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| No | 47% | 279 votes | Total: 597 votes | |
| Yes | 53% | 318 votes |
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Add to FavoritesWhether a Christmas tree is real or not should not be the focus. Christmas trees real or artificial looks just as good when it's decorated with the beautiful ornaments and lights. I am one of those who REALLY fancy Christmas. For me it's about the decks of hollies, food, ornaments, spiced apples, eggnog, and an enormous Christmas tree decorated in all its glitter and with the spirit of the holiday emanating from it.
During my formative years in my birth land, my dad would always import for us a real pine Christmas tree. By the time it got to South America most of the needles would have fallen off. However we always managed to decorate it which was the best part of Christmas Eve. When the lights were turned off I watched as the multicolored fairy lights danced on the walls as each decorative ornament glimmer and reflected in their shadow.
There is more to Christmas than fretting over whether to get a real tree or an artificial one. In my opinion, I prefer an artificial one. The cleaning up process for the real tree is the worst it shed all around the house and disregarding it once the season is over is another stressful factor not to mention always having to water it to maintain the life of the tree. I like to keep things in my life simple but beautiful and I rather expend my energies on something else than thinking about what size tree to get, what type, transporting it home, cleaning up after shedding and continuously taking care of it. In addition, it's an additional expense of farming Christmas trees and expending additional funds to harvest and process them. It's really not something, which we need basically it's a want therefore; we have to evaluate the worth of our own want versus the benefits to our environment.
I choose to stay with the artificial tree given its reusable and convenience with no hassles. With the constant innovations to better the life of a product and to prevent hurting the environment, they are making better artificial trees that are environmentally friendly. Despite the fact there are special farms that grow Christmas trees it's not necessary for us to be continuously cutting down trees to satisfy our own fancy.
Furthermore, our climate is presently changing around the world as a result of pollution and other harmful chemicals in the atmosphere. Trees clean the air and are beneficial for all living organisms, and why we are able to breathe the clean air we breathe instead of the poison, which trees absorb for us. Why then we would not grow more instead of cutting them down? Instead of cutting down trees once a year for Christmas, we should make it a tradition for everyone to grow an additional tree at Christmas.
At the end of the day as I settle into my sofa with a hot cup of tea and watch the Christmas tree in all its magnificence I am not looking whether its real or not but looking at the beauty of the dazzling ornaments reflecting like bright jewels off of each other as gold garlands cascade down. The tree looks magnificent as it stands majestic and beautiful in all its glory.
Learn more about this author, Nadia Ghanny.
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Yes
Real Christmas trees grow on farms that would cease to exist if people stopped buying them. Just one acre of growing Christmas trees, produces the daily oxygen requirements for at least eighteen people. There are close to five thousand acres of Christmas trees in America which supplies ninety thousand people a day with oxygen.
Christmas tree farms protect water supplies, stabilize soil, and help protect wildlife. The forests of North America, spread over roughly the same area of land as they did a century ago and, in the past ten years, have in fact, expanded by almost ten million acres. And to guarantee a steady supply, one to three new seedlings is planted for every tree they harvest.
With global warming being such a major concern, developing woodlands are an essential part of the fight. While potted trees are a better alternative than artificial, they require a certain amount of care for endurance. But it would be a better choice than a plastic tree which will remain in a landfill for centuries once it's discarded.
On the average, it takes a Christmas tree five to sixteen years to reach maturity. Prior to the Christmas tree industry, people used to cut trees from the forests, sometimes unlawfully, and usually with no concern for the possible harm to the forest. But today, Christmas tree growers, plant as many as fifty million trees per year.
Several districts have recycling programs that turn Christmas trees into mulch. For a small fee, the Boy Scouts will dispose of it. Fake Christmas trees are petroleum-based products made primarily in Chinese factories. They are not biodegradable so they can't be recycled, ending up in landfills. Real Christmas Trees support life. We don't need to add more pollution to our landfills.
If you decide to purchase a potted Christmas tree, make sure you get one suited to the area you live and get complete care instructions so it will have a good chance for survival. There are those who have Christmas trees on their property dating back to their first year of ownership. It is a good family tradition and helps the environment.
If you know a needy family in need of a Christmas tree, buy them a real one. Your charitable deed will help the environment.
Learn more about this author, Pat Lunsford.
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