Well for us, it has always been a real tree, we love the way it makes our country antique home smell yummy. Growing up though we always had a fake one, which was okay, all that truly mattered was that we were together as a family. One year my parents got one on those white christmas trees and I have some pictures with me and my brothers in front of that tree, too funny, but sincere trivia and fun filled memories of christmas times past. Oh I wanted to add on our tree we only use all the handmade ornaments our children have made throughout the years they are a treasure for sure. Then I was blessed when my mom presented me with a huge amount of my brother Sonny's collection which were all antique really old heart shaped ornaments that now we put on our tree. We also only use old ornaments we have collected or purchased, wooden ones, cranberry beads, only white lights and no garland or tinsel. So please kindly share in this holiday season. Catherine

Always real, grew up with real. I used to do the variety of ornaments from past years, but just started witjh a cleaner look last year, all matching....silver, gold, bronze. It's a very classy look.

I HATE clutter, my home is very clutter free and has a modern decor for the most part, so I wanted the tree to match and I don't lijke the tree to be cluttered and too busy. No garland, etc.

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"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream."

John Lennon

Fake tree here, but I do love the smell of a real one.

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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!

We do both. I have a fake one for the presents to go under.
We adopted a cat when we were first married and had a real tree that first year. Needless to say, the cat had a great time with it. I ended up having to remove the majority of the ornaments, so we ended up using fake until we bought our home 3 yrs. ago.
I buy 2 small (12"-20") real trees, one for each of my sons, that get planted after Christmas in our yard. We need trees in the yard so this kills 2 birds with 1 stone.
Last year we did Charlie Brown trees. Bought 2 maples and decorated the branches. They were so cute and we received many compliments on them. I think that's what we are doing this year again. We need shade by our patio.
Judy

Oh, you reminded me that I do have a 3.5 ft fake one, too. That one goes in the dining room, while my big, real one is in the living room. The rooms are actually one huge, open room, though, so you can see both at once.

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"When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream."

John Lennon

We have a fake tree because DH is allergic to pine. We have some of the handmade ornaments from my DS, but our tree is primarily gold, silver, and red. We love it.

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Kim

Being as we live in Oregon and there are tree farms everywhere...we love to go to the tree farm up the road and cut our own tree. The best fanciest trees are never more than $40 and this year we need a new Rudolph our last one was old and weathered. He makes them out of logs they are so cute.
We also have two pink fake trees. I have one in the dining room and we don't have room for the other one this year. I usually put it in the kitchen but we have a big fat old fashioned tv in there that takes up the space.

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The political system is broke and it's a joke.

Fake all the way!
Grew up with fakes since mom is allergic. Not seriously allergic but why should she have a sore throat all holiday season just so there could be a real tree in the house.

Love my 6 foot fake, once I get it all covered with tons of bubble lights(the only type of lights I use)and ornaments its hard to tell theres even a tree there!

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Jesus SAVES by shopping smartly and using double coupons!

Since I was little I always had a tree on my birthday so Santa could bring me presents, so to carry on the tradition, every year I get a small real tree (maybe 2 -2 1/2 feet) then I get a 6-7 foot tree around the 1-2 weekend in December. Since I am moving in a few weeks, right now I only have the small tree up and decorated and once we get the keys for the new place, hopefully next weekend, I will be buying my larger tree.

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~~~~**Maryann**~~~~

I just got a firm grip on reality....
Now I can strangle it

Hey Anna to live in Oregon it must be so pretty and to get those trees really awesome . Then I finished your post about your little pink tree, you really must love pink. Should I find a turquoise or a aqua colored christmas tree, do you think I could find one, man oh man I love those colors. Holiday wishes. Catherine

We grew up with real trees for the most part (after the few years of those crazy silver trees! LOL!!). I love the smell of a real tree, and I miss it, since now we have a beautiful, but fake tree. I had wanted an 8 foot tree, and I was lucky enough to find one at a Target 90% off sale one year! I love this tree so much, and no dry needles to vacuume daily! I just miss that beautiful smell - can't be replicated by even the best Yankee Candles, IMO...

When I was little, I wanted to have a beautiful theme tree - I used to adore the trees that were set up perfectly at the better department stores. However, now that I have kids, I can't imagine a tree without all of those treasures made each year - baked dough ornaments, styrofoam balls decorated with glued sequins, little laminated poems on string - I just LOVe these now, and realize why my mom loved our hand-made ornaments all those years ago.

Each of the kids also have their own ornament collection, and we add a new one to their collections every year. They each seem to remember which ones are theirs, and they decorate their own sections of the tree with their own ornaments every year.

Not the symmetrical, soap opera-style, dazzling tree of my dreams from my younger days, but I love my tree and its kid-created ornaments more each year!

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"The errors of faith are better than the best thoughts of unbelief." - Thomas Russell

Devinsmom, hon I dearly know what you mean about the smell of the real compared to the fake. However the Yankee candle shop alot of their Holiday scented candles really do smell just like the real pine and all the holiday scents. I love all those scents, that is why I simply love country. It is so refreshing that you find so much enjoyment in the little things in life, like the handmade ornaments you children have made. For it was made with their little fingers and hands and there is no price to put on those items. I do still adorn our tree with ornaments of when our children we younger and to this day the star the our eldest dd Hope made it is now well 24 years old, it is nothing special . However she cut it out and decorated it and wrote her name on the back and it stands on top of our tree. Of course I have many of my kids things they have made from kindergarten and first grade and those little things, simple pleasures , we will never get rid of and always as parents be so proud. Loved your story thanks for sharing. Best Holidays wishes to you and yours. Catherine

Fake all the way....I can't bear to see the real trees thrown away in the trash.

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-Kristi

We don't put one up but if we did it would be real! I soooo love the smell.

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~~just open your eyes and see that life if beautiful~~