Condo Blues: 8 Plastic Free Artificial Christmas Trees

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

8 Plastic Free Artificial Christmas Trees

PhotobucketChristmas ornaments are my favorite part of the holiday! Every ornament on our tree tells a story. Some are handmade; others commemorate a trip or event. I always find myself staring at that tree of memories (not at the gifts under it) throughout the holiday season. It makes me smile.

Unfortunately, the yearly Green Christmas Tree Controversy does not make me smile. It makes me surly because it's a no win argument largely based on preference.


  • Real trees are a fire hazard dripping in pesticides that might be better served living outside and photosynthesizing their little hearts out. 
  • Fake trees can contain PVC and will never break down if chucked in a landfill. 

When it comes right down to it; neither a real tree nor a fake reusable tree is green because you are adding one more object that does not serve any real practical purpose to your house. That's how Grinchy this "controversy" makes me because one of my favorite parts of the holiday is our sentimental Christmas ornament collection.

While both types of trees have their good points and bad points, I don’t think having either type of Christmas tree in your house is like gathering around glowing plutonium. Although to be on the safe side, do not lick either type of Christmas tree cause, you know, possible pesticides or PVC.

To be even more truthy with you, I’m Team Fake Tree. I favor reusables over disposables, both Blitzkrieg and I have pollen allergies that make a real tree not so fun for us, and a fake tree allows me to break with Danish tradition and put my tree up right after Thanksgiving instead of on Christmas Eve.  

I realize many of you like the reusable aspect of an artificial Christmas tree but hate the thought of bringing new plastic into your home. I can help you out with that. I did untold hours of looking at Christmas decorations because I enjoy looking at Christmas decorations hard, hands on research to find a slew of  plastic free Christmas trees.
 
8 Plastic Free Reusable Christmas Trees 

Genuine Aluminum Christmas Tree - My little retro loving heart wants an aluminum Christmas tree like the one both sets of my grandparents had so bad. The only problem is you cannot put lights on it. If you do and there’s a short in your lights, the metal tree conducts electricity – zap! You just electrocuted Santa and shot straight to the top of The Naughty List.


 

Silver Iced Novelty Decorative Artificial Christmas Twig Tree - This tree might be more your speed if the thought of sorting and assembling all of the branches of a large aluminum tree crumbles your cookies, which is another reason why I don't have an aluminum Christmas tree. Boo.

 


This White Twig Christmas Tree - works well if the traditional pine tree isn’t your thing while still allowing you to hang ornaments from its metal branches.



Pewter Decorative Ornament Display Tree - screams Solstice to me I don’t know why. Maybe because it resembles the bare tree in my front yard.


 


Ornament Display Tree - allows you to put the focus on the ornaments and not the tree. I can see using one to display nothing but cherished kid created ornaments.
 




This 7 foot Gold Metal Tree - may be more your style if you want a full size ornament stand type of tree over the table top model.


Feather Tree and Stand If metal isn’t your thing, how about feathers?! For a more old timey Christmas you can’t beat this hand wrapped goose feather tree and iron tree stand. This tree begs for homemade ornaments!


If a Christmas tree and a Truffala tree had a baby it would be the Kurt S. Adler 4-Foot Shaggy Tree – Bring a little retro whimsy to your celebration with this funky bright green metallic tree. This kooky guy is my favorite of the bunch!



 

Once you made your choice, extend the life of your Christmas tree by:
  • Shop mindfully for your preferred type of Christmas tree.
  • Take care of it for as long as it is in your possession.
  • Dispose of it mindfully
What type of tree do you have? Real or fake?

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1 comment :

Robj98168 said...

I am team fake also. I have a 4' fake pine tree that has served me well for over a decade! I also have one of those ornament metal trees, a small one (table top) but if I ever replace my artificial tree it might be with a large metal one!

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