Yes, we think a real Christmas tree is nicer, too. However, if you’ve had it with having to load up a large tree on your car year after year, then having to get rid of it after the season is over, maybe it’s time to consider switching to an artificial Christmas tree to spare you the trouble.
Artificial Christmas trees come in a box that you can put in the trunk of your car or have shipped straight to your door, making them a lot more convenient to get. Even better, most artificial trees last an average of seven to nine years, so you only have to shop for it once for the most part of an entire decade. Instead, you can simply dismantle and pack it up after the season is over, ready to be taken out once again next time the holidays come around. Allergies? Not a thing with artificial trees. Same with watering and vacuuming, neither of which are get added to your list of chores when you’re using an artificial tree.
The best artificial Christmas trees today also look a heck of a lot better than the artificial trees of old, especially once you have them fully lit-up and covered in holiday ornaments. Some even manage a life-like appearance, although that’s hardly a requirement, especially if you’re simply looking for some festive decorations during the holidays.
What height of artificial Christmas tree should you get? Most people we know buy 7.5 feet, which makes it tall enough that you’ll probably need a stool to reach the top without making it too tall that it could risk hitting your ceiling. Some people we know, however, prefer 6.5 feet variants, which is tall enough to make for a proper decorating centerpiece, while allowing most everyone but small kids to put a your favorite tree topper without having to use steps or a ladder. You can go, of course, with whichever ones would be most suited to your home and your budget. For this list most of the recommendations we include are 7.5 feet whenever they’re available, although you should also be able to get the same tree designs in both taller and shorter heights, which is another advantage of going with these manufactured trees.
Should you get pre-lit artificial Christmas trees or not? That’s up to you. A big part of the holiday fun for our family is hanging our own decorations and that includes the lighting, so we prefer doing that part ourselves. However, if you favor shedding as much holiday stress as possible (who can blame you?), a pre-lit one is definitely going to save you a chunk of work. Do note, however, that going the pre-lit mode means getting a tree with its own electronic parts, which makes it more expensive and gives it more parts that can go awry. With unlit trees, you can just put in any light you want and replace it with something better in a pinch. At any rate, both should work well, depending on your individual needs.
These are the best artificial Christmas trees to bring the festive cheers of the holidays inside your home.
Puleo Elegant Series Frasier Fir Unlit
If you’re looking for a competitively-priced artificial tree for your Christmas decorating, this 7-foot model should be the first one you look at. We love the tree itself, which looks thick and fluffy even without any decorations, while the detailed green pine needles and natural shape lend it a genuine tree-like feel. Seriously, it makes for quite a breathtaking sight that we didn’t expect from an artificial tree at this price range. It’s made from fire-retardant materials, so you have no worries even if any of the lights malfunction, while the branches are strong enough to hold light tree ornaments and some heavier ones, although it faltered with some of our heaviest pieces. Do note, it takes a bit of fluffing during the initial assembly, but it’s relatively quick work for the gorgeous tree you end up having.
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Treetopia Tuxedo Black Artificial Christmas Tree
A black Christmas tree may not sound like the traditional holiday centerpiece, but the tuxedo black shade makes a perfect backdrop for colorful lights and ornaments, allowing any decorative elements you add to really stand out. This 7-foot artificial Christmas tree takes on a dense and full silhouette after a little fluffing (okay, a lot of fluffing), which combines with the tuxedo black color to make for one stunning sight to adorn your home during the holidays. Granted, it looks like a prop straight out of Wednesday without the decorations, but that changes fast soon as you fix it up with snowflakes, shiny baubles, and lights. Treetopia claims it has 1,273 individually-crafted branch tips, giving you plenty of places to hang your favorite ornaments.
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King of Christmas Yorkshire Fir Artificial Christmas Tree
Another unlit artificial Christmas tree, this 7.5-foot model has over 2,000 branch tips, giving it a very dense, very full appearance. We also love the way they arranged the branches, which makes it feel more lifelike than your typical artificial fare, although the dark green color tends to give a very plastic-looking feel when cast in very bright direct light. Once set up with decorations, though, that’s hardly a matter, as the sight of the ornaments, the blinking sights, and the shadows all put the branches on the background, with the tree’s tall height, full shape, and dense constitution drawing most of anyone’s attention. We’re impressed at the strength of the branches, which easily handle the heaviest ornaments we have in our pile, although they do pop off occasionally, which is not an issue, since the branches can be easily put back in place.
Fraser Hill Farm Mountain Pine Snow Flocked Artificial Tree
Want an artificial tree that looks like it’s covered in artificial snow? This 7.5-foot snow-flocked tree gets the job done, instantly bringing that winter wonderland vibe to any room you set it up in. They weren’t conservative about the snow-covered look, either, as this thing looks like it’s been through a proper snowstorm. Do note, the flocked branches do shed, so it can make things a tad messy, although this model, in particular, sheds far less than a couple of other flocked trees we’ve tried out. It has soft branches that are actually nice to touch, although the downside is it doesn’t handle heavier weights well, so you best stick to lighter ornaments when decorating. We like the version of the tree with the multi-color LED string lights included, although it’s also available with clear string lights, warm white LED string lights, or no lights at all.
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Fraser Hill Farm Pre-Lit York Pine
One of the more involved work when it comes to artificial Christmas trees is the fluffing of branches. They just won’t look good if you don’t and doing it right can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a full hour. This 7.5-foot tall artificial tree uses memory wire branches that are pre-fluffed, so they automatically look good as you assemble them out of the box, which saves you plenty of time to get your tree up and running. It uses mixed PE and PVC needles in various shades of green, creating a more varied look that better resembles real trees, although they’re, admittedly, still far from realistic. It comes pre-strung with 3mm multi-color LED lights, with 10 preset functions that you can activate using the included remote, along with a timer function, so you can have it turn on and off unattended.
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Grandin Road Long Needle Tinsel Tree
If you don’t want to spend much time decorating your tree, then your best recourse is to get a pre-lit artificial Christmas tree that looks decorative enough on its own. This 7.5-foot tinsel tree does the trick nicely, with its 550 LED bulbs, long needle leaves, champagne-colored hues, and frosted metallic finish making it a true sight to behold all by its lonesome. Do note, those long needles require a heck of a lot of fluffing and the tree itself takes a bit longer than usual to assemble, so you probably want to set this up on a weekend to spare yourself any undue frustration. And if you have a change of heart about decorating the tree, this has some of the sturdiest branches we’ve seen on the list, allowing you to bust out the half-pound ornaments without running into any issues.
Twinkly Pre-Lit App-Controlled Multicolored Fir Tree
This artificial Christmas tree looks so much better in person than in the product photos, with the needles and branches having a much more realistic feel. No, you won’t trick anyone into thinking it’s a real tree, but it’s quite the looker all the same. It’s really easy to assemble, with three pieces that you simply put together, while the branches require little fluffing, mostly just to make sure all the gaps in the tree’s shape are filled in. Suffice to say, this is one of the easiest artificial trees to put together, which is even more impressive considering the excellent LED lighting it includes. Speaking of the LEDs, it’s covered in 400 flat head multi-color LEDs whose functions you can easily customize using the companion app (iOS and Android). The lights are where it really stands out, as you can apply timers, dim and brighten, and access countless preset effects and animations directly from the app. You can also create custom effects using the FX Wizard from the app, which allows you to make the tree as festive as your creativity can handle. Suffice to say, it’s the lights that really make this mid-priced tree wonderfully special.
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National Tree Company “Feel Real” Downswept Douglas Fir
With its individually-crafted branches that, the outfit claims, are molded from their real-life counterparts, this artificial Christmas tree brings a more lifelike feel compared to other trees in this price range. We love the size, too, with its 7.5-foot height jiving nicely with the 59-inch base diameter, making it an ideal tree size for most households. It has over 1,800 branch tips, leaving it very thick and full, especially after you’ve put in a bit of time fluffing it into shape (and yes, it will require some time), while the hinged branch design makes it just as easy to assemble come Christmas season as it is to collapse for storage after the holidays. It’s fitted with 900 LEDs that can switch between multi-color and champagne white glow, with a built-in switch allowing you to quickly change between them, along with the 10 different preset light functions. If you want a tree that strikes a great balance of price, realistic appearance, and quality lighting, this one is definitely worthy of consideration.
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Vickerman Flocked Alaskan Pine
Want a snow-covered artificial Christmas tree with some real size to fill out a corner of the room? Turn your attention to this 7.5-foot tall and 68-inch wide Alaskan pine, which comes with heavily-flocked branch tips that will probably make the room feel a little cold just from how realistic its snow-covered branches look. Not only do those branches look amazing, they’re also insanely sturdy, allowing it to support your heavier ornaments without much trouble. Assembly is pretty easy and straightforward with the lack of wires to connect and the hinged branches, although the heavy 75-pound weight will make breaking it apart for storage a bit tougher. Despite the amazing flocked appearance, that’s not even the real standout here. Instead, it’s the Dura-Lit lights, which consist of 800 small LEDs and 45 larger bulbs that just make it glow in a genuinely special way.
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Balsam Hill Fraser Fir
Balsam Hill makes some expensive artificial Christmas trees that are well worth the asking price due to how lifelike they look. This 7.5-foot tall Fraser fir tree, for instance, come with 3,272 branch tips that leave it looking dense and full, with majority of them being made from PE to achieve that realistic appearance, although they do throw in some PVC branches close to the pole to fill things out underneath. While it uses memory wire branches that are supposedly pre-fluffed, it still requires a heck of a lot of fluffing, which, we’re guessing, is due to how dense this thing is. Seriously, it took over an hour to properly assemble and fluff the whole thing (put aside two hours if you like taking things at a leisurely pace). We recommend getting the tree with the dual-color LEDs, which lets you switch from clear white to multi-color hues at the push of a button, although they do offer a healthy selection of different LEDs, giving you the option of finding one that suits your exact needs.