Shopping for faux Christmas Trees: By Balsam Hill

November 11, 7:36 AMChristmas ExaminerDeanna Polito-Laughinghouse

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Here is some great information about faux Christmas trees from: www.balsamhill.com

•  The Size

Before buying a Christmas tree, decide where it will be displayed. Which room will it be in?  Will it be a centerpiece? Or will it fit into a corner, along a wall, in front of a window or next to a doorway?

How much space can a tree fill?  Look for a tree that is six inches lower than the ceiling height. A 7.5foot tree is best for a standard 8-9 foot ceiling.  This ensures that the tip of the Christmas tree does not hug the ceiling and allows space for a tree topper.

For the diameter, check the very widest point of the tree.  The true space occupied by the tree will be about six inches less than the stated diameter.  And make sure that slim or narrow trees look like a natural shape.  A "pencil shaped," generally doesn’t look like a real tree.  Try a ¾ tree such as the BalsamHill.com Fifth Avenue Flatback if you are truly tight on space. 

•  The lights

Ninety percent of the artificial Christmas trees that were bought last year were pre-lit. Of the pre-lit trees, clear lights are the most popular.   Among the things that make setting up a tree each year, untangling and stringing the lights is one of the more challenging. 

When shopping for a pre-lit Christmas tree, the general rule for lights-to-tree is 100 lights per foot.  So a 7.5-foot tree (the standard for most homes) should have at least 750 lights on it.  A high-end tree will have more than 750 lights and will wind the lights up the underneath of each branch so that there are no visible wires.  This allows the tree-maker to put more lights on the tree.

Shoppers this Christmas should beware of retailers and manufacturers that are short-lighting trees.  Recent high copper prices have forced most tree manufacturers to cut back on lights in order to cut costs or keep prices low.  Shoppers will notice this more on low-end or less expensive artificial trees. 

•  The Realism

One of the fastest growing segments of artificial trees is trees made of polyethylene, or PE trees.  Polyethylene allows tree makers to mold the needles for better realism.  PE trees generally have the best quality, color and shape of any type of artificial trees.  The BalsamHill.com PE brand is called True Needle™.  BalsamHill.com uses their True Needle technology to mimic real tree varieties including their version of the popular Balsam Fir tree, which they call the BH Balsam Fir™.

If you don’t have as much money to spend you might opt for the artificial tree with branches made with a shredded paper or plastic-like material.  Even within this segment, it is better to find a tree with some brown and different shades of green mixed in on each branch for more realism.  The shredded plastic should be rounded at the end to give each branch texture (versus shredded strips that are the same length throughout the branch).

•  Warranty

Another bonus to setting-up an artificial tree is that even if you spend a lot on a realistic-looking pre-lit tree, it will last for years and save money in the long run.  A good tree should last at least ten years.  Look for a good manufacturer with a warranty of no less than 7 years on the tree or no less than 3 years on the lights. 

•  Color

As holiday decorating expands, so do the trends.  One trend is for homes that have more than one tree.  Parents may opt for a large traditional tree in the main room and a fun smaller tree that the children can decorate with homemade ornaments in the family room. 

Other color trends generally come out of the European market.  As with fashion, it generally is seen in U.S. homes about a year later.  Last year, the cutting-edge trend was for purple Christmas trees.  This year, look for orange trees as a fun alternative to green.  These brightly colored trees can be found through companies such as Treetopia.com that are dedicated to more trend-forward holiday décor.

Pictures and information provided by Jennifer Faulkner with www.balsamhill.com and

Meredith Bradford provided information with www.treetopia.com

Please check out: www.christmascoupons.com for discounts!

In the pictures:

The www.balsamhill.com Aspen Silver Fir with Color + Clear lights (a nice feature that changes the tree lights from clear to color with a remote control.  You can switch it up each year -- or each night!). 

And

The www.balsamhill.com Fifth Avenue Flatback; perfect for a small apartment against a wall or a hallway.

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