Pull it out, dust it off, plug it in, Merry Christmas! The simplicity of the fake Christmas tree is what allows it to appeal to the masses. The beauty of being able to spray it with Pledge so it's sanitary and piney fresh is also another winning point the fake tree has to offer. Most families, however, partake in the tradition of buying their tree from a U-Cut- Christmas tree lot or buying your Christmas tree from the local lions club, (a common tradition in my household.)

            A staple in many homes across America for the holiday season is the Christmas tree. The pleasant scent it brings into the home as well as the holiday feeling it brings is all the more reason the real Christmas tree beats the fake tree any day. Sure, some families have allergies and are unable to buy a real tree because of that, but that is the only understandable reason in my book.

            Some may say that killing a tree so it can be decorated in your house for less than a month is bad for the environment, but the whole purpose of the Christmas tree industry is to grow them to cut them down and ship them across America for the enjoyment of the holiday season. Living in the northwest, a place where a big part of our agriculture is made by being a Christmas tree farmer; there are an abundance of Christmas trees to choose from to fit perfectly in our living room. In a place like southern California people can pay upwards of $70 dollars for a tree under five feet tall and already half dead by the time it gets to the poor soul's house. We need to take advantage of the opportunity in front of us and leave the fake trees for the people who live in southern California.

            Not only do fake trees look bad, but they also just can't be good for the environment. Who knows what kinds of chemicals are used to create them or what chemicals are used in that process. Another problem shared by real and fake Christmas trees alike is flocking them- that is applying fake, chemical "snow" to them. Not only is it plain tacky, but it is not good for the environment and is very messy.

            Sure a real tree costs more over time than a fake tree, but the benefits of a real Christmas tree make them that much better. Not only do they have the fresh-from-the- woods scent with out any Pledge applied to them, but they have a look that cannot be duplicated by any fake Christmas tree on the market today. So when you have to decide between the everlasting fake trees in your home for the holidays or the more appealing natural tree, ask your self one thing- would you rather have a tree from the earth or from a factory?