Guide to buying an artificial Christmas tree
Artificial trees have become very popular over the last decade or two because today's fake trees look surprisingly more real than they did in the 1970 and 1980s. Many people today prefer artificial trees to the real ones.
Once you've made the decision to purchase an artificial tree there are several factors you want to consider before you purchase your new tree:
Artificial trees come in many sizes and before you go shopping for one you'll want to measure the area where you'll be setting up your tree. In the store some of the display trees are quite large and look beautiful, but may be too large for your space.
One of the nice things about artificial trees is you can customize the color to suit your tastes. If you like the traditional look there are tons of trees to choose from and you'll probably be pleased with the selection. Consequently if you tend to fall on the unconventional side and want to go with a white, pink or other color this is certainly an option. Artificial trees come in all sorts of colors you can choose from.
The newest trend in artificial trees is the ability to purchase a pre-lit tree which means the light strands are already attached to your tree and you don't have to deal with the hassle of unraveling and stringing up lights every year.
If you prefer to hang strings of light yourself you can still buy the "old fashioned" kind of artificial tree which doesn't have lights pre-attached. This might be to your liking because you can choose the colors and styles of the bulbs you want to hang; with pre-lit trees your lighting options may be a little limited.
Today's artificial trees more often than not look "real", but if you are willing to spend a little more, there are many good styles of tree that look almost exactly like the real deal.
If you head out to a "big box" store you're likely to find some inexpensive artificial trees which look like they are made of green coated stringy plastic; this is not a given, but often the cheapest fake trees look it. If price is more important to you than you'll probably get the best deal on a fake tree in a large retail store. But if quality matters you can explore nurseries, Christmas shops or craft stores, you may find some decent deals on a tree which looks more authentic.
If you decide artificial is the way to go there are plenty of styles to choose from and as long as you go shopping with a general idea of what you're looking for, chances are you'll find it. Artificial trees are a popular alternative nowadays and over the long run they pay themselves off because you save the expense of having to get a new tree every year.
