Do you put up an artificial or a real Christmas tree?

This week's poll question can be a prickly one for some. Some people believe that cutting down real Christmas trees is worse for the environment than if you were to purchase an artificial tree that you can put up again and again. Did you know that oil is the main ingredient in producing artificial trees? Did you further know that most artificial trees are made overseas?

There are cons to real trees as well. A lot of people (my wife included) are allergic to real Christmas trees. Another downside is the use of pesticides on real trees.

We go out and cut our Christmas tree every year. It's a fun family tradition that gets better each year as the kids get older. Sure real trees require maintenance in the form of watering every day. Yes, they are a bit messier than artificial trees.

However, I'd rather deal with the maintenance and mess and smell fresh pine rather than the chemical smell of an artificial tree. After Christmas is over we take down the tree and set it up next to our bird feeders to create a little haven for our feathered friends. Once winter is over we cut the branches off the tree and use them as fire starters for summer camp fires. Each year when we put up our Christmas lights on the house we cut up the trunk of the tree and use it to build our warming fire.

Now it's your turn to vote :) . Feel free to use the comments section to add to this discussion.

[poll id="8"]