Janeway Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 How long would you keep a fake tree? This is our 10th Christmas with this tree. I like it and think it is just fine. My husband says it is time to let it go. Through the years, needles have fallen off. I guess it is not a huge deal if he wants us to rid of it, it is just that I don't think it is that bad. But I do not mind ridding of it and buying new next year. How long do you all think a fake Christmas tree lasts? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CadenceSophia Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 My grandma had a fancy one that lasted well over 25 years. I think it is sill in use and it was in every picture from my childhood and possibly before. She paid a relatively massive amount for it way back when though. My mom has had some that didn't last two years. It's all about the quality and the usage/care. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 My grandma has had hers 40+ years. It probably depends on the quality of the tree when you bought it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 I think it depends on the quality.I had one that started looking shabby after six years. My inlaws bought a much pricier tree in 1999. Its in our house now and still looks good. Im starting to see some branch breakage so I doubt it's got many more good years. I'll probably be really tired of it before it looks really bad. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Ours is over 20 years old. But perhaps as with many things, they don't make them like they used to. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Needles fall off of ours, but it still looks fine so I keep it. We've had it 14 years now. I don't see getting rid of it unless it falls apart or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Depends on the quality, but I wouldn't toss until you actually have the new tree. We dumped ours after Christmas and wound up moving into a temporary rental before the next Christmas. Moving is really hard on the trees, plus they're huge. I would've eked out one more year from the busted tree rather than buying a new one and getting it bungled in the move. Plus we were also cash strapped due to the move. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonhawk Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 My parents kept their fake tree for 25 years. It leaned a bit for the last 10, lol. They got a new tree ~10 years ago now and still use just that one. I think they bought a spare because they liked it a lot (and it was probably on sale). But they haven't thought of changing yet. I'm using the same tree for 10 years. It is a mini tree, like for an apartment, and the limbs are getting harder to spruce. So we'll probably have to change soon. Agree it's more about the quality than the years. And probably if the limbs come out for storage or if they just push up/down to fit in a box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbes Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 We've been using the same mini/apartment tree since we got married, so 11 years. We bought it while in an apartment, but have kept using it because we put it on top of a trunk and then it's impervious to baby damage. It's still looking pretty good. We do lose needles every year, though, so I don't know how much longer it'll last. Part of me is eager for a real-received tree and part of me will miss our little straggler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 We're probably at the 10 year mark. We did have to get new lights a couple of years ago, but it still looks great. I really do not want to put artificial trees in the landfill--we'll keep it as long as possible. I'm sure it's good for at least 10 more years. And this wasn't a super expensive tree--just a regular tree from Target. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 we replaced our first one after about ten years. so much for fake needles not falling off trees. I think we replaced it more for I wanted a pre-lit. it was 11' - and it was replaced with a 9'. my feelings about that are very mixed. the bigger tree decorated much better than this one. there was space for ornaments. this one . . . last year, I chopped off branches on the top 1/4! off a fake tree! this one (got it at Micheals) - I'm ready to replace it now. the lights have had issues since we bought it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherry in OH Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Our tree is a 13 years old JoAnn's special. One of the pre-lit strand of lights wouldn't light last year. We put that side to the wall. Same thing this year. If more light strands fail before the tree itself is damaged or fails, I'll cut out the strands and buy new lights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purpleowl Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Our first tree lasted from 2003 to 2008. Early in 2009, the school where I taught was doing a production of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and they asked people to loan them trees for the set, so we did. It came back to us unable to stand up. :glare: That one was the cheapest 6' (or 6.5'? whichever) tree that Walmart sold. Our second tree, bought for Christmas 2009, was the cheapest 6' (or 6.5') prelit tree that Walmart sold. ;) It still stands just fine, but half the lights no longer work. Last year we talked about replacing it but never did. So far, same thing is happening this year. We'd love to spend more money for a nicer tree that will look prettier and (likely) last longer, but this time of year ends up being very expensive for us every year and we can't really justify it when, really, the cheap tree is just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Why not get one more year of use out of the old tree and get a new one the day after Christmas at half price? 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Ours is 29 years old, but it's in pretty bad shape. It's fallen at least once and we definitely have to watch the leaning. DH and the kids don't want to get rid of it, but I'd love a new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 (edited) We are on year 23 with our artificial tree. It is losing quite a few needles and we have been discussing whether or not to replace it. We just cannot seem to spend the money on a new one, though. Edited: We bought ours from Kmart. The price on the box says the tree cost $79.00. I'm pretty certain we didn't pay that much for it. It is a standard (unlit) tree with removable branches. The trees that are advertised during The Hallmark Channel Christmas shows are beautiful. I have purposely refrained from googling the cost of one of those beauties. Edited December 20, 2016 by Scoutermom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 I'd keep it as long as it looked good. They all loose few needles during set-up, but if you can't tell by looking at the tree that doesn't matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintinative Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Why not get one more year of use out of the old tree and get a new one the day after Christmas at half price? I love this idea. We have a new one after using my parents old one for about 12 years (who knows how many years it was used before that--I remember it from my childhood). Anyway, we thought that having a pre-lit tree would be just so convenient. Unfortunately we had the same experience as many others on here with the pre-lit trees (there is a thread here somewhere). Many of the lights went out, they were on the same circuit and not fixable (by design) so we had to remove them all and put on string lights. Also my husband is not fond of the way this tree is assembled. You have to put in some branches but some you just push down. Meanwhile you get really scratched up. So maybe take some time to do some research in the hopes that this tree will last a good long time also, and consider avoiding the pre-lit tree despite alleged convenience. =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 We bought ours for Xmas 1997. It had a 5 year warranty. It is in perfect condition. It is a tradition. It gets taken out of the box and assembled each December and it gets disassembled and put back into the box in January. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 My gran had her aluminum tree for forty years, but we eventually had to get a new light projector for it. Definitely wait until after Christmas to buy a new one, if possible. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purpleowl Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Why not get one more year of use out of the old tree and get a new one the day after Christmas at half price? We actually did look last year the day after Christmas, but everywhere was sold out of decent looking trees by that point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Why not get one more year of use out of the old tree and get a new one the day after Christmas at half price? This has been our plan for the last few years. Neither my DH nor myself like crowds so we have never been able to go to the stores on the 26th when the selection is best and by the time we do find our way out it's just not worth the hassle as everything is either picked over or sold. Our local mall is being torn down after the new year. I wonder what the owner is doing with the Christmas decorations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKL Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 I'd keep it as long as it looks nice. We had ours up year-round for at least 10 years. Finally took it down because we were getting new carpeting; at that point it was not in great repair, so we got a new one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Mine is 35 and going strong. Was from Sears, not fancy. Not something I'd replace every decade. It's not a mattress or couch where after a while it hurts your back. It's just a little more weathered looking. That's part of the charm. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 My cheap Michaels one was looking a little rough after five years. Now I have a really fancy one from here and it's been holding up beautifully. http://www.treeclassics.com/Majestic-Blue-Spruce-Artificial-Christmas-Tree-p/TCB-T.htm I got the 4 1/2 footer when it was 60% off in an after Christmas sale. Score! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Ours is about....15 years old. It's fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Depends on quality and storage conditions, and whether it's prelit. If it's not prelit it will probably last longer, less to break. I had one I got at Target for over 10 years. I tossed it 2 years ago, it was done for. Last year we had a rickety done for tree DD found at a garage sale for $5. This year, we are too crowded in a small place with a young dog, so we have an itty bitty tree that sits safely up out of reach. Walmart had 6' trees for $20 before the 20% off markdown and I almost got one, but there's just no place to put it. I wouldn't expect a $20 tree to last more than 3-5 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 I don't think our fake tree has ever lost needles. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 I know ours was less than 10 years old. For some reason, it smelled odd when DH brought it out this year. So, we opted to replace. The new trees fold up like an umbrella for storage. I think that will be a real convenience. We couldn't get one that wasn't prestrung with lights (last minute shopping), so we had to get one with white lights. DH added extra colored lights for the kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooCow Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 (edited) We have(had) a good one, but I don't bring it out every year. I go thru themes, like one year I was into lavender on a white tree, the next a tree made out of tomato cages. Mainly I did it because I couldn't bear to have it out after my mom died, plus with my oldest not around. I used the cat as an excuse. This year for the first time ever, the kids got me to get it out, and put it up thanksgiving weekend. Right away kitty started her shenanigans. It'll be unusable after this year. Eta: I'll say it lasted about 10 years Edited December 21, 2016 by MooCow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 We bought ours used about 20 years ago for $50 (including the giant plastic bin the people used to store it in). It still looks great. I guess it depends on the tree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinRTX Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 We bought ours the day after Christmas the year we got married -- in 1983. We don't plan on replacing it this year. It still looks good. I hope it lasts at least another 5 years -- until my youngest graduates college. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjand6more Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Our last one was a day after Christmas purchase 10 years ago. After year 2, the plastic base broke. We engineered a solution that only leaned a little bit. :) The light strands slowly burned out and I unwrapped them one at a time. Every year I told myself I would buy a tree after Christmas to replace it. Never had the money. This year Target ran their trees 50% off the week before Thanksgiving. I broke down and got one. I love it. My Mom's tree growing up lasted my entire childhood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Ours is 19 years old. It definitely has it's quirks-- a tendency to lean at the top until we settled it properly. It helps, I think, that we don't take it apart anymore. There's room in the attic for it to stand up, draped with plastic. Yes, I remove all the ornaments. We did nice lights a few years ago and leave them on it. If a string goes out, we simply add another one. The hardest part of this whole scenario is getting the tree into and out of the attic. We looked a few years ago and could not find a similar tree with similar quality. I love my 9ft slim tree! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 I think ours is 10 yrs old, but I'm not sure it might be older, can't remember if it survived the fire(as it would have been in the basement). Anyway, it could look better and it could look worse BUT a new tree is not really in the budget, nor is replacing it a necessity so it is not to be replaced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Mine is 24 years old. It's fine. It was a display. I bought 50% off (might have been more) 4 days before Christmas at Micheals (or its precursor MJDesigns). I think I learned the year before you couldn't get an artificial tree the day after Christmas. My parents had theirs at least 30 years before getting a smaller one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 I think we're on our ninth or tenth year with the one we have. (DH and I were trying to figure out when we got this one and we're coming up with different years, 😉). One section of lights went out this year, but I think that's fixable. At least DH claims he can fix it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrixieB Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 We are on year 23 with our artificial tree. It is losing quite a few needles and we have been discussing whether or not to replace it. We just cannot seem to spend the money on a new one, though. Edited: We bought ours from Kmart. The price on the box says the tree cost $79.00. I'm pretty certain we didn't pay that much for it. It is a standard (unlit) tree with removable branches. The trees that are advertised during The Hallmark Channel Christmas shows are beautiful. I have purposely refrained from googling the cost of one of those beauties. Those old KMart trees are surprisingly long-lasting. I just put ours up for its 18th Christmas. It started losing needles a year or two ago, so I guess it is time to keep an eye out for a replacement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janeway Posted December 21, 2016 Author Share Posted December 21, 2016 I think we should keep the tree. I looked up how much they cost and it really made the one we have look a lot better! LOL 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beebug123 Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Mine is about 15 years old, maybe more. I only know I had it for a few years before ODD was born. About 2 years ago we started to loose the light strands on it. We decided to buy a new house over that holiday break and DH and I came across LED strands for $1 on clearance and bought easily 20 of them. So, before we packed away that tree before we moved I cut all of the old light strands off. Last year in our new house I rewrapped the tree with the new LED strands. It looses needles and some of the branches are starting to get close to breaking but each year we pull it out and decorate it and it looks fine. Mine was originally from Costco and it is def a nice quality. This year I bought a bunch of holly berry sprigs (those fake ones you get from craft stores) and stuck it throughout the tree and that helped to make it look fuller. My plan is to just keep making it work until something really breaks on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Where do you all get these trees?!? We always got real trees when we lived in California, but after leaving there about 10 years ago, we've been through about 3 fake trees! The lights go out, they don't seem to fluff well, etc. We usually buy the fake ones from Home Depot; I didn't think those were cheapy trees, but maybe I need to buy elsewhere!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Mine was from Target. But as I said upthread, I bet that quality has declined in recent years along with everything else we buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherry in OH Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Where do you all get these trees?!? We always got real trees when we lived in California, but after leaving there about 10 years ago, we've been through about 3 fake trees! The lights go out, they don't seem to fluff well, etc. We usually buy the fake ones from Home Depot; I didn't think those were cheapy trees, but maybe I need to buy elsewhere!!!! LOL. I think I have lower standards than you do. I don't worry about how the tree fluffs. We get the pieces out of the box, insert them in the correct order, bend a few branches, and call it good. The section that doesn't light goes toward the wall. The children decorate the tree, the cat pulls the ornaments down, and whoever notices replaces them on the tree. Our tree won't win any decorator awards, but it suits us. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 Where do you all get these trees?!? We always got real trees when we lived in California, but after leaving there about 10 years ago, we've been through about 3 fake trees! The lights go out, they don't seem to fluff well, etc. We usually buy the fake ones from Home Depot; I didn't think those were cheapy trees, but maybe I need to buy elsewhere!!!!We got ours from Sears. We paid $200< for it 9-10 years ago. It's a decent tree and it's more than paid for itself in savings over buying live trees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janeway Posted December 22, 2016 Author Share Posted December 22, 2016 I think this was a $400 tree bought 9.5 yrs ago when we moved here, but we got it for half price. The lights were not good after a few years so I cut those off and we string our own lights each year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 Zero years, but that's just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 Our tree cost $50 and I thought that was a fortune. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retired Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 I got mine at Kmart around 2000. I think for around 120.00. It has not lost any of the fullness all the lights are still great. It still looks new. I I've kept it in orginal box but not closed up. I sheet over it to keep dust off in my attic. I live in the south so our attic space gets 100 +++ in the summer and we rarely have below freezing temps. I'm guessing quality and storage may effect how long it last. This see the tree lasting longer than the lights. I keep thinking each year the lights will get a short and quit but they keep going. anyway this tree is set up every year and some years I will get a live tree for another room. It really just depends how much entertainment I'm having for the season. This year its just my old faithful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoutingmom Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 This is not going to be helpful, but my grandmother's tree is still going good... I think it is over 50 years old. It is older than me. It would have been made in the late 50's or early 60's. It is Silver, made of metal, and homemade, and I think it is absolutely beautiful. Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.