :)

Edited September 29, 2012 by gardening momma

[NotSoObvious]

Pre-lit for sure. We love ours.

 

Other than that, just make sure it is as simple as possible. Store it in the box after Christmas!

[nukeswife]

Prelit are great until you get a bad wire or something. I prefer to string my own lights because I love LOTS and I mean LOTS of lights. For me I mostly look for shape. We used to have a big fat tree and while it was ok, it was so hard to find a place to set it up. About 2 years ago I got a skinny tree from Target for under $100 and it's great. You do have to put all the individual branches on, but that way I can really fluff them up before putting them on.

[Chocolate Rose]

We made the switch about 5 years ago and I still miss a real tree. But, dh is no help in that department, so artificial tree for us. I bought a pre-lit, fold up tree from Costco and it's been great. It comes in 3 parts and I just stick it back in the box when I take it down.

[amsunshine]

We have a pre-lit tree, and it's a slim width -- we love it. I think it's a Barthelmess(sp?). It looks very natural. We had a wide, full tree (got attacked by mice), but it was a little too full for our space and took more time to fluff out when we first took it out and checked bulbs, etc. So, I echo the previous posters who advised to measure your space -- both height and width. Also, make sure you have the tree stored in a solid container where pests can't get at it in storage. We had ours in a storage bag in the garage, but mice chewed through the bag one year.:glare:

 

I always check the lights at the beginning of the season and replace the ones which are burnt out. It takes a few to burn out before the whole line goes, so this needs to be done every year, but it's not a big deal. It's so nice to have the tree pre-lit because you can spend more time doing the fun stuff -- ornaments! :tongue_smilie: Oh, and you can always add more lines of lights if you want more -- a friend of mine does that.

Edited September 29, 2012 by amsunshine

[Ellie]

We've had an artificial tree for over 25 years, and not because of allergies. :-)

 

Ours folds up. And it would never fool people into thinking it's real. But we can put that puppy up in minutes, and then spend the time decorating it, and leave it up until Easter if we want. :D

 

I'd like to replace it with a "pencil" tree; our Texas home has 9' ceilings, and our little 6' tree looks shrimpy, and I don't really have space for the circumference of a tree with a huge diameter, KWIM?

 

Mine folds up, and its "trunk" is in two parts.

 

The thing I wonder about pre-lit trees is what happens if one light burns out.

[Desert Rat]

We have a prelit from Martha Stewart. We got it at KMart. We have had it 10 years. It spins on it's base so you can see all ornaments. It breaks down into 3 umbrella pieces that collapse. It's very easy to set up and break down. I do like the design. It's a medium size tree. 6 feet if I remember correctly.

That said, our tree is old. The lights quit working 2 years ago. And a couple of the branches broke. When one light burned out it was fine. The lights still worked. We have a connection problem that we can't/don't want to find. So we just string lights and the tree still looks fine. The old little lights the don't work aren't visible.

We keep saying we're getting a new tree at the end of the season then we never do. I'm making a concerted effort to get it done this year after Christmas!

[gardenmom5]

I"ve had two, and grew up with one. I love the smell of a tree, and the look of the nobles. they got to be a huge pain to find and put up. (and all the bugs that came off those things when they came in the house . . . . )

 

I now have a pre-lit, and it is much easier.

 

My second criteria is finding one that looks as much like a noble as I can afford.

[Forget-Me-Not]

Love my prelit I got at Costco. We've had it 4 or 5 yrs with no problems so far :). DH loves that he doesn't have to untangle a wad of lights and then string them.

[Stayseeliz]

I just picked up a tree from a friend at a yard sale this morning. I figure for $20 it was worth a shot. I grew up with artificial and DH grew up with real trees. After having a headache for the entire month of December last year I told DH it was time to make the switch to artificial. Hopefully this one will be decent. If not hopefully it will get us through this season until we can get a really good one on clearance somewhere.

[Rhonda in TX]

I've had a pre-lit artificial tree for about 10 years. It is in 3 sections and the branches fold down. I love it! DH will not help with the tree, so I decided years ago that pre-lit was the way to go. When this one doesn't light up anymore, I will go buy another pre-lit tree.

 

I bought mine at Garden Ridge Pottery, so it wasn't an expensive tree.

[marbel]

Wow, thanks for all the comments! Helpful.

 

We will start looking around. First, measuring! I had not thought of planning for diameter but when I mentioned it to my engineer-brain husband he said "well, yeah." :lol::lol:

 

Thanks! Keep 'em coming, of course.

[justasque]

Having a many-pieces-to-put-together tree can be seen as either an IKEA furniture building nightmare, or an amazing giant LEGO kit, depending on whether you have the "engineering/building" gene or not.

 

It can be seen as a parent's tedious chore, or a child's/teen's favorite pre-holiday traditional activity, depending on who has to / gets to do it.

 

If you're not a STEM person and/or you have very little kids, go with folding. If you're a STEM family with tweens, go with a multi-piece extravaganza with bonus points for cryptic instructions and poor part labeling. These are the projects of which happy STEM-y family memories are made. :D

[gardening momma]

I remembered another thing I like about our tree--since the branches are removable, I can take out 2-3 of them from the lowest row at the back so I can fit my tree more closely to the wall. We have a large window there, but those branches are lower than the window. So it looks normal from all sides, and you wouldn't know there's a couple of branches "missing."

[SevenDaisies]

I am a Christmas tree junkie. Artificial trees are far better for decorating and in the long run less expensive. I could never afford to decorate as many trees as I do if I had to purchase real ones each year. They hold many more, and much heavier ornaments than a real tree.

 

Diameter is definitely important and every company's definition of slim is different so don't rely on something labeled slim to be slim. Also, the height of an artificial tree is the stated height, unlike a real tree. With a real tree the top branch is usually a foot tall and has to be cut off. An artificial tree that is 9 ft tall is 9 ft tall and is tough to fit if you have a 9ft ceiling. It can be done but you may have to use a bow on top instead of a traditional topper.

 

I would definitely get pre-lit. Fluffing the branches takes a lot of time - you don't want to have to put lights on after spending all that time fluffing. The lights burn out, but when small sections go, I add strands. If I have to add too many then it's time for a new tree. Some companies will offer a warranty on the lights. I think most of the Pre-lits come in sections, otherwise the lighting would be a mess.

 

Balsam Hill has beautiful trees, but they are pricey. I always order mine in the days after Christmas. I have also seen some nice looking trees at Costco.

 

I had never heard of allergies to flocking, but they are beautiful when decorated the right way. They are however messy, and it's harder to add lights when some go out because on an artificial flocked tree, the lights are flocked too.

[ChiMomNP]

I love my artificial tree. My parents always have a real tree and I grew up going to the tree farm to cut one down. If I still lived in New England I'd consider it. I mean there is something to be said for curling up on the couch after the Christmas festivities and listening to it rain pine needles :). I put my tree up on Thanksgiving night. We decorate it the next morning. A real tree would -never- survive that long until Christmas here in AZ.

[Happy]

We made the switch to artificial many years ago...and my son is so much healthier as a result.

 

We bought a slim, 9 ft tree from Michael's. It comes apart, but we have a big attic. That puppy gets draped in plastic after we take the ornaments off and stands in the attic all year. A little fluffing and it's ready to go.

 

We also bought NOT lit...but we've never taken the lights back off. Just leave them on from year to year. Adjust, add more when a strand or two goes out, and move on.

[Amber in SJ]

DH & I both grew up with real trees & always had real trees. Now we have an artificial tree. Many artificial trees.

 

Five years ago when we were moving my MIL into the assisted living home we discovered the true extent of her mental illness. During her manic phases she would buy things off the shopping channel. Then when they arrived she would hide the tings, sometimes unopened, in her garage. She always decorated for Christmas. Her tiny house was filled with ceramic villages, singing trees, singing wreaths and dancing santas. Then we got to the garage. There were 27 artificial trees, ranging in size from 3 feet to 12+ feet! She couldn't take any of them with her so she told us to get rid of them. We gave them away to any family member that would take them. The over 12 footers we donated to churches. We kept three. One big one for our living room tree and two little ones for the kids' bedrooms. The kids call them the "grandma trees" which is nice because my bigs have very few nice memories of grandma due to her illness and my littles don't know her at all.

 

Because of this I wouldn't give up our artificial trees for anything, but we probably wouldn't have made the jump on our own.

 

Amber in SJ

[TranquilMind]

This is the year we're finally going for an artificial Christmas tree.

 

We love real trees, but over time we've seen how they affect our son's allergies. So, we started talking last year about getting a fake tree. Buying at the end of the season is the smart way to do things, but we never do things the smart way. Actually, we thought we'd be moving before this Christmas and figured it would be easier to buy after moving. But, we didn't move and it's highly doubtful we could be moved by Christmas at this point.

 

So, no reason for that long story. What I want to know is: what do you look for in an artificial tree? Some say pre-lit, some say not. Do I want one that folds up, or one that we take apart? Etc.

 

Thanks!

 

I'm really, really um, efficient in how much work I want to put into this. I say prelit! In fact, I bought a few two feet prelit trees this year to put in different rooms. When done, you take off the base, pop them back in the box and wait til next year.

[hillfarm]

Prelit artificial trees are great, but I prefer to add my own lights.

 

We use an artificial tree because the extreme dryness from our winter heating source, a woodstove, is too dangerous to have with a real tree, even if it gets watered frequently.

 

Another issue with the woodstove is that it is very dusty. So about every 3 years, I have to give my artificial tree a bath, which I couldn't do with a prelit. I fill the tub with warm water and a bit of dish soap and swish each group of branches around. It is horrifying to see how much dust and dirt washes off. then I fill the tub with rinse water and finally place the branches on beach towels under a ceiling fan. I turn them after an hour or so to let the reverse side dry and then put the tree together.

 

For the fragrance of a real tree, I just buy a nice, small, real wreath in the scent I like best. I can place it in a room farther from the stove and get to enjoy the smell of Christmas even without a real tree.

[DianeW88]

We got ours here and we love it. http://www.treeclassics.com/

 

I prefer not to have pre-lighted tree because I put a lot more lights on ours than the manufacturers do...and I use a different kind of lights.

[Catwoman]

I haven't read the other replies, but definitely go with pre-lit for the incredible convenience, and get as many tips (branches) and lights as you can afford. Also, the LED lights seem to be brighter and prettier than the regular ones. We bought a new tree last year, and it had big LED lights that were made to look like the "old-fashioned" bulbs we had on our tree back in the 1960's and '70's. I really like that look, probably because it reminds me of when I was a kid, but also because it's different from the usual little tiny lights (which I still like, too, BTW!)

[Susan C.]

I have been looking at all the places mentioned.

 

We sprung for a prelit tree several years ago. When we got home and plugged it in, the house smelled like burning plastic..... it was strong and awful, so we took it back and got a real tree. The problem with a real tree.... we have to water it every day or it dies, so dh doesn't want to go anywhere over Christmas!

 

Comments? Would the cooler LED lights remedy this? Anyone with the nice artificials from companies mentioned have the smell? I would love to have a realistic looking artificial fir.

[SevenDaisies]

I have been looking at all the places mentioned.

 

We sprung for a prelit tree several years ago. When we got home and plugged it in, the house smelled like burning plastic..... it was strong and awful, so we took it back and got a real tree. The problem with a real tree.... we have to water it every day or it dies, so dh doesn't want to go anywhere over Christmas!

 

Comments? Would the cooler LED lights remedy this? Anyone with the nice artificials from companies mentioned have the smell? I would love to have a realistic looking artificial fir.

 

Mine have all come from Balsam Hill or Frontgate and I haven't had any problem like that.

[Susan C.]

I just researched a bit..... evidently there are a good number of people unhappy with Balsam Hill..... there is even a website about it!

 

And even though Tree Classics has a website, a google search shows that they have filed for bankruptcy!

Edited September 30, 2012 by Susan C.

[Arcadia]

If you're a STEM family with tweens, go with a multi-piece extravaganza with bonus points for cryptic instructions and poor part labeling. These are the projects of which happy STEM-y family memories are made. :D

 

We had that kind of tree with no instructions and no labeling at my previous computer hardware company. It was our excuse to put up the Christmas tree with the CTO's secretary and not do work all day. :lol: