For many, Christmas gatherings in 2020 looked a bit different, with Zoom gatherings taking the place of the regular family get-together. This year, many of us are determined to pull out all the stops and deck the halls like they’ve never been decked before! The centerpiece of a festive holiday home is, of course, the Christmas tree.

Maybe this is a good year to upgrade your artificial Christmas tree. Or, for that matter, bring home your very first artificial tree. When you choose a cut tree, it’s hard to find the perfect specimen. One has a crooked trunk; another has a bare spot you’ll have to hide. With an artificial Christmas tree, not only is setup and take-down a breeze, but there’s such a forest of choices that you can find one that looks exactly the way you want.

Which are the best artificial Christmas trees? All of them eliminate the need for watering and picking needles off the carpet, but different options are better for different settings. Here are a few considerations for selecting the consummate counterfeit conifer for your home.

Christmas Trees Large and Small

Question number one: how much space do you have? Most folks choose trees seven to seven and a half feet tall, but if that makes your room look crowded, a six-footer might work better. With a high ceiling, you could go up to nine feet, or even 12 or 15.

Do you want the tree to dominate the room, or should it blend in more with the other decor? Either way, shape is as important as height. Trees come in full, slim and very slim (sometimes called pencil).

In a den or smaller room, you might choose a tabletop tree of anywhere from two to five feet. While full-sized trees usually come with metal stands, these shorties usually reside in pots or urns. In a small apartment or condo, they’re happy to stand on the floor as well as on a table.

Is That a Real Tree?

Attractive as they are, most artificial trees simply don’t look quite like the real thing. In a way, that’s good! Do you really need a tree that starts to “brown out” and drop needles as January approaches?

Some folks want a tree that’s as close to the real thing as an imitation can be. They’ll look for trees molded after actual forest varieties. There are pretend pines with thin and soft needles, facsimile firs that are fuller and substitute spruces with needles that are sharp and pointy. Some manufacturers even add real-look twigs and pine cones to heighten the similarity.

Other “trees” make no attempt to copy something that grows out of the ground. They might be silver or white with a stylized look. They go well in a room with a modern or an industrial style, while the more natural trees fit in with a traditional or a rustic look. Either type of tree might have flocking that resembles snowfall or a sugar frost that plays interesting tricks with the light.

Which Branch Should I Take?

A fuller tree is generally a more natural-looking tree. One factor in this is the branch tip count. The higher the count, the greater the number of tips with needles, the more realistic the tree and the more ornaments it will support. 800-900 is a good tip count for a 6 ½ foot tree and 1200-1500 for a 7 ½. Some trees deliberately lower the tip count for a tiered or layered look, which works well for dangling ornaments.

At one time, artificial trees had hooked branches that had to be attached and detached every time you set the tree up or took it down. Manual artificial trees have come a long way in recent years. Featuring hinged branch construction on tree sections for easy artificial Christmas tree assembly and shaping, many varieties of trees are designed to be fast to set-up.

If your ultimate goal is ultimate convenience, you may consider a self-shaping artificial Christmas tree with pre-shaped branches. Simply set the bottom section in the stand, add the middle section(s), and top with the tree top section. Minimal shaping and adjustments are needed, making set-up a snap.

Looking for a Needle

Most artificial needles are made from PVC that’s cut and shaped between twisted wires. PVC pine tips can easily be folded and it’s truly evergreen – its color won’t fade. Usually PVC needle tips are wired or wrapped to the branches, an artificial touch that’s hard to hide. These needles can be soft or hard and bushy. They can even be a cashmere style with distressed tips that make them look softer.

Another needle material, polyethylene (PE) has been catching on. With PE, a branch tip is created from molded tree tips of the pine needles for a more realistic look and texture. These trees typically cost a bit more based on material and manufacturing costs. Also, there are trees that use a combination of PVC and PE needles.

Let There Be Lights!

Artificial trees come with lights or without. The big advantage of unlit is that you can choose the lighting look you want and change it every season or two.

In an artificial pre-lit Christmas tree, standard incandescent bulbs are inexpensive and still widely used. However, as with most lighting, LED is coming to the fore. LEDs cost more, but they last many times longer and are cool when you touch them.

Lights can be clear, white or come in many colors. Some flash or change color or shades. If you don’t know which to choose, you may not have to! Many trees have multi-mode lights that alter with a switch or even a remote.

The latest technology in artificial tree options includes the power in the pole (tree trunk). Power pole trees have technology where the LED light sets, pre-woven on the branches, are plugged into outlets on the tree pole. The bottom section of the tree has a cord with a low voltage adaptor that plugs into a standard outlet. As sections are added to the tree, the power for the lights, connects in the poles section by section during assembly.

Lights, branches, needles, size, shape, assembly style: the right artificial Christmas tree is the one that fits your home and your taste. You don’t have to wander out into the cold; shop indoors for the tree of your dreams. Merry Christmas and happy tree hunting!