Real or Fake?

Get your head out of the gutter…I am talking about Christmas trees.  If you decorate your house with a tree, where do you stand on the issue of real verses artificial ones?  Here’s my story. 

My parents used to set up a real tree on Christmas Eve, assemble the toys, and fall into bed exhausted, only to be woken by the pitter-patter of our little feet, not too long after they collapsed.  They wanted us to have the magic of Christmas, including the excitement of the tree, on Christmas morning.  

Clearly, we did not care if the tree was real or not...

I was more interested in my sister's underwear and my new doll.

For fun...recognize any of the toys?

When my parents moved our family from Yonkers to Yorktown, I was six years old  They made the decision to start using an artificial tree.  They could set it up earlier and reduce their Christmas Eve work to toy assembly only.  My mother admits they could have set up the real tree earlier, but with the new house, it seemed easier to set up an artificial one earlier in the month. 

One green tree was set up downstairs with colored lights and a variety of ornaments, including the precious ones we made in school.  This is the tree Santa visited without fail.  Upstairs in our living room, a white tree with only red lights and ornaments was concurrently set up.  This one was for ‘show’ and looked very pretty in a room that already had a red, white, and black theme going on.  I loved our trees and never felt slighted or deprived that the trees were not real.  My only memories are of the artificial ones.

My husband’s family always bought real trees.  Their tradition was to wait until a few days before Christmas to purchase the tree and then decorate it on Christmas Eve.  They didn’t move to a new house like we did and change their traditions.

When my husband and I started dating in the fall of 1984, little did we know we had different 'tree backgrounds'.  We decided to get a tree together for my apartment, which was a little bigger than his and could fit it better. He wanted to get a real one and I was totally up for the new experience.  I ran a 10 K race that morning in Venice Beach, and afterward we planned to find a place to purchased a tree. We had our close friends over that night for a tree trimming party.  I would have parties for just about any occasion, so why not to decorate a tree?

The first real tree that I remember.

Four years later, after our first son was born, we advanced to the chop-your-own stage. We drove 45 minutes north of Los Angeles to Valencia to a Christmas tree farm.  It was the beginning of a tradition for our son and for our family.  I was now hooked on the fresh smell of the pine and the silky feel of the bristles; I was completely in.

The funny thing about chopping down a Christmas tree in California is that you are NOT wearing coats and boots, nor is it snowy or cold.

In addition, you don't mind lying on the ground with your saw.

A tradition is born and he seems to approve.

Over the years we have maintained the real tree tradition, although we have alternated between cutting it and letting someone else do that part.  I do love the smell and the magic of the real tree.  Over the last few years however, I have had thoughts of an artificial tree.  But in the end, we still get the real deal.  Interestingly, my siblings all have artificial trees.

I was at the Christmas Tree Shop yesterday and spent $75 on Christmas decorations, none of which we needed.  One purchase was a 3-foot white artificial tree.  This should not be confused with a Charlie Brown tree.  It is actually quite pretty and will be even prettier when it is decorated.  I set it up on our black kitchen table.  The plan is to decorate it today with red ornaments, mimicking the black, white, red color scheme that I loved to much in my parents’ house. 

I feel excited about and content with my $5 tree, and it has allowed me to let my thoughts abandon the real or fake conversation for a while.  As we get older and more nostalgic, sometimes I feel like we tend to go back to the ways of our childhood or childhood upbringing. So what will the tree tradition look like for us in 10 years?  Decorating an artificial tree on Christmas Eve?  Or will our boys, who have been brought up only with real trees, sway the vote to maintain the pure pine?  Only time will tell.

The unevenness of the branches is one sure sign of a real tree...Wait...are you really looking at the tree, or the two cute kids under it?