My family has always had an artificial tree. My father never liked the real ones because of the mess they caused. I also have family members who have severe allergy issues so the smell of pine in the home probably wouldn't be a good idea. Anyway, for years we had to put the lights on the tree ourselves finally last year we manage to get one of those pre-lit trees which was so much nicer. It made the job quicker and more enjoyable. For me putting the lights on the tree was always the less enjoyable part of putting up the tree every year.
Some time back we had real live trees, I like the smell of pine needles, I also hate the mess they make on the floor. We may be putting up a live tree this year as the fake one has taken its last breath and the fake one to replace it is a little to pricey.
(picture of a tree with bubble lights) I always loved Christmas trees when I was growing up. My dad was a lineman and he would often be out on the back roads, and he would spot trees that would make good Christmas trees. Then, in December, he would start bringing in the trees, one by one. He not only got ours and the next door neighbor's trees; but a huge one for the office of the REA where he worked. Mom and Daddy had old ornaments, some that my grandmother had brought when she immigrated here from Germany as a young woman. There was an old heavy cardboard parrot that perched on the tree branch, and my dad had made it and colored it with crayons when he was a boy in school, probably first grade (1909 ?) We had Bubble Lights on the tree, and once it was decorated; we all loved the look of the tree, with all of those Bubble Lights looking like beautiful bubbling candles, and reflecting their lights into the ornaments and the tinsel (actually made of tin back in those days). One of my most favorite Christmas decorations was an old church. It had come over from Germany with my Grandmother, was made of lightweight wood, painted white, and then dusted with some kind of white glittery flakes that made it look like it was covered with snow. There was a music box inside that played "Silent Night", and it stood a little over a foot tall, including the steeple. The windows were red cellophane, and there was a little light that went in the back to light up the inside of the church. Underneath the tree was a little village that attached to a string of lights and the lights lit up each little house. They were kind of a cardboard material, all of them were different, and painted pretty colors and decorated with glitter that looked like snow. We put a white sheet around the base of the tree, and all of the little village houes looked like they were part of some wintery snow scene. I think that enjoying the Christmas tree was one of the best-loved memories of Christmas for me.
I was feeling nostalgic last year so I put up a real tree. I have the LED lights and they are heavy. I have two sizes. The bigger ones, I couldn't use at all because the limbs wouldn't support them. I did manage to get a few of the small ones to stay further back on the limbs. Then when it was time to take the tree down, there were needles everywhere! I was cleaning up needles a month later. That cured my nostalgic longing. This year, I have up my artificial tree.