Stuart Zullo 
When you’re preparing for Christmas, one of the first steps is usually making sure the Christmas tree is ready to decorate at the beginning of December. But you have a big decision to make before you have a flashing tree in your front window – Will you be purchasing a real pine tree, or buying a fake one?
Each has its advantages.
If you’re hard up for cash this Christmas season, it may be more financially viable for you to buy an artificial tree. Artificial trees have come a long way over the years, and a good quality artificial tree nowadays looks incredibly similar to the real thing. The cost will be fairly similar to the cost of buying a real tree, but it will last you for several silly seasons to come. This also adds to their convenience; it’s far easier to toss a tree in the cupboard at the end of the season rather than organising a trip to the tip to dispose of the real McCoy. So why would you bother buying the real thing?
There are two main reasons people are continuing to trudge home with a pine tree strapped to their car roof. The first is something that’s hard to resist – the smell of Christmas! Aside from carollers at the door or a jolly man dressed in a red suit, there are few things that scream Christmas like being met with the smell of fresh pine needles.
Another big plus in the ‘real tree’ column is that it is in fact the more environmentally friendly choice. Although trees are uprooted each season, they are also replaced every year, and are often grown in areas unsuitable for any other use, while artificial trees are often made of materials that are non-renewable and polluting.
So which way will you go this Christmas? Do you plan to ‘go green’ and enjoy the smell of Christmas in your home, or will you save dollars and buy a tree that will last your family for years to come?