Christmas Trees

Posted on November 26, 2007
Filed Under Uncategorized |

I’ve been a real Christmas tree guy for years but after last year’s disappointment of a tree (I cut it myself but the tree was still dry as a bone by Christmas day) I decided the time was right to change. My wife bought a Balsam Hill artificial tree at their post-Christmas sale last year and we “assembled” it this weekend. The tree was regularly priced at $1k but I think we paid $750 for it.

Wow! I am impressed. Here’s why:

  1. It looks amazing. There is variation in the coloring that mimics real trees, intricately fashioned branches, and enough “randomness” in the tree to make it look quite real. Actually, it looks better than real because the colors are saturated and there’s no holes or bad sides.
  2. It’s pre-lit with colored and white bulbs. No hassling with light strings, the light coverage is full and with a simple remote control unit you can turn on white, colored, or all lights.
  3. Economics. With a 10 year warranty the Balsam Hill tree economics work out better than a real tree over that same period of time, significantly better considering a real tree runs about $125 a year.
  4. Environmental advantage. Think about the process of growing real Christmas trees and the fertilizers and equipment fuel consumed, the logistics of moving them to point of sale, and the cost of dragging it home and then disposing of it. The artificial tree is injection molded plastic, but the logistics are minimal and there is no waste because the leftover trees are inventory for next year.
  5. Safety. I can leave the lights on this tree on for 24 hours a day for the next month and not worry about a fire hazard. I also don’t have to worry about the tree drying out if we leave town.
  6. I do miss the natural pine scent, but as Lisa said “a couple of scented candles will make up for that”.

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Read more on Holiday Season at Wikinvest

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