Pine & Plastic: Christmas Tree Sales In The U.S.

For many Americans, an early-December expedition to find the perfect Christmas tree is an essential part of the holiday season. The experience can prove stressful but it's usually worth the effort once the tree is fully-decorated and filling your home with its wonderful smell. In a considerable number of households, however, people prefer dragging their faithful plastic tree out of the basement every ear.

A polyvinyl chloride tree certainly lacks the excitement (and smell) of a real tree but it doesn't turn brown and shed its needles all over the living room floor. Fake-tree lovers also avoid the chore of disposing of their sad brown tree every January. Even though real trees consistently outsell more expensive fake ones every year, most consumers consider the latter a more long-investment. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, sales of both variations in the U.S. hit a peak in 2013 when 33 million real trees were sold, along with 14.7 million fakes.