Last week’s poll asked if you preferred white or colored lights and a small majority of people said that they were like me (you poor fuckers) and liked the multicolored lights better. We did see that some people had other options that I didn’t include but argued were multicolored anyway such as blue and white, etc, etc, etc. Anyway, an interesting poll that I must say showed me that more people than I thought picked all white. Boo on you! I kid :-)
This week’s poll comes courtesy of Mrs. Robinson’s suggestion that we do a real or fake tree poll. Up until last year I had been using a fake tree since I was about 10 or 11 years old. My original reasons for that was because I didn’t want my parents having to lug a tree from some far off land, hurting their old selves (if I only knew how young they were at the time as I’m rapidly approaching the same age), or dealing with what I thought was the environmental destruction of trees. So we bought a very nice fake tree that kept through last year when I passed it along to a family who needed a tree and was happy to use it–I wonder if they are using it this year?!
Well last year we had a real tree that we got from Revak Nursery in Lakeville. My wife had a coupon (which always pleases a Budget Nazi (TM)) so we cut what appeared to be a stubby little thing and I hauled it back to the barn where we paid, they wrapped it, and we shoved it into our car before a short drive home that found needles poking me in the beard as we went. But that stubby little tree ended up being a big tree in our house but it was definitely nice to smell the pine (without artificial sprays) and watch as the needles ended up all over the damn place over the next few weeks.
Real or Fake Tree Poll
- Fake (49.0%, 28 Votes)
- Real (46.0%, 26 Votes)
- N/A (5.0%, 3 Votes)
Total Voters: 57
Loading ...Anyway, I’m a big fan of both real and fake trees for different reasons but no one gives a shit what I think so go ahead and comment on about your own preference for trees. After you do so be sure to vote and then feel free to check out our expired polls in the archive or read through the previous posts about polls here.
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December 13th, 2009 at 9:05 am
They are still using the tree this year :) Thank you. Which pretty much means we have fake. We’re still going fake this year, we’ve always had fake in the past, because we’ve always lived in apartments and never wanted to risk getting fined or booted because of a live tree.
I always had live/real growing up, so maybe next year we’ll do a real tree in the living room and put the faux (how’s that for dressing it up?) down in the basement, as we’ve already decided to have two trees next year. Our house can handle it, so why not?
I like both. They both have benefits.
December 13th, 2009 at 9:24 am
We have a small fake one, but we haven’t put it up in a few years. We got it when we were living in our apartment six or seven years ago.
Real trees are nice, yeah, but they’re too much hassle for us to want to deal with personally.
December 13th, 2009 at 9:30 am
Real. Definitely more expensive, but they have more character and you can’t beat the smell.
December 13th, 2009 at 10:26 am
We used to always get a real tree, but I got tired of going out to get one. I also got tired of the needles, sap, and getting rid of the thing after Christmas. I like real trees better, but I just got sick of the cost and the work. I used to absolutely hate fake trees, but my wife bought one for 50% off after Christmast a few years ago and we’ve used that ever since. I miss the real tree smell, but sure don’t miss the work.
December 13th, 2009 at 11:27 am
I prefer real, if I’m going to have one. But we currently have a fake because my wife knows there’s very little chance that I’m going to go out and get her a real tree anytime before the actual holiday. Christmas is not my holiday (for obvious reasons, those of you who know me) but my wife and kids like to celebrate it and I don’t mind swapping presents and eating a big pile o’ turkey on the actual day. We mostly had real, growing up, purchased from a Scout tree lot or some place similar. The first few years we were in Minnesota, we drove down to that place near Jake’s, err, Cannon Falls to cut our own. But that 30 below zero trudge out into deep snow got old real fast. So fake it is. But I voted for real in the poll.
December 13th, 2009 at 11:49 am
I agree with everything everone else says.
December 13th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Real or nothing.
December 13th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
I love the idea of a real tree. For many years we would get a real tree. Disposal was never an issue because we would use it for the first bonfire of the spring. Of course, watching how fast those trees go up in flames is part of why I would prefer a good fake. I realize that the one we burned was much, much more dried out, but even the ones that have been watered regularly will burn like an inferno.
December 13th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
When the kids were young, it was a real tree. We did that for 15 years, with the family outing to pick one out. 5 or 6 times we even cut one down for ourselves. After 15 years we finally moved into a house and twice went for a tree to fill the vaulted ceiling. I got tired of it, too much sap, too hard to keep straight. Went through two fairly expensive stands. Switched to fake the last 4 years. Much easier to work with, no more huge mess. Just a big box to store somewhere.
Eventually, when the kids are gone, we’ll move into a smaller home (more land I hope) and I’ll probably go for the real tree again. I prefer them, just the big ones are too much of a pain.
December 14th, 2009 at 8:48 am
After growing up with large, real trees as a kid, I had a fake one for a few years that I scored from my old retail employer for 10$ at an after holiday clearance deal.
Having said that, It was worth the 10$, I would never have paid the $150 initial price… I’m all for the real thing, it smells great, you have a chance to bring home small woodland creatures, and it’s just more fun to go out tree hunting at a farm vs. take it out of the box and spend a day straightening the branches out.
December 14th, 2009 at 9:00 am
Hmmmmm – Yeah –
When the kids were little – (4-8) we lived on 71/2 acres – and had many blue spruce and scotch pines growing. The Saturday after Thanksgiving we would bundle them up, and walk out the back door, find a 7-8 footer to our liking, and cut it down. The older they got, the more the complaining came during the process. We finally asked, “Don’t you like going out and cutting dowwn our own tree for Christmas?”
Without hesitation, and without reserve, the answered – “NO!”
So – Artificial we are to this day. We purchased an expensive one – $165 – and have used it for the past 15 years – still looks nice, and we still really like it.
Now, instead of cutting one for Christmas on Thanksgiving – they come home and help us decorate it EVERY year!!! Nice tradition, and a really good time.
Guess I’m getting older with all of this tradition talk! ugh!
Cheers,
Irving
December 14th, 2009 at 10:10 am
Um.. Neither? Is that an option?
December 14th, 2009 at 10:13 am
N/A?
December 14th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Neither. I gave up trees years ago (you can do that when you live alone) and I’m not a Christmas-y social type. In fact, if I do any decorations at all, it’s only a wreath on the door and some bows on the outside lights. Five minutes, max, to put up or take down. Conceivably I’m entering some years when the grandkids may think I’m destitute because I don’t have a tree; not sure how I’ll handle that. They’ll probably just have to accept that Grandma is a bit eccentric.
December 14th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Two words: pre lit.
Our fake tree is pre lit, which means it’s set up in under 5 minutes (and then I can spend the next 2 hours hanging ornaments).
It probably looks fake. It was from Target, after all. But, the only people to see our tree close enough to know … are us. And maybe an in-law or two.
I’m with all of you, understanding the joy, beauty, scent, etc of a real tree. I guess lazy wins out over aesthetics for me.
December 14th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
I grew up on white flocked trees. My Dad is an extremely clean guy – no needles to pick up. Now that I am all “growed up, I get the real McCoy. The family heads to Revak’s to select the year’s beauty and take the traditional corny pictures in Santa’s sleigh, putting heads in the cut out board, etc. The kids are 23, 22 and 15…they still like doing it. The pictures get posted on Facebook and they take a ribbing from their friends about it. We then head to Hastings to the Bierstube. It is always a fun time.
December 27th, 2009 at 9:15 am
[...] week’s poll about what type of Christmas tree you prefer was basically split even. While fake trees came out on top, it was by two votes and both jockeyed [...]