The Christmas Tree Debate: Keep it Real, or Go Fake?

A funny thing begins to happen around town the first weekend after Thanksgiving.

Tightly wrapped trees are strapped to the roofs of cars with twine and taken home where they will be set up in the living room, wrapped in lights (once untangled of course), and decked with ornaments, hand-crafted decorations, tinsel and just about anything else from popcorn to chili peppers.

But not every family goes through the motions of picking up the tree at a nearby lot, or heading out to the farm to cut one down. Instead, they simply head up to the attic to dust off the same one they used last year.

Real, or fake: that's the question?

Personally, I love a real tree. It's become a personal tradition to choose just the right tree (frasier or balsam fir). The evergreen smell and decorating the tree just help make the holiday season brighter. For me, gone are the days of taking the tree out of the box and putting it together.

Christmas Tree Trivia

The Germans are most often credited with starting the modern Christmas tree tradition in the 1600s. According to the History Channel, they didn't take off in America though, until the late 1800s, with the first trees sold commercially in 1850.

Aluminum Christmas trees were the first artifical ones sold in a color other than green. They were originally crafted by a Chicago-based company called Modern Coatings. Alumnium trees were most popular in the 60s, and some credit the Charlie Brown Christmas Special that first aired in 1965 with killing the aluminum tree.

About six species of trees account for about 90 percent of Christmas tree market: Scotch pine, Douglas fir, noble fir, white pine, balsam fir and white spruce.

What do you prefer? Real tree or fake? Share your thoughts on holiday decorating in comments.

Have a photo of your tree, add a picture of your Christmas tree from past or present by clicking the Upload Photos and Videos button. Tell us about your family's tree tradition in comments below and vote in our poll about which type you prefer to trim.

Local Editor Matthew Hendrickson contributed to this story.