The Best Christmas Trees

This holiday season, you probably have enough on your plate without worrying about picking out a tree. After all, there are presents to buy, menus to create, plans to finalize, and plenty of other seasonal activities to stress about. With all that in mind, who has time to research the best types of trees? Luckily for you, we've narrowed down the search to the best ones on the market so that you don't have to put extra time into doing so. Whether you want a grand, realistic-looking spruce, a flashy, extravagant LED tree, or a small, elegant pine, you're bound to find what you're looking for on this list.

National Tree Company Pre-Lit Artificial Tree

This holiday season, make spirits bright with the National Tree Company Pre-Lit Artificial Tree, which boasts a totally realistic look and feel. With 1,346 branch tips, it’s generously sized and attractively full-bodied, giving it the appearance of a living, breathing tree. It’ll easily fit into your living room, too, considering that you get to pick from one of several sizes ranging from 4 feet to 16 feet. Crucially, this tree is also easy to set up and take down. The branches are attached to center poles that snap into place during set-up and easily fold back up when you’re done. All that, and it’s affordably priced and made from high-quality, fire-resistant materials. It has a strong metal base, 550 pre-strung UL white lights, and long-lasting needles.

Pros:

  • Looks and feels like a living tree.
  • Made from high-quality, fire-resistant materials.
  • Has 1,346 branch tips (which easily snap into place and fold back together), giving it an attractive, full-bodied appearance.
  • Available in a range of sizes.
  • Accessible price point.

Cons:

  • To get the full effect, you’ll have to spend an hour or more fluffing the tree.

Best Choice Products Premium Spruce Tree

Gorgeous, Full, and Oh-So-Natural

This Best Choice Products tree looks so real that you'll never even know the difference.
Best Natural Look

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For a level of fullness rarely achieved by artificial trees, the Best Choice Products Premium Spruce Tree is the perfect pick. This fluffy, lush, gorgeous spruce tree looks as real as they come, with its hinged branches and 1,346 tips, which fan out and help to give it its signature full-bodied look. The steel base is extremely durable and sturdy, providing stability all season long, while the three hinged sections allow for easy assembly and dismantling. And, you can opt for one of two sizes: 7.5 feet or 9 feet.

Pros:

  • Has a truly authentic-looking, full-bodied appearance.
  • Three hinged sections allow for easy assembly and storage.
  • Sturdy, very durable steel base.
  • Pick from one of two sizes.

Cons:

  • Not cheap.

Twinkle Star Cherry Blossom Tree

Something Unique and Special

For a different kind of holiday tree, get the Twinkle Star Cherry Blossom Tree.
Best Cherry Blossom Tree

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Feel the love and holiday joy emanating from the branches of the Twinkle Star Cherry Blossom Tree, which makes for the perfect wintry accessory, no matter the time of year. With its bendable black branches (which are easy to adjust) and clear, flower-shaped lights, this tree is fun, funky, and altogether unique. Thanks to the 208 warm LED lights, it lets off a lovely warm glow – especially if you stick it in a dark corner of the room. Basically, it’s ideal for those who would prefer something other than a traditional tree.

Pros:

  • Flexible branches are durable.
  • Clear, flower-shaped LED lights emit a warm, lovely glow.
  • A fun, funky alternative to a traditional tree.

Cons:

  • It would be nice if this tree came with a remote instead of just a power cord (you have to unplug it to turn it off).

Best Choice Products Pre-Lit Fiber Optic Tree

Merry, Merry

Get the festivities started with this vibrantly colored fiber optics tree from Best Choice Products.
Best Fiber Optic Tree

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Have a holly jolly season with the Best Choice Products Fiber Optic Tree, which comes decked out with 280 LED lights and fiber optics lined along the branches for a seriously festive, opulent display. In fact, the fiber optic settings have four colors with three brightness settings and eight different light sequences, so you can easily customize how bright you want your tree to be. At 7 feet high with a strong, foldable iron base, this tree makes for a striking centerpiece for your living room.

Pros:

  • Decked out with 280 LED lights and fiber optics (with four color options).
  • Customize the look, with three brightness settings and eight light sequences.
  • Creates a festive, brightly colored display.
  • User-friendly setup.

Cons:

  • You have to reset the lights every time you turn the tree on.

Balsam Hill Classic Blue Spruce Tree

The Utmost in Elegance

If you want to splurge on a truly luxurious tree, there's no finer product than the Balsam Hill Classic Blue Spruce.
Best Splurge

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Luxe, lush, and so real-looking that it’s tough to believe there’s no pine scent, the Balsam Hill Classic Blue Spruce Tree is easily one of the best artificial trees available. With sleek, multi-toned needles made of thin stripes of PVC (in shades of light gray, moss green, and blue-green) that feel soft and papery to the touch, the caliber and appearance of this tree is of the highest quality. Of course, there’s a luxurious price tag that accompanies this luxurious product, but if you mean business when it comes to festivities, it’s worth it.

Pros:

  • Creates a full profile with sleek, multi-toned foliage that’s soft to the touch.
  • Looks incredibly real.
  • Easily one of the highest-quality artificial trees available.

Cons:

  • A bit costly, but if you’re committed, it’s money well-spent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I get an artificial tree or a real one?

There are a few key considerations to make when you’re trying to decide between a real versus fake tree. For starters, the experience of going to a farm and picking out a tree can be a fun family activity, and real trees smell wonderfully fragrant. From an environmental perspective, real trees are biodegradable, whereas the plastic and steel required to make artificial trees is not. Although, that being said, you can always reuse your fake tree year after year, which would also be considered an eco-conscious choice. On top of that, fake trees don’t require any upkeep, they don’t create a mess in the house, and they’re not as flammable as real trees. In short: there are pros and cons to both, so it’s definitely a personal choice.

How do I pick the right artificial tree for my home?

Size is the most important factor. Think about how much space you have and what your living room can accommodate. The general rule of thumb is that the tip of the tree should be six inches from the ceiling. Aside from that, you should consider whether you want to get a pre-lit, decorated tree, or get string lights and decorate it yourself.