We have a cat tree we use. So artificial.

When I can, I get a real tree. After Christmas, I trim all the leaves and branches off the trunk and put those in the municipal compost bin. I then put the trunk in storage and let it dry out for a year or two. Once dry, I'll carve them into things like walking sticks, wizard staffs, etc.

Artificial. While it was a ton of plastic I can't get over cutting down a tree every year. Seems wasteful to me. My artificial is exactly the same as it was 10 years ago and I have no need to replace it.

Fake one. Bought it a decade ago and its still doing just fine.

Real, but I keep it in a pot and it goes outside the rest of the year. It's about 3.5' tall at the moment and gets a little bigger each year. I've had it for 4 years now

Real f'sure.

A lot of states sell Christmas tree permits every year, so for 5-10 bucks plus gas I can harvest my own tree(s) sustainably.

It's rad.

If you can't find yourself in any of the states above, it's likely you live in a state with state-run Christmas tree programs. Texas, Oklahoma, any state not in the half of the US listed above will have other state resources for Christmas tree permits and many private tree farms, which are maybe 10 dollars more but offer the same service:

Buy a permit, drive there, choose a tree, chop it down, take it home.

I am surprised at how many artificial tree users there are. Way more than I expected.

I have mostly lived where I could just go get a real one from the woods if I wanted to, so I guess that gives me a bias. If I couldn't have a real tree, I dont think I would want one at all.

I am not much into christmas, but the whole bringing a tree home with a connection to nature makes it worthwhile. Love the smell of a fresh tree too.

Never had issues with needles or bugs so I find that strange as well. I mean sure, the tree drops some needles at the end, but that is what the skirt is for. The few outside of that is just a single day of vacuuming that you would be doing anyways.

Neither. Cutting down a healthy tree for a little ritual seems extremely wasteful to me. I don't care much about Xmas so I don't have a fake tree, either. I do have lights up in the apartment, but they're up year round. I like the colors.

I haven't had or put up a Christmas tree since I was a child. I don't see the point. I don't do any seasonal decorations. Time moves so fast that it's like a week later I'm taking down a bunch of shit I paid money for and can barely use.

Neither

Aluminum pole. No tinsel. It's distracting.

I feel like I'm "not allowed" either.

I grew up in a very religious household/extended family. When I was 19, I became agnostic. But I actually really enjoy the Christmas season and decorations. It doesn't have a religious tie to me, but it has a nostalgic tie to me.

My husband is VERY jaded/exhausted/raged by Christianity as a whole. Their very existence pisses him off. So naturally, Christmas pisses him off.

But in a fantasy world where we could all get past this bullshit -- I'd honestly be happy with either. I grew up with artificial trees, but real trees always seemed better. But killing trees to be a decoration in your home for a month seems wrong..

Final answer- artificial tree would be my choice if I decorated.

Real.

Cut it down at a tree farm that has a Santa workshop.

I hunt my own free range tree. It's satisfying having a hand in is death. Feels good to take that chainsaw to it's body, cut it down in the prime of life, strap it to my truck, let the wind whip through its slowly dying limbs. Drag it inside my house and hack parts off until I'm satisfied it fits. Stand it in my dining room and drop fresh water into a bucket with screws attached that is designed to prolong it's eventual demise. Then after a couple days of letting it slowly warm, we gather as a family and decorate it's festering body with glittering lights, shiny baubbles, and memories of years past. Before we then place gifts below it's slowly dying limbs to exchange with each other on the day we celebrate the world breaking and entry champion for the past 1745 years. After that I wait a few days, rip the glitter off, and toss the remains outside, either in the trash to be buried and gone, or to the graveyard of the trees, where it can finish rotting with others of it's kind.

It's a lot of work, but oh so satisfying.

Real.

Pricey? I just go out in the woods and take one for free.

none, my house keeps getting messy despite expending few hours of cleaning every week, no time for extra chores

we've used artificial for at least the last 9 years now. Less cleanup, less expensive and easy to setup

Doesn't feel like Christmas without the smell of a real tree. I go out back and cut a small one.

Number one cause of house fires around Christmas time, dry trees in homes. We put up the same artificial tree every year.

We 'rent' a real tree. After Christmas we bring it back and they re plant it.

Artificial. Cost me an arm and a leg when I got it, but I've had it for so long it averages less than half the price of a real tree pre year. Plus, I don't have to bother with finding a good tree, transporting it home, and then driving to dump it at the recycling centre.

Have always had artificial. My parents still use the same tree they used when I was a kid. When my wife and I bought our own place we invested in a good quality artificial and I expect it to last just as long.

Real trees are a nice idea but I’ve seen far too many horror stories about them causing fires, and even if they don’t go up in flames they still drop needles and insects everywhere. Why take the risk?

I bought an artificial one second-hand which felt like the most sustainable option - not cutting a tree down every year and not paying for virgin plastic either. Charity shops here are usually filled with pretty nice ones since a lot of people seem to replace their plastic trees far more frequently than they should.

I used to go real, but lack of proper ones made me go artificial instead.

I grew up on the countryside where part of holiday tradition involved grabbing a saw and finding a proper tree in one of the many woods around the property. Now that I live more urban I have to rely on whatever is on the market. And the quality of the market is awful, so I might as well have something that at least looks good.

Frugal family, never had a tree. I didn't care either. I just wished we did something fun as a family. I see normal families on tv and I feel jealous. My parents aren't like bad, but they kinda aren't good either. None of the holidays were really memorable in particular. I had "okay" moments, but nothing really "wholesome" that i could share.

Like any useful gifts or really just family time to some new place is all I want, fuck trees, I personally don't care, it doesn't really do anything.

I mean colorful lighting would look cool, but trees? Meh.

(I'm not born in a western country for context)

When I was a kid we did a real tree. When we visited my brother last year we did a small real tree. Normally we have a fake tree.

We had some deaths in the family and some sicknesses, so we weren't feeling festive last year and set up a 3 foot tall fake tree before we skipped town. This year, today, I set up the big huge fake tree as a surprise while my wife wasn't home. I'm hoping the Christmassy decor without the work will get her into the Christmas spirit. We'll see if she's glad or annoyed. :-D

I have a potted one I drag in and out of the house

Real every time. I feel bad for the poor tree but nothing beats the smell of a fresh Christmas tree in December.

When I can be bothered (not often) I get a real one. The smell is amazing, it looks great and the imperfections and variations make it look much nicer. Oh, and the best bit? When I take it down I get to take it to the goat farm down the road - they go absolutely fucking nuts for fir trees.

Artificial. Didn't even buy it. Picked it up from the curb and fixed it up with new lights

Option 3: we don't buy any trees.

We have large floofy ragdoll cats, 14lb missiles of Christmas tree doom.

Thus, we have neither.

A real tree 🎄 The smell and the beautiful imperfection, that is Christmas 🥰

Ceramic is the only way to go.

Why would i want a real tree? They're messy and EXTREMELY FLAMABLE

artificial because killing a tree is repulsive to me. killing a tree for a tradition full of lies makes it even more repulsive

Neither!

I live in Australia. Everyone here does fake trees.

I've had artificial pretty much my whole life.

The last two were both hand me down trees, and in turn I handed down the tree I had.

Artificial for sure. That's been the case since 2 years before kids were born.

I never had an artificial tree growing up. We always cut it ourselves, drilled it, fed it, decorated it and so on. I took my wife from the city to go cut one and it was a great experience. That said, the artificial one is so nice. It gets assembled and has lights included, so once you stack it, it turns on and is already lit. All you have to do is arrange ornaments.

Full disclosure, I HATE DECORATING A TREE. So for me, not having to put lights on is a huge win. Also it's the right height every time, And stuff just works.

I use a real tree because I have cats that would eat the plastic one, and I feel that plastic trees are worse for the environment.

As an asthmatic, fake trees are the only way to go. The mold real trees have and produce as they die often cause croup cough among asthmatic. You only need croup for one Christmas before you figure out it's just not worth it.

Many years ago, we decided we did not want to cut trees anymore for the purpose of decorating our place, and since we also did not want to use a plastic one I did what I had to do by... painting a small one on top recycled cardboard that I cut to shape.

It's really small (the fat red-bearded dude doesn't overwhelm us under gifts either, maybe it's because he hates our tree?). It looks like a kid's version of a Xmas tree, some people would call it ugly as fuck, I say it is unique. We can easily (dis)assemble it & store it (takes no space at all), it never shed, we never lose or break a decoration, and setting it up with all it's decorations is just a matter of sliding one piece of cardboard into another, for its trunk/foot ;)

Despite it being made out of cardboard and being painted with gouache it's sturdy, only needing a touch of fresh paint every now and then. The previous one lasted something like 11 years before I had to make a new one, this year.