The very first artificial Christmas tree was nothing like the fabulous recreations of woodland beauty we see today. In fact, the first artificial Christmas tree was made by a company that manufactured brushes and of very unbecoming materials for a Christmas tree. Today's artificial Christmas trees are much more sophisticated and often include so many materials you really must read the full list of materials in order to know precisely what you are paying for.

It is important to know what your Christmas tree is made of, as it could become a matter of safety for you and your family. For instance, you would want to avoid trees that have plastic needles if you have pets or small children in the home as they could easily become choking hazards. It is a good idea if you have little ones that are prone to pulling ornaments off of trees to invest in one of the already decorated trees that have ornaments that can't be removed. This offers a somewhat childproof version of the Christmas tree. Purchasing a pre lit Christmas tree has many benefits, first among those is the saving of hair from unrolling string after string of lights in search of the one or two that actually work this Christmas, additionally, it saves a lot of ill will towards Christmas and humanity as you are trying to put together your Christmas tree.

The first pre lit Christmas trees to hit the market did so in the late 1970's. These earlier versions came with a base that rotated a color wheel that gave the illusion of light dancing along the branches of the tree. These types of retro color wheels are still available for those of you who sincerely like this type of Christmas tree lighting. Modern pre lit Christmas trees are a far cry from the retro disco wheel type of lighting of its roots. Today's lighting is either made of fiber optics that extends to the very tips of the branches or with traditional Christmas light bulbs attached to the branches. The latter of the two lights tends to be the more affordable as well as more traditional.

Another popular Christmas tree today tends to be the white Christmas tree. These trees are a throwback to the 70's and can be found with fiber optic lighting and pre decorated with Christmas balls in one color or many colors. Fire resistant tinsel trees are also making a popular comeback for artificial xmas trees.

The best time to order an artificial Christmas tree is about 6 weeks before the Christmas season actually begins. This will increase your chances of actually getting the holiday tree you are hoping to buy without running the risk of your tree being out of stock. Also be sure to purchase your tree from a reputable company to be sure that your purchase will be protected.