Many people have this idealistic picture in their head of driving out into the country and chopping down the perfect Christmas tree. However, a more realistic picture of that would probably be freezing to death and finally settling on the closest tree to the car, only to bring it home and find out that it's either too big or too straggly.

You end up spending your holiday season looking at a refugee from the woodpile that is dropping needles and sap onto your carpet at an astonishing rate. You also have to keep watering it to keep it alive for a few weeks. This is why many individuals choose an artificial Christmas tree.

With an artificial tree, there is only a one-time purchase. You actually save money, by not having to fork over money every year for a tree that will not last. Also, with an artificial tree, there is no mess, no needles all over the floor and it lasts as long as you want it to be up. Some people like to start celebrating the holidays before Thanksgiving. With an artificial tree you can have it up for months and still looks fresh and new. Real Christmas trees barely last a month.

With an artificial tree you can take your time selecting the perfect style and size within the warmth of a store, therefore, ensuring that you will get the correct one and not the most convenient one. There are just as many types of artificial trees as there are real ones blue spruce, Scotch pine, Douglas fir, to name a few. And if you're one of those individuals who hate battling the war of the Christmas lights every year, you can even get artificial trees that are already strung with lights. No more endless tangles and un-Christmas like cursing that can ruin your holiday spirit within seconds!

Buying an artificial tree is also better for the environment. Every year thousands of trees are cut down, used for less than a month and then their dead carcasses are discarded. The problem then becomes how to dispose of all these dead trees. Christmas trees that have been grown on a farm or tree nursery are often sprayed with pesticides and other chemicals repeatedly to ensure that they will reach maturity. As a result, when the trees are discarded, they release these chemicals into the ground or into bodies of water wherever they are thrown away. If the trees are incinerated, they can release carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, into the air.

There are a few other concerns about owning a real Christmas tree. They are often a fire hazard in homes. The needles dry out and since Christmas is a time when candles are often lit, the tree can be an accident waiting to happen. Also, people who suffer from allergies often have difficulty around real Christmas trees.

Christmas is such a magical time. The last thing you want is something to take away from that feeling. Your Christmas tree should add to your holiday spirit, not detract from it in any way.