Selecting an artificial Christmas tree can bring joy and ease to your Christmas celebrations for years to come. What’s more, quality artificial trees can last for many holiday seasons. This will, no doubt, save you time and money in the long run.
What to Look for When Selecting an Artificial Christmas Tree
Branches
The first thing to remember is that the most realistic artificial Christmas tree branches are made of PE (polyethylene) plastic. This method uses injection-molding to imitate the texture as well as color of real pine needles. In comparison, traditional artificial Christmas-tree branches are often made of PVC (polyvinyl chloride) needles. PVC needles are softer, flatter and less realistic. However, many tree manufacturers use a combination of PE and PVC branches in their trees. In this case, the PVC branches fill in the back of the tree. Ideally, you should look for a tree with about 70 percent PVC branches and 30 percent filler branches. Bronner’s salesroom merchandise manager and lights and trees buyer offers you some tips.
Lights
Another important consideration when buying an artificial Christmas tree is whether you prefer a pre-lit or unlit tree. Indeed, it’s really a personal preference. Some folks enjoy changing up the lighting style and theme of their tree every year or two. So for them, an unlit tree is the perfect choice.
But if you don’t like stringing lights on trees, the pre-lit tree is for you. After all, most pre-lit trees today feature LED lighting. The touch of a button on a remote allows you to easily alter the color and pattern of the lights. What’s more, quality LED lights last on a tree for many years. No more cutting incandescent light strings off a pre-lit tree after a few Christmas seasons. The average lifespan of an incandescent light string is 1,700 hours. By comparison, the average lifespan of an LED light string is 70,000 to 100,000 hours.
Benefits of Choosing a Pre-Lit Artificial Christmas Tree
- Easy setup – no untangling light strings and wrapping them on the tree yourself.
- Various light modes – warm white to multi-colored options. Switch themes and color schemes year to year.
- Safety – designed with fire-resistant materials – both tree and lights.
- Durability – High-quality trees maintain shape and beauty; LED lights last up to 100,000 hours.
Benefits of Choosing an Unlit Artificial Christmas Tree
- Cost-effective purchase – often more affordable than pre-lit trees.
- Customizable lights – full control over the style, color and number of lights.
- Engaging traditions – For some families, stringing and changing light styles is a family activity and tradition.
Should you prefer an unlit tree, Bronner’s professional decorators can help you with stringing lights effectively on your tree.
What’s more, we’re happy to take you step by step through the tree decorating process.
