Real or artificial: The Christmas tree question

The tradition of setting up a Christmas tree started in Western countries and, decades ago, the only option is to put up a real pine or fir tree.

For many people, Christmas is never complete without a tree - spruced up with twinkling lights and glittery trinkets, with its branches sheltering piles of gifts from family and friends.
Although putting up a tree is a tradition for families celebrating Christmas, there is an ongoing discussion on what should be displayed in their living room: A natural or an artificial tree?
"When families choose a real Christmas tree, they are honouring and participating in a tradition that dates back over a thousand years," said Nick Hailey, a British expat and Dubai resident for 15 years.
"I don't want artificial Christmas trees. Since I was a child, we put up real trees every Christmas. Natural Christmas trees make your home smell really good. There's nothing better than smelling the fresh scent of a pine tree - with its citrus scent combined with a vanilla and cinnamon-like smell," he added.
For Indian expat and Abu Dhabi resident Vanessa D'Cunha, choosing a natural Christmas tree also bears an environmental message.
Although they are cheaper, artificial Christmas trees are typically made from polyvinyl chloride, a type of petroleum-derived plastic that is a non-biodegradable material.
Thankfully for Nick and Vanessa, natural Christmas trees imported from the US, Canada and Denmark are readily available at several stores in Dubai. Aside from major supermarkets, a couple of flower shops in Satwa are also selling real Christmas trees.  One shop, in fact, imports around 1,800 trees every Christmas season and daily sales have ranged between 40 and 50 trees starting a month ago.
For other expats who didn't grow up in a country where actual pine trees are readily available, come Yuletide, the idea of having a genuine tree at home is relatively new.
Eric Bernabe, a Filipino expat who has been in Dubai for 14 years now, just realised recently how getting a farm-fresh tree would solve the storage issues his family usually faces at the end of the festive season.
 "We have always used the artificial ones, thinking that we will be using it for many, many years. However, we almost always have to throw the tree away every time as we have to declutter or move to a new flat. We don't have the storage space for it.
We end up buying a new one almost every year - not very practical, and certainly not eco-friendly, too," Bernabe said. "When I saw that farm-fresh Christmas trees are being sold at less than Dh300 in a supermarket, I thought it's a good option. We will definitely be buying one next year and we will ship our current six-foot tree to the Philippines after this Christmas."
Going for the artificial one
There are others, however, who believe it's more practical to put up synthetic Christmas trees.
Artificial Christmas trees, they said, are more convenient as one would not need to water them and no pine tree needles would be scattered all over the floor. There's also that "guilt factor" that comes with cutting down trees just for one occasion.
"You can use the synthetic Christmas tree year after year. They last long, you can get them without the need to cut down trees only to be thrown away after one use," said Yasmin Balajadia-Cortes, wife of Philippine Consul-General Paul Raymund Cortes.
Filipino-Chinese expat Mark Lim agreed, saying: "Every year, all you need to do is drag it out of your storage area and it's always in 'perfect shape' if you stored it properly. You don't need to buy a new one every year so it's pocket-friendly."
"But at the end of the day, what is more important is to live the spirit of Christmas, which is to bring joy and happiness to everyone. So whether your tree is natural or synthetic, what is more important is that the joy you bring is genuine and not artificial," he added.
The history of Christmas trees
Did you know that the modern artificial Christmas trees were made from the same material used to clean toilet bowls?
The tradition of setting up a Christmas tree started in Western countries and, decades ago, the only option is to put up a real pine or fir tree. Artificial Christmas trees used to be made of metal wires covered in feathers of turkeys, ostrich, swan or goose feathers that were dyed green. But that all changed in the 1930s when a US-based toilet bowl brush manufacturer, Addis Brush Company, created an artificial tree from brush bristles. This became the prototype for modern artificial trees and the introduction of these trees - with its soft bristles - made synthetic trees an indispensable part of Christmas in countless homes.
angel@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai