It’s almost time to start decorating so I’ve compiled a list of the best realistic Christmas Trees for you to checkout this year!
Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year…
It brings everyone together, fosters a sense of giving and selflessness…and any holiday that includes sparkly lights is going to win my heart over!!
One of my favorite parts is giving gifts. I buy them throughout the year whenever I see something that seems perfect for someone I love, it makes wrapping them and waiting for opening day so exciting!!
When I was younger we didn’t have a lot of money to do things like ice skating or tree shopping, so each year my mom would bundle us up and drive to all the towns within a 2-hour distance so we could enjoy the sparkling Christmas light displays.
We still do this every year… but thankfully I live in a warmer climate with people that live closer together so we don’t have to drive far.
Our Tree
Our yearly ritual of going to the Christmas tree farm holds a special meaning.
Shortly after we started dating the Mr. found out I’d never had a real tree so the next day he showed up at my house and surprised me with one! It was the sweetest gift I’d ever received from a guy.
Six years later and he still surprises me with sweet gifts and reminds me how lucky I am.
I’ve been itching to go back to an artificial Christmas tree for a few reasons:
- Our anniversary is between Thanksgiving and Christmas and the Mr.’s birthday is New Year’s Eve which makes this time of year SO busy. No matter how well I plan, we get our tree up later each year and skipped it all together a few years ago!
- Anything that simplifies our life is good! The idea of cleaning up pine needles, watering the tree every day, and worrying about sap is starting to appeal less and less each year.
- My dream of having a flocked Christmas tree could be a reality!
- I wouldn’t have to remove every single thing from the tree at the end of the season. My grandma leaves her’s completely decorated (ornaments and all) and stores it in one of the upstairs bedrooms.
We don’t have the space to store a fully put together tree, but it would be amazing if I didn’t have to put the lights on each year!
My Dream Tree
If we are going to spend the money on an artificial tree it has to be the most realistic and high-quality tree we can afford….and of course, it has to be my dream tree!
The Mr. refuses to pay to have our real Christmas tree flocked because of the ‘mess’..even when I argue that I’d be the one cleaning it up he won’t budge.
The ‘Flocked Fraser Fur’ from Balsam Hill has been on my wishlist for years.
Balsam Hill OFTEN has great sales so keep an eye out & sign up for their email updates if you have your heart set on one of their trees.
Surprisingly there are a lot of companies that offer great realistic fake trees!
The Difference
A few years ago I was admiring my friends Christmas tree during her ugly sweater party.
When I asked her where she had found such a soft tree she told me it was fake and she had found the company from a blogger on Pinterest.
I’d had the same tree pinned for awhile and no idea it wasn’t real! When I started reading the blogs of all the trees I loved it became clear that most were fake and I had missed out on a huge design memo.
What is the magic behind these amazing fake Christmas trees?
The fake trees of my youth were all made of PVC cut into thin strands that were twisted onto wire branches.
They looked real enough from far away but if you’ve ever stabbed yourself on one of them you know they don’t fool anyone.
Fake florals have become super realistic. Anything from large plants to basic flower arrangments can be found and they seem real even after you touch them.
This is done by using a material called Polyethylene or PE for short.
A liquid form is poured into a mold made from the real plant so it comes out 3D. The material is soft and flexible so it feels just as real as it looks.
Some silk (‘Real Touch’) flowers are now coated in PE after they have been painted since its cheaper to produce that way.
The difference in how realistic or fake it looks comes down to the coloring and painted finish after the mold is complete.
The best artificial Christmas tree companies employ master craftsman that dye and color each vein, branch, and needle to match the real thing as closely as possible.
Without being able to see the trees in person I have to depend on reviews, bloggers, and customers thoughts on forums to find the most realistic artificial tree.
Best Material
Opinions differ on what the best mix of material is for achieving that realistic feel we all want but based on everything I’ve read the general opinion is a good mix of PVC for fullness & PE for the soft touch realism seems best.
The more realistic a tree the more its going to cost. Since we usually only use these trees once a year it can be hard to know if something has gone wrong or the lights stopped working until Christmas is just around the corner.
For that reason I’d say the warranty and customer service are just as important (if not more) than the tree itself.
A company that’ll stand behind their product and make it right if something goes wrong when you pull it out a year after you purchased it is ideal!
A roundup of Real-Feel Christmas Trees:
This is my first year looking for trees, so if you have one of these or another recommendation be sure to share it in the comments below!
**UPDATE: Added more options thanks to some reader suggestions**
I stumbled upon this company on Instagram and fell in love with their flocked trees. The sale prices are GREAT and everyone who owns one of their trees says they are amazing and very realistic.
However, I feel its important to know that they rely HEAVILY on social media influencers for the marketing and provide free trees to these people in exchange for posts about them on their channels.
This can make it difficult to find real reviews from people who could possibly have issues or be unhappy….
Barcana:
This company offers a HUGE number of tree options (past catalogs can be seen on their website) and while they claim to have the most realistic fake trees, they’re only open to trade accounts so unless you know a designer or architect it can be difficult to find one.
The warranty is AMAZING & all the reviews about their customer service are equally impressive.
This is technically a ‘trade only’ source but they can be found online at places like Amazon.
Tree Time
These Christmas Trees get a lot of rave reviews on home decor forums, people seem to love the quality and support they receive from the company.
The retail price is also similar to BH but the sale prices are a lot cheaper!
They are the main competitor of Balsam Hill, so I’m guessing the quality is very similar if not the same.
Tree Classics:
This company seems very similar to Tree Time but the prices are a lot better. This is probably the place I’ll get ours from, so I’ll update this post with my review if anything stands out.
If you shop during a sale the prices are a STEAL!
National Tree Company:
These trees all have great reviews on Amazon and are easy to find.
These trees are mid-range in price but can be found on a lot of online sites during sales and discounted price points.
Front Gate
While I was researching this post I kept seeing recommendations from customers for these Christmas trees.
I quickly fell in love with the ‘Flocked Fraser’ tree but the price is too steep for us. Customers rave about the quality and how realistic they feel & look (even the trunks have fake bark)!
Front Gate is known for having great customer support so any issues that arise should be easily handled by giving them a call.
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