This story was originally published in the second edition of The Lion’s Tale (December 13th, 2021).

Real Christmas trees are better:

Opening thoughtful presents, decorating gingerbread houses, sipping on hot cocoa, building snowmen, going out with family to cut down the perfect tree together – these are all beloved Christmas traditions celebrated each year by millions of people. A good way to ruin all that holiday splendor is by putting up a fake tree. Picking out the right tree is an essential part of the holiday.

Real trees are better for an abundance of reasons. They bring the outdoors inside for a magical winter month with that unique pine aroma, while those flimsy fake ones that you have to store in a cardboard box take up space in the garage for the other eleven months of the year. Real trees don’t need to be readjusted; instead, they stand tall and proud, creating a festive atmosphere that sets the holiday spirit.

It’s also better for the environment to use real trees over fake ones. Real Christmas trees aid in the filtration of dust and smog. Fake trees are just going to end up in landfills that smell like reindeer poop.

Those who like bland decor, prefer the smell of plastic over pine, and enjoy harming the environment, by all means should definitely continue to put up a green piece of garbage each year. Otherwise, join the rest of society who like breathtaking decorations, festive aromas, love our families – as well as the environment – and go chop down a real tree this Christmas season.

Fake Christmas trees are better:

As the holiday season has been approaching so has the age old question, are real trees truly worth it? To save you hours of research and wondering with a short answer, no.

In an age of modern technology, with advanced methods of cooking, cleaning, and transportation, one of our many setbacks is the fact real trees are still being used as home decoration during the holiday season. Although we have progressed in every other area of seasonal decoration, such as lights and ornaments, many people still feel that reverting back to options of real trees would provide them with traditional Christmas feelings.

Real trees pose a danger to families by putting them at a higher risk of being involved in a house fire, due to the highly flammable oils on the dry leaves of the tree.

It is also not uncommon to favor fake trees for their reusability.

“I’d prefer fake trees because they’re less wasteful,” said Junior Josie Whitehouse.

Many also enjoy saving copious amounts of time cleaning and caring for a tree that continuously drops needles throughout the season.

When words like low maintenance, economic efficiency, and more convenient all point to the same thing, it only seems reasonable to deem it the superior choice. Fake Christmas trees will be a staple in Christmas decorations for many years to come(and you’ll only need one to last that long!).