I love Christmas. While I do get a little stressed in December (don’t we all?), I love being the magic-maker in the family. One of my favorite things we do each year is pick out our real Christmas tree. While artificial trees can be beautiful, I am 100% team real tree.
That is why we were so excited to partner with the North Carolina Christmas Tree Association (NCCTA) for this article! It contributes to the success of the Christmas tree industry by providing ethical, professional, and visionary leadership.
Can I talk you into the real tree tradition, too? Here are seven reasons why this Dallas mom loves real Christmas trees.
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1. Tradition
Christmas is a holiday steeped in tradition. While we love creating new traditions with our family, there are some traditions that seem to carry through generations. Having a real Christmas tree is one that both my husband and I agree on. We decorate our tree with an assortment of homemade ornaments, ornaments we’ve bought over the years, milestone ornaments, and ornaments that have been gifted to us. The combination of these ornaments on a real tree makes me so happy every year.
2. Picking the Right Tree
We have never cut down our own tree because we’ve never lived in a place where that was a possibility. But even going to the local tree lot or big box store is fun. Part of that fun is that you never really know what you’re going to end up with. The tree could be tall and skinny, it might be short and wide. Perhaps it has a bit of a bare spot that needs to be hidden in the corner. One of the reasons I love having a real tree is that it isn’t perfect. I love that it looks a little different every year.
If you can’t find the Christmas tree you’re looking for, you can order a real tree online and have it delivered to your home. The NCCTA also has an awesome resource on how to care for a live tree on its website.
3. The Smell
Artificial trees have their place, but you can’t beat the smell and feel of a real Christmas tree. As soon as we bring the tree into our house, the environment changes — it immediately smells like Christmas. I love that I’m welcomed home to that smell throughout the whole season.
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4. Supporting Small, Local Businesses
When you buy a real Christmas tree, you support local businesses. Even if you purchase your tree from a national retailer, most real Christmas trees are grown on family-owned farms. These farms contribute to the economy of their counties, states, and the nation.
Through the NCCTA, you can search for trees at retail lots and mail order info — wreaths included!
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5. Environmentally Friendly
While it may seem counter-intuitive that a real tree is environmentally friendly, it’s true. For every tree that’s cut down, several more trees are planted in its place. Additionally, when you’re finished with your tree, it can be recycled and turned into compost or mulch. If you’re not ready to part with your real tree after Christmas, you can move it into your yard, and it can serve as a bird habitat through the rest of winter.
6. Education
My husband loves trees and teaching our family about trees. Bringing a real tree into our home for Christmas offers an excellent learning opportunity. We talk about the different types of conifers traditionally used as Christmas trees. Typically, we can find Fraser fir, Douglas fir, Noble fir, Scotch pine, Balsam fir, and Blue spruce. Some questions we’ve talked about with our kids are:
- What makes a tree a conifer?
- Where do the different varieties grow?
- What is the difference between a fir, a pine, and a spruce?
Our preference has always been Fraser firs from North Carolina. In my opinion, they are the best looking and their branches and needles hold up to all of my ornaments, including the really heavy ones. Fraser firs also seem to last longer than other varieties we’ve tried.
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7. Crafts
An added bonus when you buy a real Christmas tree is the crafting material that comes along with it! We always have to trim off a few branches from the bottom of the tree, and I use them in our planters by the front door for a festive holiday touch. The tree lot will usually give you extra branches as well, if you ask. My sister’s family always makes an ornament out of the trunk round that they cut off when they get home with their real tree.
Are you team REAL Christmas tree, now? Show us your holiday trees in the comments!
Follow the North Carolina Christmas Tree Association on social media — Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. For more information, please visit ncchristmastrees.com.
