Are you ready for an artificial Christmas tree? The season is bearing down on us faster than a speeding reindeer, and soon we’ll be decking the proverbial halls and filling the home with the heavenly aroma of baking cookies. Maybe you’ve decided this is the year to forgo the hassle, mess and cleanup of a cut tree and opt for the cleanliness and convenience of a more permanent one. Or perhaps you already have an artificial tree and want to replace it with something from the contemporary selection of realistic-looking options. Whatever the case, here are some thoughts about how to select your new Christmas-time centerpiece.

There are many reasons to go artificial. Ease and simplicity is a primary one, but there’s also value. While the one-time outlay for an artificial tree is higher, you won’t face escalating sticker shock every winter at the tree lot. And you’ll be sure of what you’re getting: no bald spots, no crooked trunk, no needles that fall too soon.

How to Choose an Artificial Christmas Tree

What’s the best artificial Christmas tree? As is so often the case, it depends. It depends on your tastes and styles, on your home and where it will stand in that home.

Appearance

Some people want the most realistic artificial Christmas tree they can get, while others prefer something modern and stylized. Natural looking artificial trees imitate their counterparts in the forests. Pines have thin and soft needles, firs are fuller, and artificial spruces have sharp and pointy needles (though not as pointy as the real thing).

Branches

Some branches are tiered or layered, which is useful for hanging large or dangling ornaments. However, a tighter, fuller look is more the norm.

Another advancement in today’s artificial Christmas trees has to do with the branches. Many trees feature hinged branches with memory wire pine tips. The branches fold for easy storage, and the wire can be shaped and adjusted by hand and will stay where you put it.

Adornments

Manufacturers sometimes supply a few special touches to make their trees different. For example, a few include natural-look twigs, berries and pine cones. Other trees are flocked in white for the fresh snowfall appearance. Yet others have a sugar frost that reflects the lights in an interesting way.

Size

Many trees are around seven and a half feet, but some are as short as six and others go as tall as nine, 12, or even 15. Diameters vary as well. They can be over 72 inches or as narrow as 30. If your space is limited, or if you just don’t want your Christmas tree to dominate the room, a slimmer style might be preferable. Or you could double your decorative enjoyment with an impressive tree for the living room and a less imposing one in the den.

Maybe that den or small room is more suited to a tabletop tree. These diminutives stand from two to five and a half feet and most sit in pots or urns rather than on metal stands.

Convenience

Traditionally, faux Christmas trees come either in sections fitted one atop another, or have branches that attach individually each time the tree’s assembled. Today, the most convenient trees feature hinged branches that pop into place for zippy set-up. If they also have memory wire, it’s a breeze to get the exact shape you want. Note: Artificial trees typically come with a metal stand.

Lights

The first question about lights is this: do you want your tree to come with lights at all? The un-lit option allows you to either set up your tree au naturel or to change your lights from season to season. If a new light style comes along two years from now, you can add it without buying a new tree.

If you decide on a tree with pre-strung lights, there are several choices. Standard incandescent bulbs have been around for years and are steady, traditional and inexpensive. Long-life incandescent Christmas lights are more technologically advanced and last better than standards. However, as is the case with lighting of all types, LED technology is starting to take over. The up-front cost is higher but they last up to 10 times longer and are cooler to the touch.

Picking the color is where the fun begins. Good old clear lights are making a comeback, as are plain white. But a lot of people still like the celebratory exuberance of a Christmas tree showing off many colors. They’re especially fun when they flash, run or change shades. Can’t decide? You don’t necessarily have to. Many trees now come with multi-function lights where the touch of a button or foot pedal changes the setting.

Check out this season’s selection and pick out the un-lit or the pre-lit artificial Christmas tree that’s right for you. Whether it’s a stately centerpiece for a high-ceiling living room or a pleasant ornamentation in an apartment or a den, there’s a tree out there waiting for you to give it a home.