O Christmas tree! The pros and cons of real vs. artificial trees
Courtesy of Quarter Pine Tree Farms
Pine trees on the property of Quarter Pine Tree Farms in Fayette County
Courtesy of Quarter Pine Tree Farms
Customers lined up to buy their trees at Quarter Pine Tree Farms on Black Friday.
Courtesy of Leslie LaPosta
Gianni LaPosta stands in front of the live tree his family put up this year.
Courtesy of Anne Holmes
Anne Holmes estimates this artificial tree has lasted about 60 years. Her grandfather used to put the same tree up at his home in West Virginia.
Leslie LaPosta always had an artificial Christmas tree growing up, and for a while resisted her husband无毛视频檚 insistence to get a real tree.
LaPosta, of Washington, said her husband, Clayton, wanted to continue his family无毛视频檚 tradition of real trees. When their son Gianni was born she made him a deal: A real tree after he turns 2.
Leslie admits maybe feeling a tinge of regret on Gianni无毛视频檚 second birthday, but that quickly went away when they went to Candle Tree Farm to get their first live Christmas tree this year.
无毛视频淪o I made good on my promise and we got a real tree,无毛视频� Leslie said. 无毛视频淚 love it. It was so fun to go pick it up 无毛视频� Now I无毛视频檓 a real tree person.无毛视频�
Yes, the pine needles get everywhere, but that无毛视频檚 not a deal breaker for Leslie.
无毛视频淭he experience is really the selling point for me. You just don无毛视频檛 get that with an artificial tree. The second part is definitely the smell. It smells more like Christmas in the house,无毛视频� Leslie said.
无毛视频淭he experience无毛视频� is what draws many people to Quarter Pine Tree Farm in Georges Township, Fayette County, according to Beth Bossio, who works in sales and marketing for the farm.
无毛视频淚 truly believe that our crop is basically the centerpiece of their holiday,无毛视频� Bossio said of their customers. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a product that is going to give someone an experience from the day they purchase.无毛视频�
Bossio said there are other benefits to buying live trees.
无毛视频淣ot only for the experience, but Christmas tree farms are keeping land green,无毛视频� Bossio said, adding that the land is often not suitable for other crops.
Beyond that, Bossio says it is a way to support your local economy.
无毛视频淎rtificial trees are manufactured overseas. Now more than ever, we need to support farmers across America,无毛视频� Bossio said.
People lined up to buy trees on Quarter Pine Tree无毛视频檚 opening day on Black Friday, but they may have noticed slightly higher prices this year.
Bossio referred to statistics from The Real Christmas Tree, a national organization of Christmas tree farmers, that estimate live tree prices are up 5% to 15% nationwide. According to Bossio, the cost of their 6- to- 7-foot trees have increased by $5.
Even still, live trees are on average cheaper than their artificial counterparts. Artificial trees, however, can be packed away to use again the following year.
In some cases, perhaps the next 60 years.
Anne Holmes, of Smith Township, still puts up the artificial tree tree her grandfather used in her dining room, and has four other artificial trees around the house.
Holmes无毛视频� reason for using artificial trees is a bit more practical 无毛视频� her family celebrates Christmas on Dec. 25, but also Russian Christmas on Jan. 7. She explained that one year, they did try to use a live tree.
无毛视频淚t lasted through the season, but it didn无毛视频檛 last until Jan. 7,无毛视频� Holmes said.
For Tammy Kingan, of Amwell Township, one time getting a real tree was enough.
无毛视频淛ust because my kids are growing up and we always had artificial trees, we had that experience of picking a real one,无毛视频� Kingan said.
But the fun stopped at the farm.
无毛视频淚 had to keep tightening the tree stand. The tree would lean, and one time it fell over. The pine needles are everywhere. The dogs drink out of the water bowl,无毛视频� Kingan said.
Growing up, Kingan无毛视频檚 family put up live trees, but those experiences may have pushed her toward using artificial trees.
无毛视频淭he most I remember growing up is just the constant needles. Even after Christmas is over and you have to carry the tree outside. Weeks of vacuuming pine needles,无毛视频� Kingan said.
Deciding to go with an artificial tree could also just be a matter of circumstance. Rebecca Cochran Yue grew up in Wolfdale and graduated from Trinity High School in 1977, but has lived just outside of Orlando, Fla., for the past 30 years.
In Florida, the wide-open farms of Pennsylvania are exchanged for the parking lots of home improvement stores.
无毛视频淗ome Depot, Lowe无毛视频檚 have large parking lot areas and will let people from up north bring their trees down,无毛视频� Yue said. 无毛视频淚 did that when I first moved here. They无毛视频檝e been dead, needles are falling off. You pretty much have a big, Charlie Brown tree in your living room.无毛视频�
Yue has been happy with an artificial tree, one that无毛视频檚 pre-lit and programmable with different kinds of lights.
While she appreciates the convenience, Yue still holds plenty of nostalgia for finding the perfect Christmas tree on a Pennsylvania farm.
无毛视频淚 do miss the days when I was growing up and Dad would take us to a tree farm. That was a lot of fun. I don无毛视频檛 live in the snow anymore, and I don无毛视频檛 live near tree farms,无毛视频� Yue said. 无毛视频淚f I did live up north, I无毛视频檇 be going with the fresh trees again.无毛视频�