The tree is live or artificial. Christmas tree: real or artificial? Artificial Christmas tree: pros and cons
A beautiful, fluffy, decorated Christmas tree is the main symbol of the New Year celebration and winter in general. Every year, both adults and children look forward to the moment when they can start decorating it, get a box with toys, rain and tinsel. However, before this happens, you need to make a choice which representative of the coniferous family will be honored with festive outfits this time.
Almost like in the forest
On the eve of the holidays, Christmas trees are sold at almost every step. Therefore, even looking at the assortment with a cursory glance, you can get confused and not immediately figure out which Christmas tree to choose: so that you get it both profitably and look decent in the interior.
Of course, the live Christmas tree most embodies the spirit of the New Year: prickly, with a characteristic viscous and sticky smell of pine needles. But at the same time, there are many nature lovers who simply feel sorry for the cut down trees, the number of which annually exceeds millions.
Recently, it has become fashionable to acquire pines, spruces, smereka and other conifers in pots, and then transplant them into the ground in the yard or in the country. Thus, the tree is saved from death, and the green area around the house grows every year. And the planted trees, as in the cartoon " Winter in Prostokvasheno"You can dress up right on the street, delighting neighbors and friends.
Truth, there is a living tree in a pot - not cheap. Therefore, as a more affordable alternative, many prefer artificial Christmas trees. High-quality artificial needles look no worse than real ones. In addition, modern manufacturers, taking into account, create an absolutely environmentally friendly, hygienic, hypoallergenic and fire hazardous product that fully meets the needs of customers.
Recently, the fashion for New Year's decor is increasingly offering to replace traditional coniferous trees with other accessories: topiaries, ekibans and others that look no less colorful and impressive. Many of them can be made independently or purchased at a craft store.
Benefits of a live Christmas tree
A live Christmas tree is a real feeling of a holiday. Almost like in childhood. However, the green beauty will have to tinker a lot. First, take into account in order to keep the tree green and fresh longer, avoiding shedding of needles and premature harvesting.
So, live spruce cannot be installed near heating appliances and radiators. It is also not recommended to place it in a draft, for example, in front of a balcony door.
Do not install a Christmas tree immediately after entering the house. The difference between outdoor temperature and room temperature can cause irreparable harm to the tree: from the resulting “stress”, it will shed all the needles. Therefore brought the tree is first placed on the balcony or at the entrance, and then brought into the apartment.
A cut tree will last longer in a bucket of water or sand. At the same time, a little mixture of sugar and salt is added to the liquid so that the needles do not crumble.
As for live seedlings in pots, they can also be rented. Now many gardening stores offer this service. And, once again, thinking about which Christmas tree to choose, you can save a lot by renting a live Christmas tree.
Artificial from the word "art"
Artificial Christmas trees have long been "settled" in many families. They are beautiful, compact, fold easily and quickly, do not leave debris and serve for many years. These are obvious pluses. In addition, such a Christmas tree does not require special care - just wiping from dust. But there is also a significant minus: an artificial Christmas tree, no matter how beautiful it is, does not smell of pine needles at all, and therefore does not create the necessary and familiar holiday atmosphere from childhood. Therefore, as a rule, the owners of artificial Christmas trees try to bring at least a branch of a live spruce into the house.
Alternatives
If neither live nor artificial spruce is to your liking, you can always decorate the house with something original and unusual - stylized models of Christmas trees made from a variety of materials:
- knitted balls;
- sweets;
- green glass bottles;
- books;
- soft toys;
- wooden bars;
- fresh flowers;
- glasses of champagne, etc.
New Year's bouquets and homemade compositions with elements are also always relevant. New Year theme- candles, oranges, spruce branches.
There is no need to be afraid of experiments. After all, the new year is a good tradition into which you can and should introduce your innovations and.
Feel the makings of a gardener in yourself - buy a Christmas tree (thuja, fir) in a pot. Since childhood, we have become accustomed to the festive smell of pine needles in the house - do not deny yourself the pleasure of watching a freshly cut green beauty in the house. Maintain practicality and stability - get a beautiful, solid and durable artificial Christmas tree. And if you like to create - create a Christmas tree yourself from improvised means!
Small or tall to the ceiling, fluffy green or handmade from improvised means, artificial or live - every year millions of people ask themselves the question: “So which Christmas tree to choose?”. Let's take a look at the pros and cons of both options.
Living Christmas tree
If you decide to give preference to a forest beauty, with the advent of which an indescribable atmosphere and smell will reign in your house, then you need to remember how to choose and care for her correctly.
– Buy Christmas tree at least a week before the New Year, and immediately after the purchase, let it stand on the balcony, "rest" after the frost and before installation in a warm room.
– choose a suitable method of fastening: either a wooden cross, or a bucket of sand, to which you add a solution of sugar and aspirin.
– Do not forget that the spruce is alive, so do not overload the tree with toys, do not use artificial snow in the form of a spray for decoration, and periodically spray the needles with water from a spray bottle.
Faux Christmas tree
An artificial Christmas tree may seem like a more sustainable option. Perhaps it is, but only on the condition that you are ready to use the same tree from year to year, taking care of it and carefully storing it on the mezzanine or in the pantry. When you want to change this Christmas tree for a new one, don't throw it away, but find a new owner for it, who will continue to use it carefully. Or start a tradition in your family: along with Christmas tree decorations, pass from generation to generation an artificial spruce.
The environmental problems start when you buy an artificial Christmas tree every year and throw away the old tree.
According to Canadian scientists, from an environmental point of view, artificial spruce will pay for itself only if it lasts at least 20 years. Otherwise, the greener option would be to buy a live Christmas tree.
You will say that cutting down fir trees can harm the planet.
But let's not forget that, firstly, spruces come to Christmas markets from specially grown plantations, and not from wild forests.
Secondly, the number of fir trees for such bazaars is regulated, and a limited number of trees are brought to them every year.
Thirdly, it is not known what is better from an environmental point of view: the production of an artificial Christmas tree from synthetic material non-renewable oil reserves are leaving, while spruces grow on their own and every year more and more new trees grow.
The advantages of choosing an artificial spruce include:
– Convenience. You can collect a spruce at any time, and not run around in search of a living tree in the New Year's bustle.
– Variety of colors and shapes. If you want a red fluffy spruce - please, white with sparkles - no problem!
- And the most important thing - no needles on the floor! Choose a Christmas tree from high-quality certified material and remember that most often polyvinyl chloride is used for its production, which, when heated, releases an analogue of the military poison gas - phosgene.
Well, if you are not quite sure which spruce to give preference to, try to make a Christmas tree with your own hands from sticks, painted, for example, in silver and attached to the wall in the shape of a Christmas tree.
Another option: cut out a tree silhouette from cardboard, decorating it with Scandinavian-style toys and white garlands.
The main rule when creating such a designer Christmas tree is that it should resemble a pyramid in shape.
Your imagination will do the rest for you!
But very often the question arises, which tree to use. On the one hand, a natural Christmas tree gives a pleasant aroma, which many associate with the New Year since childhood, but on the other hand, an artificial Christmas tree is more practical.
Choosing any Christmas tree can be tricky. If you choose a live Christmas tree, you want it to be slender and lush, and if you choose an artificial one, then you pay more attention to the reliability of the design, shape and, of course, its price.
Here you can find out all the pros and cons of a live and artificial Christmas tree, and, perhaps, make your choice.
Living Christmas tree
pros
1. Pleasant and useful smell.
* A live Christmas tree will bring into the house a very pleasant natural smell, which many people associate with the New Year holidays. In addition, the smell of spruce is very useful, as essential oils that have bactericidal properties.
* The smell of spruce soothes and relieves stress.
Read also:20+ ways to BEAUTIFULLY decorate the Christmas tree for the New Year
2. Benefits for the environment.
* Christmas trees are able to absorb carbon dioxide.
* In addition, they are easily decomposed, which means they do not pollute the environment.
* In many countries, Christmas trees thrown away after the holidays are sent for recycling.
3. Such a Christmas tree does not need to be collected and stored at home, where it will use the extra free space.
4. From its needles you can make a paste for colds:
* scroll through the needles in a meat grinder (separating them from the branches in advance)
* add 2 tablespoons of honey to the mass
* apply a compress to the chest or inhale with it.
Minuses
1. It is difficult to choose, there is a lot of excitement, high cost, and you can often stumble upon unscrupulous sellers.
How to choose a Christmas tree
* Broken branches are a sign of an old tree.
* If a black border is visible on the cut of the Christmas tree, the width of which is a couple of centimeters, it means that it will not stay with you for a very long time.
* Gently rub a few needles between your fingers. If an oily trace remains, then the tree is good and fresh.
2. A live Christmas tree needs to be watered regularly so that it does not dry out quickly and does not become flammable (especially given the many lights that decorate it).
How to save a Christmas tree
In order to keep the tree better, you need:
* immerse its trunk 15-20 cm in the sand
* add a solution of water, a spoonful of sugar, a pinch of salt and aspirin tablets to the sand
* Sprinkle the tree with water from time to time.
Here is another instruction
3. After some time, the tree will begin to crumble, and stepping on fallen needles is very unpleasant. In addition, you will have to collect needles from different corners of the house.
4. In order for the Christmas tree to grow quickly, pesticides are used that pollute the Earth.
Artificial Christmas Trees
pros
1. This tree can be reused. You don't have to buy a new tree every year.
Every year, artificial Christmas trees are becoming more and more like real Christmas trees, and they are offered with special spruce flavors.
The most important Christmas accessory is, of course, the Christmas tree. Environmentalists in unison say that the festive spruce should be artificial, and lovers of the "natural" argue that New Year without live spruce - not the New Year. The pros and cons of both variants of the holiday tree are in the Sputnik review.
Pros and cons of artificial spruce
Artificial spruces are increasingly replacing their "live" counterparts every year, becoming more popular for several reasons. Consider all sides of artificial firs.
The first and for some the most compelling reason to buy an artificial Christmas tree is durability. For such a tree you pay once and for many years. In addition, this choice is very practical: it is enough just to disassemble the spruce after the holidays and carefully pack it without damaging parts of the tree. Artificial spruce will not be pricked, it will last at least until March 8 and will not crumble with hundreds of needles that need to be taken literally from all the cracks. In recent years, the reason for buying an unnatural Christmas tree is careful attitude to nature. Cutting down living trees causes severe damage - planted new plants do not keep up with cutting down.
However, this spruce has some disadvantages.
If you decide to purchase an artificial Christmas tree, remember that often such Christmas trees are made from low-quality plastic made from oil resources. In addition, artificial spruce, of course, does not smell, and therefore, of course, there will be no Christmas aroma in the apartment. Another not a minus, but an obstacle is the price. If you need to pay for a live spruce annually and a little, then you will have to pay for an artificial spruce once, but a rather large amount.
Pros and cons of living spruce
Nothing creates a festive atmosphere like an apartment filled with the smell of fresh pine needles! And this is the main plus of choosing a live spruce as a New Year's tree. Consider this and other pluses and, of course, the minuses of such a choice.
The smell emanating from a living spruce is not only a festive mood. Spruce emits a large amount of phytoncides, and then perfectly cleans the air from harmful bacteria. In addition, live spruce is a good source of bioenergy that removes negativity, irritation and fatigue.
As for the needles, it is very rich in mineral salts, essential oils, vitamin C and other useful components. There are many effective recipes not only from needles, but from green cones, buds, tar and even pollen.
Also, a live Christmas tree is inexpensive, on New Year's Eve - 2018, purchase small Christmas tree in Minsk we will be about 10 rubles.
In addition to the obvious advantages, a living spruce in an apartment also has disadvantages.
The needles of a living Christmas tree crumble, the longer such a tree stands, the more dry needles you will find throughout the living space.
Also, of course, cutting down trees damages wildlife, but do not forget that spruces for sale are grown in specialized nurseries.
As far as allergies are cited as an argument "against" by adherents of a plastic Christmas tree, a live Christmas tree can cause a negative reaction in some people. However, an artificial Christmas tree, even packed and neatly hidden for the whole year, will certainly collect dust, which can also cause allergies.
Still, live or artificial - weigh all the pros, cons and decide for yourself.
New Year and Christmas - everyone's favorite family holidays, and every time I want them to be special, bright and unforgettable. Therefore, it is very important to create an atmosphere of festive comfort, a miracle and a fairy tale. Perhaps the most important attribute new year holidays is a Christmas tree decorated with toys, garlands, sweets. For kids, the Christmas tree causes a special delight, because it is under the green fluffy beauty that Santa Claus puts New Year's gifts.
With the approach of the New Year, many families face an important question: which tree to give their preference to - living or artificial? Each of the options has a number of advantages and disadvantages. In this article, we will try to help you make right choice and not be disappointed.
Living Christmas tree 2018, its advantages and disadvantages
Advantages of a live Christmas tree
A natural tree that has barely crossed the threshold of your home will fill it with a rich and long-awaited coniferous aroma. No artificial Christmas tree can replace this incomparable pleasure. The essential oils secreted by living spruce have bactericidal properties, and some types of conifers are even capable of killing tubercle bacillus bacteria. The smell of pine needles promotes relaxation, has a beneficial effect on nervous system person, relieves stress and helps to get rid of fatigue. In addition, if no one in your family is allergic to pine needles, you can not be afraid for the allergenic qualities of natural spruce.
Many people tend to consider the main disadvantage of a natural Christmas tree to be that it crumbles, and then the needles have to be collected for a long time even after the New Year and Christmas holidays. However, even they can be put to good use.
For example, you can take care of your hair by preparing a special mask for it against brittleness and dryness. It is enough to put a couple of spruce branches in a saucepan, pour water over them and boil over low heat for about 1 hour. Then you should insist the resulting broth for 20 minutes, then add one beaten egg white, as well as a couple of drops of cognac.
An excellent cold remedy can be prepared by twisting the needles separated from the branches through a meat grinder, or by grinding them in a blender. Then add a couple of tablespoons of honey. The resulting paste can be applied to the chest or used for inhalation.
Cons of natural wood for the New Year
Firstly, natural spruce can be very difficult to choose in the pre-New Year hype, especially if you fall into the hands of an unscrupulous seller. In order for your Christmas tree to please you with its beauty and aroma for as long as possible, you need to know a few rules for choosing a Christmas tree.
For example, the fragility of the branches indicates that the spruce is already quite old, and if a dark border appears on the cut, you should not buy such a tree, because it will not last long. Try to grind a few needles in your fingers - a fresh Christmas tree can be recognized by its characteristic oily trace and coniferous smell.
A living tree requires special care. To make the Christmas tree stand for as long as possible, you should prepare a special solution: dissolve one aspirin tablet in water, add some salt and sugar there. Thanks to aspirin, the development of bacteria slows down, while salt and sugar nourish the plant. Pour the resulting solution into the clean sand prepared in advance. The tree trunk should be immersed in a container by 15-20 cm. You also need to regularly spray the Christmas tree with water.
A live Christmas tree will be the subject of extraordinary curiosity for young children and pets, they can knock it over and even get hurt. Therefore, special care must be taken in choosing Christmas decorations and place to install main character holiday.
Artificial Christmas tree in the New Year 2018
What are the benefits of an artificial Christmas tree?
For many, the main advantage of an artificial tree will be the absence of crumbling needles, and, therefore, it will be much easier to clean up after the holidays. Such a Christmas tree will serve you for more than one "season".
An inanimate tree is perfect for those who care about environment and is concerned about over-clearing of green spaces. It is known that a tree grows on average 10-15 cm per year, while every year huge areas of plants that help purify the air are destroyed all over the planet. Although this point can be disputed, given the method of production of such trees.
Disadvantages of inanimate decoration
A significant disadvantage of an artificial Christmas tree is its unnaturalness. Such a Christmas tree will not be able to please you with a wonderful aroma. In addition, artificial Christmas trees are made of plastic; often far from the most harmless substances are included in its composition. For example, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is the main component of an artificial New Year's beauty. This material is obtained from petroleum products, and lead is also added, which is famous for its properties harmful to people. When heated, such a product can even release the poisonous substance phosgene, which is an analogue of military poison gas.
Therefore, when choosing artificial spruce, special attention should be paid to the composition of the product and its flammable properties, because your safety and the safety of your life depend on these characteristics. Don't go for cheapness.