REAL
Christmas is right around the corner which means you’re probably getting ready for the big addition to the house — your Christmas tree. There are so many options to choose from: a green plastic tree with white lights, one with multicolored lights or perhaps a white plastic tree that stands at seven feet tall. But what about a real tree this year? When did Christmas become “The Lorax” where people get a Pine-o-Matic centerpiece in their living room that can spin or flash?
As with the reference I just made, plastic christmas trees are actually worse for the environment than cutting down a real one. When it comes to real trees, the ones used for Christmas are typically grown at a Christmas tree farm or gardening center, which means they aren’t actually being taken from a forest. Plus, when you’re done with this tree, you can always have it recycled to contribute to the environment once again.
Meanwhile, plastic Christmas trees are not biodegradable, and the carbon emissions resulting from shipping your tree over to whatever store you’re buying it from is more directly harming the Earth than the single domestically grown tree you’ve chopped down.
A majority of plastic trees are also made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a plastic that has the endocrine-disrupting chemicals phthalates. These chemicals have been linked to asthma, neurodevelopmental issues and even cancer.
Finally, aside from the grander damage of plastic trees, real trees are nicer looking and smelling. You walk into your home and it immediately smells like Christmas, rather than some artificial perfume that could be sprayed on your plastic tree. Plus, with a real tree, you can customize it every year if you’d like, while plastic trees sometimes come with lights already attached to them.
When you’re heading out for a tree this year, consider going real. I understand it can be a hassle to clean and care for, but sometimes you have to do a little work for something of great value. Let’s pause modernization for a season and have a truly original Christmas tree.
pbortner@ramapo.edu
FAKE
‘Tis the season to put up Christmas trees and create everlasting memories and continue traditions with families. With our annual traditions comes the reoccurring debate of Christmas trees, whether they should be fake or real. In some cases, it seems like there are two viable options, but in reality there is only one — and that would be fake trees.
Fake trees are easier to put up every year, they are cost effective, allergy friendly and there are no bugs or animals inside of the trees. You can use it every year and pay for it once and that is it.
With real trees, you have to buy them annually and prices seem to get higher and higher every year. Real trees last a maximum of a month before they start losing their needles and then have to be thrown out. Fake trees are a one-time buy that can be used for years on end before falling apart.
With the trees being fake, they will not directly affect anyone with allergies or do not like the scent of pine. Fake trees can have the added scent but they do not come with it unlike real trees that can cause an allergic reaction. The added benefit is that there are no bugs or animals that can be on the tree from the outside since they come from directly in a box.
If you feel the need to create a classic Christmas tree consider changing the lights on your fake tree, add pine scents to it or even decide to add glitter or go to a natural fake tree. The world of fake Christmas trees is one that is customizable and will be able to grow every year and be recycled for generations.
rbleich@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @thewelldressedhome, Instagram
