Which Christmas tree is better - artificial or live?

Very soon we will celebrate the most magical holiday - New Year! Preparing for this celebration requires time, effort, and expense. It depends on the scale of the holiday planned. Menu, gifts, outfits - all this will be there, but what would New Year be without a Christmas tree? And then the question arises: which Christmas tree to choose - live or artificial? This is what we will talk about today.

Pros of a live Christmas tree

Whether an artificial or live Christmas tree will be in our home depends on preferences, but each case has its own advantages and disadvantages.

If your choice fell on a live spruce, what will be its advantages:

1. The smell of pine. This is the most attractive element of a living tree. It is not only fresh, but also healthy. The needles release essential oils that calm the nervous system and relieve tension. In addition, coniferous oils are used for disinfection, as well as for the prevention of colds and respiratory diseases. For those who prefer live pine, it is useful to know that some of its varieties emit substances that are harmful even to the tuberculosis bacillus.
2. Convenience. Live spruce does not need storage space. She appears in the house only on New Year's holiday, and after a while leaves it. The artificial product will have to be stored at home, and in small apartments there is very little space.
3. Environmental friendliness. A live Christmas tree does not harm anyone, and many materials used to make artificial trees release harmful chemicals (formaldehyde and phenols) into the air. This is especially true for cheap products.
4. Childhood memories. When a family brings a living beauty to a holiday every year, this tradition is preserved by the next generation. Therefore, everyone will be happy with a prickly and frosty living Christmas tree, because it brings back memories of past years and the New Year’s mood.
5. Double benefit. Some people use a used Christmas tree after the holidays. For example, a decoction is prepared from spruce needles to strengthen hair: boil several branches for an hour, leave for 20 minutes and add egg white.

Before buying, think about what kind of Christmas tree to put up - live or artificial. Both will please you and your family, but you still have to choose.

Reference. When choosing a live spruce, make sure it has been recently cut down. In old trees, the needles fall off, and a dark rim is visible on the cut of the trunk.

What is good about artificial and in what case is it better to choose it?

Fans of artificial Christmas trees will also find their benefits, especially since before the New Year, stores are full of products for every taste.

An artificial spruce is chosen by those who do not want to burden themselves with unnecessary troubles during the holidays. You need to take care of a living Christmas tree: install and then dismantle the thorny and resinous tree (sometimes this takes a lot of time), make sure it has water, sweep out the needles.

Advantages of artificial spruce:

1. Wide choice when purchasing. The range of artificial trees in stores is very wide. It is possible to choose a Christmas tree from budget or more expensive options, a regular or already decorated tree, a traditional green one or other colors. For those who love the exotic, there are designer spruce trees, they are gaining popularity.
2. Saving. The product is purchased once for several years.
3. Easy to use and store. The design of the product is such that it can be quickly assembled and disassembled. That is, installing such a spruce is much easier. Store the product unassembled in a pantry or on the mezzanine.
4. Minimal care. After the holiday, it is enough to wipe off dust or wash the artificial Christmas tree.

Another advantage of an artificial spruce is that it can stand at home as long as you like, while a living tree has a limited time frame.

Important! There are people who are allergic to pine smell. In this case, it is worth purchasing a high-quality artificial product.

Which Christmas tree is actually more environmentally friendly?

Live Christmas trees are considered more environmentally friendly. But this is in cases where they are grown in special nurseries.

The production of artificial Christmas trees is toxic, because the materials for their production include petroleum products. The material of most of these products is plastic. The environmental damage from making one plastic Christmas tree will be greater than cutting down a dozen living Christmas trees, but grown on a special plantation.

Recycling of products does not go unnoticed. A discarded plastic Christmas tree will take 300-400 years to decompose.

What about deforestation?

Cutting down live Christmas trees does not harm the environment. To be convinced of this, it is enough to know how they are grown:

1. Trees for the New Year are grown in special forestry farms.
2. Christmas tree plantations are most often located in places where natural forest does not grow.
3. The proceeds from the sale of Christmas trees are intended to protect the environment.

Christmas trees are transported from forestry to different cities, where there are special markets for their sale.

Reference. The fine for cutting down Christmas trees in the forest is up to 4 thousand rubles.

What are the alternatives to traditional Christmas trees?

Those who are bored with their usual spruce trees may want to consider an alternative option.

What can replace the Christmas tree:

1. A picture on the wall. This could be a print printed on paper or fabric, a garland folded and hung in the shape of a Christmas tree, a tree constructed from different materials and vintage ornaments that can be hung.
2. Spruce or pine spruce branches collected in a composition. It can be placed in any corner of the house.
3. Christmas tree symbol, assembled from plywood, branches, slats, balls and other objects with decorations.
4. Spruce image on a chalk board.
5. A rack in the shape of a Christmas tree, on the shelves of which toys and gifts can be conveniently placed.

There are a lot of options for non-traditional Christmas trees. Your imagination and enthusiasm will tell you the direction here. And for those who don’t like lush structures, there are always small Christmas trees in a container. If such a spruce is artificial, you simply remove it until next year. A living tree will delight you during the holidays, and in the spring you can always plant it in your dacha or leave it to grow at home at your discretion.

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Conclusion

Which Christmas tree is better - artificial or live - is up to you to decide. You can put a plastic one and not bother with it, or buy a natural one and maintain it throughout the holidays. Buying a New Year's beauty is now easy: artificial spruce trees are sold in stores, and live ones are sold at Christmas tree markets. The main thing is to choose the one that you like and will make you happy during the holidays.