A Christmas tree is a Christmas tree, real or fake; a fake Christmas tree spreads plenty of Christmas cheer and joy without making a mess, or irritating allergies. Artificial trees are a lot less expensive, too.

Real trees make a lot of mess with all the needles and sap that can irritate allergies. Most of my family is allergic to practically everything out there so we always have an artificial tree, and it’s mess and allergy free. A real tree would have most of my family sneezing all the time nonstop. If we didn’t have a fake Christmas tree, we may not even have a tree at all; Artificial trees are perfect for families with allergies. Even if your family is allergic, the artificial tree is still nice because there’s nothing to clean up after.

Another downfall of real trees is the expense; according to an article on MSN Money (Which is frugal? Fake vs. fresh tree; An artificial tree that lasts for 6 to 10 years will cost less. But that shouldn’t be your only consideration) the average cost Americans will spend on a real tree is $46, while the average for an artificial tree is $78. So yes, at first the real tree is less expensive, but after two years the real tree will cost $92, which is already more than the artificial tree. The artificial tree that my family uses has been in our family for 16 years, which means, for 16 years we’ve spent only around $78 on a Christmas tree. But had we been buying a new Christmas tree every year for 16 years instead, we would have spent $736.

Some will argue that fake trees are not as much fun, or spread less Christmas cheer, but not all fake trees come pre-decorated. There are quite a few artificial trees that come plain and simple, no lights, no ornaments, and are tons of fun to decorate. They can be just as plain as a real tree, the only thing you don’t pick out over and over again is the size, which is fine, because unless you move your Christmas tree to a different spot in your house every year, you know the artificial tree will always fit.

Sure, for some people a real tree is fun, but there are several downsides to it, and an artificial tree has just as much Christmas cheer. It does depend on what you’re used to, but for some people, an artificial tree is just better and that’s that.