To tree, or not to tree?

My holiday preparation is certainly moving slowly this year. We're starting pretty much from scratch decorating-wise, as there wasn't a whole lot of space for festive touches in last year's two bedroom rental and we were spending much of the holiday out of the city with family.

That means that, in addition to buying presents and sending cards, I've also got to choose, buy and put up decorations! And, my current decorating dilemma is whether or not to put up a tree.

Growing up, I always had a real tree (which is right on trend this year). We'd spend an evening drinking eggnog, listening to carols and trimming the tree as a family. It was a wonderful tradition, and this is the first year that I won't be going home to Nova Scotia to take part in it. That feeling of missing out - and the perfect Christmas smell - makes me inclined to start our own tree trimming tradition here in Ontario.

But, on the other side of the wishy-washy coin that has become my holiday planning, real trees are messy. You end up with pine needles scattered throughout the house for months. They take up space, and I'm not sure where we'd put it. They also take time, which seems to be at a premium these days.

And, there are loads of alternatives.

Fake trees, especially the pre-lit variety, are easier to put up and decorate, and you can find increasingly authentic looking ones. But, they still take time and floor space, and I worry that it just wouldn't be an appropriate substitute for the real thing.

Spray-painted branches (I'm thinking white or silver) in a pretty vase, dressed with a few miniature ornaments, would be a space-saving and stylish option. 

Paperwhites or a potted sapling would help bring the outdoors in and add a "live" touch to my decor, along with looking gorgeous on a table or mantel. Plus, they're cheap, and decorating them is easy - just plunk them down into a pretty pot!

Or I could let my mantel - decoration currently "under construction" - stand in for my tree, and fill my faux fireplace with presents.

I could even just put out a bowl of ornaments, in a nice variety of sizes, shapes and textures, and call it a day.

Decisions, decisions. How's a girl to choose just one (or find time to do them all)?

Is a tree part of your holiday decor? If so, do you go faux or real?

Comments

[Anna de la Cruz]

I don't really have a choice. Fake is the only way I can go because live trees seem to trigger allergies I didn't even know I had. The one time we got a real tree, I was itching and scratching the entire time. I didn't realize the cause until we finally got rid of the tree and the hives miraculously went away the next day!

[Tracey]

I wanted to get a real tree this year, but decided against it because we have 3 indoor cats who would not be able to leave it alone. It would be just too tempting to them to climb, and I hated the idea of coming home to smashed glass ornaments everywhere, or worse, the entire tree knocked over. Instead we got a goregous pre-lit spruce that, for the most part, the cats leave alone. To make up for the lack of real tree smell I bought Christmas tree potpourri(Bowring has a great one) that I placed on a table near the tree in a decorative glass bowl.