| You walk through the aisles of your big box retailer | | | | traditional trees. Before you decide on any tree, |
| and you see dozens of Artificial Christmas Trees. It's | | | | decide shape, style and height. If you like long |
| hard not to think of the convenience and low | | | | needles or short, bushy or narrow, flocked or natural |
| maintenance of a fake tree this year. The retailer has | | | | - these are just a few of the choices you need to |
| a large selection of trees in many price ponts. What's | | | | make. |
| the difference between the trees. | | | | What's a "tip"? A "tip" is the end of a Christmas Tree |
| First, be warned that large retailers are not about | | | | Branch. Instead of leaves an evergreen has needles |
| quality they are about price so the trees in their | | | | and tips. One branch is filled with several tips and |
| stores represent the bottom of the market. There is | | | | each tip has hundreds of needles. |
| a place for trees like this, but if you are looking for a | | | | Traditional Christmas Trees (unlit): To select an unlit |
| realistic looking artificial tree, you need to look | | | | tree you can judge the fullness my the number of |
| elsewhere. You can either go to a local nursery, most | | | | "Tips" that are on the tree. Generally a 6' tree will |
| also sell fake Christmas trees or if you want the | | | | have 800-1000 tips to look very full. An 8' tree will |
| broadest selection shop online. | | | | have over 1200 tips. To give a very rough rule of |
| Artificial Christmas Trees are sold in both lit and unlit | | | | thumb the best quality trees will have more than 100 |
| versions. I'll give pointers for both lighted trees and | | | | tips per foot in most traditional styles. |