Christmas Trees

[LakeEffect]

Since moving from Michigan back in 2005, the only time I feel like a true northerner is around Christmas. My wife said that, growing up in Wichita Falls, she didn't have a single friend who had a real tree each year. I, on the other hand, only had one friend who had a fake tree, and that was because she was extremely allergic to pine.

My northerner feeling especially goes for real Christmas trees and where to buy them. Places like the lot on 9th are still done all over Michigan, and I'd assume other northern states. The 9th Street lot is about 1/5th the size of the lot my parents typically shop at (and that company usually has 4 lots to serve 75,000 people). I'm hoping that people really serve the 9th Street lot well so that they can have more trees and make it larger next year.

Here's my question: How long have people in OKC been accustomed to fake trees instead of real trees? Why don't people buy real trees much here?

[betts]

I buy a real tree every year, and I'm buying mine from the 9th street lot this year, to make sure they're motivated to do it again next year, perhaps making it larger.

So, I guess other people will have to answer that question.

[rcjunkie]

We have boguht live trees for the past 20 years, after Christmas we plant them at our cabin/lot at Tenkiller.

[MadMonk]

My opinion:

Real trees = mess with needles, hassles with purchase, getting it home, setup, take-down, watering and disposal. Cost. Increased risk of fire (though that is practically nil with the LED lights I use).

Fake trees = much less mess & hassle. It takes me 5 minutes to get it out of the attic and its set up in 20 minutes and roughly the same amount of time to take down and put up for the year. In addition, it's always the same uniform shape and size.

The only thing I miss about a real tree is the smell, but that's what pine-scented candles are for and I can blow them out when I'm tired of it.

[flintysooner]

Real tree = allergic reaction = death.

[Wambo36]

I have to agree about the mess part. I think it was a simple matter of cost to my parents. We had real trees every year until dad realized that he could spend a little over twice as much and get a tree for years to come. When we got married the wife and I started buying live trees and planting them somewhere in the yard after Christmas. After kids were born found a nice tree farm and cut our own for years, until they closed. Now it's the convenience of a fake tree and scented candles.

[henrywc]

We have a family tradition to get a real tree every year. It brings a little bit of the outside in. When Christmas is over, we use the neighbor's wood chipper and use the tree for mulch in the yard, rather than buying bark mulch from the big boxes (lowes/HD)