Real Or Fake? The Christmas Tree Debate
BOSTON (CBS) -- Some people call them "fake," others stick with "artificial."
In either event, you can't deny that man-made Christmas trees are everywhere these days.
It used to be that artificial trees...looked it. They were a pain to put together and always fell short -- looking skimpy and not too festive.
But now, technology has made trimming the tree a new experience. Most artificial trees come pre-lit with your choice of lights; many even come pre-decorated.
And if you are a Christmas tree traditionalist, you are in trouble; artificial trees now make up about 54 percent of the Christmas market.
And the Bay State is buying. According to a leading manufacturer, Massachusetts is the number one market in the country (tied with Connecticut) for artificial trees.
WBZ-TV's Jim Armstrong reports.
Brock Putney is the Director of Sales for GKI/Bethlehem Lighting, a Taunton-based developer and importer of pre-lit Christmas trees. His theory about the trees' popularity in this section of the country has to do with winter weather.
He says since it gets so cold in the northeast in December, we already have that "holiday feeling" and can get away with an artificial tree. "The need for a fresh-cut tree isn't as demanding," he says.
Folks in Arizona or Florida, the theory goes, need to savor the experience of a real tree since it's the only Christmas they are going to get -- weather-wise at least.
Though technology has brought the price of an artificial tree down, they can still cost between $200 and $500. The upper end of that market features trees that can easily cost ten times what a fresh-cut tree might.
But the artificial version can last 10 years (or more), meaning over time it could actually be the cheaper choice. Of course, you would have to tolerate the same decor for a while.
But tree purists have their arguments, too... Al Hadfield has run "A Quiet Place Christmas Tree Farm" in Westport since 1980.
This state may be number one for the fakes, but he still sells about 300 of the real thing every year.
When we asked him if an artificial tree could ever compare with one of his, he laughed. "Plastic trees? That's almost as bad as a swear word here on the farm," he said. "Some people have to do that, I guess, but there's nothing like the experience of a real tree."
