O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! Tue, Dec 12, 2017

This past weekend, I helped my parents put up their Christmas tree. It is an experience I've always been apart of since I was old enough to help and one that I've always enjoyed. But this time around, the experience was a bit different. You see, to my surprise, this year my parents decided to go with an artificial tree that came pre-decorated. Growing up, we always had a real Christmas tree and I wondered why they suddenly decided to change it up. Their main reason was, "maintenance and cleanup are a breeze." I had never really put too much thought into it but they did have a point. The overall experience got me thinking and questioning whether I should do the same and purchase an artificial tree. Until Sunday night, I had yet to purchase my tree and so, aside from discussing it with my boyfriend, I made a pro and con list. 

Pros

Long-term costs are lower

Maintenance and cleanup are a breeze

Many (if not all) are pre-decorated

Allergen-free

Cons

No pine tree smell

Picking out a tree isn't the same

Artificial trees can still be flammable

The experience of decorating is left to a minimal

So, what did I decide? The child in me wasn't ready to let go and so I purchased a real Christmas tree. I spent a little bit over an hour decorating my tree (I only spent 15 minutes with my parents) but I enjoyed every minute. An artificial tree might be for me in the future, but for now, I am content with the real ones. 

Happy tree shopping everyone!!